Creator of Mea Tau Elijah Kennar shares his inspiration and process for creating the show.
What is the inspiration for this work?
Mea Tau is the Samoan word for Weapon. Mea normally means ‘thing’ and Tau is in regard to battle or war. So when the two words are merged it becomes ‘weapon’.
I was inspired by a bible verses, Isaiah 54:17 “There shall be no weapon fashioned against us that shall succeed”. It made me think about what a weapon is. When does a weapon become a weapon. I thought about in movies where people have become so creative that characters cause harm with anything - any object. So for me the work is about objects, and questioning objects. When do objects become weapons and when do weapons become objects?
Actually Toy Story was an inspiration. The idea that objects come to life, when humans leave. We also love games. Things like Tekken and Mortal Combat were games we played together as a cast. Weapons are in those but it was also about growing our sense of brotherhood and our sense of play.
I was inspired by a bible verses, Isaiah 54:17 “There shall be no weapon fashioned against us that shall succeed”. It made me think about what a weapon is. When does a weapon become a weapon. I thought about in movies where people have become so creative that characters cause harm with anything - any object. So for me the work is about objects, and questioning objects. When do objects become weapons and when do weapons become objects?
Actually Toy Story was an inspiration. The idea that objects come to life, when humans leave. We also love games. Things like Tekken and Mortal Combat were games we played together as a cast. Weapons are in those but it was also about growing our sense of brotherhood and our sense of play.
Tell us more about the themes in the work.
With this work I thought it would be interesting to view these things from the point of view of an object. When we embody these objects we can then question humans, and reverse the idea – when are humans weapons and when are humans just objects? It is just about playing in that space between when they are overpowered by humans, or when they as objects overpower humans.
I started to explore feelings. If weapons had feelings, how would they feel? Do they like humans using them? Some weapons get banned because of humans, and people fear the weapons, but some actually just fear humans more than the weapon. We fear the one who holds the weapon. We like playing with the idea of weapons as toys. In those situations it could be fun for one person to play, but another person might be feeling the exact opposite. There is this underlying serious question about how we relate to weaponry. As a cast we explore what it is like to be manipulated. People enjoy weapons and feel safer with weapons.
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"...for me the work is about objects, and questioning objects. When do objects become weapons and when do weapons become objects?" |
We reference anything that could inflict harm – physical or non-physical. We don’t want it to be too literal, it is contemporary performance. Mea Tau is not answering all those questions, but it does ask them. That’s the essence of the work.
In what ways do you hope the audience will connect with the ideas in the work?
Everyone relates to weapons differently. Some people might love weapons because they know they have a good relationship with weapons. Some have been abused or hurt or in conflict, so they will see it more negatively. So we use that as an idea for the audience to connect their own experiences. The work allows the audience to think, to be involved, and then to relate.
We’re not trying to say that weapons are bad, but we want the audience to start questioning their own views. From the weapon’s point of view, humans are dangerous. So what do our audiences think?
We’re not trying to say that weapons are bad, but we want the audience to start questioning their own views. From the weapon’s point of view, humans are dangerous. So what do our audiences think?
How would you describe the format of Mea Tau?
There’s no straightforward storyline, or order. Each idea merges into the next one and builds the audience’s understanding of the main theme of the work.
There’s no music in the work, the breathing of the dancers in the space makes up the ‘soundtrack’. We don’t use dialogue, but create our own language through movements and signals. How did you meet the rest of the cast? What is your style?
I love bridging the gap between arts institutions in Auckland. We’re a small community of dancers. Go to any show and you’ll know 80% of the people – you either studied with them, or they taught you, or you’ve taken a class together. Some of the dancers dance with Identity Dance Company, and our style is a fusion of contemporary and hip hop. There are heavy elements of both throughout, but I wouldn’t label it one or the other.
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What decisions did you make about the technical and design elements of the show (eg. Lighting, sound, costume, set)?
This is one of my first works outside of uni. I wondered what I could offer to this industry as a dance practitioner without the assistance of music and technology. I was fully focused on what I could do, and what I could offer just based on dance. I don’t want to rely on other technologies and other devices. That is one of the reasons our technical elements are minimal, and the reason there is no music – which is extremely unusual for a dance show.
Without music the dancers are forced to connect and work with each other. It gives us room to play, but it also means we’re deeply connected and know when and how to dance together.
Without music the dancers are forced to connect and work with each other. It gives us room to play, but it also means we’re deeply connected and know when and how to dance together.