18 April–20 September 2016

Toko By And By Madison Kelly

This exhibition is an invitation to meet the tides and rhythms of Te Awa Ōtākou/Otago harbour, here in Tauranga Moana. 

Re-presenting Madison Kelly’s artwork Toko by and by, a percussive interactive sound artwork drawn from the coastal edges of the harbour and the mauri of its multispecies community. Made in response to the transcribed kōrero of Kāi Tahu tipuna (ancestor) Erihāpeti Pātahi, who lived around Ōtākou (Dunedin) during the first arrivals of tāngata pora (early settlers on ships).

Toko by and by maps a year of field drawing around the harbours’ edge over the course of a single tidal cycle. The maramataka (lunar calendar), migrating marine birds, mahika kai (gardening), and the intertidal zone are etched into marine-grade aluminium, ready to be activated by a series of toko / sticks sourced from Te Tai-o-Āraiteuru, East Otago.

Originally presented at Blue Oyster Art Project Space in 2022, following the Blue Oyster x Caselberg Trust Summer residency in Whaka Oho Rahi, Broad Bay.

 

Artist Bios

Madison Kelly (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Pākeha) is an artist, musician and kaiārahi based in Ōtepoti Dunedin. They work as a lead guide at Te Korowai o Mihiwaka, Orokonui Ecosanctuary. Grounded in Kāitahutaka (Kāi Tahu ways of life) their practice celebrates field research, mark-making, and sound as sensory means to learn about and share multispecies whakapapa. Their art offers relational experiences to te taiao through drawing, metalwork, weaving, space and sound.

Recent projects include Whai Wāhi (Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, 2025), Whāia te Taniwha (Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, 2025), Paemanu: Awa Toi (Asia Pacific Triennial, QAGOMA 2024), and TAUTIAKI HAPTIC (Dunedin Public Art Gallery, 2023). They were the inaugural McCahon House x Bundanon Residency recipient in 2024.

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