This conversation was just what I needed to lift my spirits after a year of overwhelmingly depressing news. Talking to Rebecca felt like meeting a slightly older and more illustrious version of myself. It gave me hope that it’s possible to live in a more intuitive and connected way without disengaging from the institutions and systems of society.
Like me, Rebecca found it hard to choose between subjects at school and university because it was the connections between them that intrigued her most. Her instinct for finding unexpected connections has led her on a fascinating career path, starting with a degree in Chemistry and Maths and moving into architecture where she was captivated by discourses around feminism, art and Te Ao Māori. For several years she has played leadership roles in Massey University’s College of Creative Arts. She recently stepped down as Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor to dedicate more time to The Pākehā Project and other creative acts of decolonisation.
Rebecca talks about how we’ve based our society and our entire approach to the world on the completely wrong assumption that we are separate and that our problems can be solved by pulling things apart and analysing the pieces. She calls this a “traumatised logic” - a way of thinking that has broken the world up into pieces and left us disconnected and at odds with each other.
The Pākehā Project, is about becoming aware of these underlying assumptions and opening to other ways of seeing the world. It’s about learning how to listen and step back as well as using our privileges and positions of power to shift the systems we operate within.
I love the way she describes this work as a joyful creative act. It reconnects us to our own vitality and opens us up to other beings and the living world.
Links and references
In the interview Rebecca names some of her heroes and influences. Here are some links to follow up:
Sarah Treadwell - artist, architect and academic
Báyò Akómoláfé - author, speaker, teacher
Nora Bateson - filmmaker, writer, educator and creator of Warm Data
Veronica Tawhai - scholar and educator operating from an ethic of love
Louise Marra - Rebecca’s tuakana and co-founder of The Pākehā Project
The guitar music you’ll hear at the end of the conversation is by Rebecca’s brother Ben. It was the accompaniment to a song they sang together at their father’s funeral.
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