Abstract:
Artefacts of Encounter was a 3-year project (April 2010 – March 2013) that located and examined artefacts collected on more than 40 voyages that entered Polynesia between 1765-1840, and used these artefacts as primary evidence of the nature and legacy of encounters between European explorers and Pacific islanders. A key project aim was to develop a way to collaborate with institutions holding artefacts, and the communities from whom these originated, via a digital platform. Our collaboration with Maori arts group Toi Hauiti was intended to initiate a reciprocal platform for co-creation around objects, providing access and authorship at a local level whilst simultaneously sharing information amongst project partners.
