(PHILLIPINES/NEW ZEALAND)
Parabox
As a child, Jojo’s family house burnt to the ground while corrupt firefighters looked on, and only a week later their temporary housing was destroyed by a typhoon.
“While peeling cardboard boxes piece by piece, I remember seeing my parents picking up our lives every time we experienced disaster. One day I saw the picture of my life in my installation and I cried because I was not able to accomplish my dream. I promised myself that I would continue to look after my parents when they get older, but they died too soon. My artwork is like a scar, a reminder of my past.”
Parabox also plays on the Philippine tradition of Balikbayan boxes (‘balik’ means ‘return’ and bayan ‘home’). These cardboard boxes are stocked with essential supplies like food and clothing, which are sent to families in the Philippines from relatives who have emigrated and work overseas. Jojo arrived in New Zealand from the Philippines in 1990 with her Kiwi husband Roy (later killed in a construction accident in Wellington in 1991). She often struggled to send parcels to the family she left behind in the country she describes as “corrupt” without jeopardising her ability to make ends meet for her and her two children. “I was in New Zealand for a better life but it was still hard.”
The public are invited to help Jojo build her shelter whilst sharing in stories of migration and homeland.
Josephine Jowett is a licensed naval architect and marine engineer, trained in University of Cebu, Philippines. She also has a Bachelor’s in Visual Arts from Wellington Institute of Technology, and has been exhibiting in New Zealand since 2007 including shows at Farsite, the Institute of Fine Arts, the Dowse Museum of Art and The Performance Arcade 2016. In 2010 she was presented with the Filipino Achiever Award by the Philippines Charge de ‘Affaires.
Thanks to Sam Trubridge – Director and The Performance Arcade, New Zealand
supported by Creative New Zealand
access to performances by day ticket only: Wednesday 23, Thursday 24 & Friday 25 November, 18.00-22.00
SACRED: homelands festival 