toi toi experiment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is not much more to say. it is coming to an end. eight years of experimentation and toil. This is the harbour installation and it took alot of doing. Most of this was captured in the Introduction. There are 54 giant toi tois. They were all hand made from bamboo about 15ft in length with 30 or so toi tois strapped to the end with twine. These were dragged out into the harbour under the cover of darkness. I waited for low tide and took as many as i could on the long march across the mud and one by one bit by bit placed them in an arc to go with the natural flow of the landscape. It took several nights and trip upon trip. I would leave the house at midnight and come home at 5am covered in mud and exhausted. I caused alot of stress to my girlfriend who i often didn't tell what was happening cause i didn't want to worry her. I would prefer to tell her when i got back . Only once i arrived home to find her waiting on the porch at 4am in her pajamas tired and upset wondering where i was. I told her from that moment on. The harbour was so lit up that it was really quite peaceful and serene out there on your own when u got used to it and at times i actually enjoyed what i was doing. I would have rather have not been there but sometimes ya just gotta put yourself out of your comfort zone to get things done. My legs got cut from shells and oyster remains in the mud and my arms ached from carrying toi toi after toi toi long distances and i was dazed with sleep deprivation but it did get done.