Tūoro, tūoro references the beginning of the pe’e māori, a traditional Cook Island chant. An ancient calling to the moana (the ocean), our tangata tupuna (our ancestors) and the Vaerua (the spirits). Tūoro is also the name of the infamous Black rock in the Cook Islands, the departure point for spirits of the dead to leave Rarotonga and begin their voyage to the afterlife.

The work acts as a space of remembrance, to the ones we love and have lost, that live within the space between the moana, papatūanuku (mother earth) and Ranginui (Sky god). The restful skirts enact a kapa rima (action song), reflecting the motions of the rippling of waves, moving with the natural elements of the wind, earth and sea. 

In respecting the lived experience of being part of the Te Moana nui a kiwa (Pacific Ocean) diaspora, there is a sense of longing for our spiritual and ancestral guides within this work. This sculpture faces out to the direction of the Cook Islands, igniting this sense of a home away from home, and our journey to sail back. 

This work is dedicated to a current moving spirit of the sea, Sēini ‘SistaNative’ Taumoepeau (1975-2024). We will always continue dancing with you Sēini as you voyage across the Moana. Valē Seini. 

Morgan Hogg, Tūoro, Tūoro, 2024, Raffia, candle nuts, Piupiu shells, cotton, coconut oil. Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney.