Awhiworld

A parallel universe uncovered through transdisciplinary facilitation, hybrid story-ing and ungenreable activities.

Primary Location: West Papakura, South Auckland, New Zealand (37° 5' 0“ South, 174° 57' 0” East) http://www.maplandia.com/new-zealand/auckland/papakura/

Interstitial Coordinator: Maggie Buxton

Background:

West Papakura is a economically deprived area populated by indigenous maori, pacific island, and migrant groups. It has recently warranted special focus by police and civic authorities due to high rates of criminal activity (drug houses and labs, gang violence, truancy, tagging, theft etc). Initial entry into the area came via the local community constable who needed some community development consultation and expertise. He and his colleagues had initiated the Awhiwraparound Project, an experimental initiative where 11 streets in a square block are given a dedicated police presence and community centre. (Awhi means embrace in Maori)

In this socially deprived area the physical, digital and imaginal realms have been deactivated and disconnected. There are large tracts of land that are underutilised and abandoned: A set of 6 netball courts that have not been used for ten years, and TeKoiwi Park which is an ancient spring/swamp with a foreboding atmosphere. Access to the virtual world is challenging, and not widespread.

There are also large areas of potential, with the local primary school forming a strong positive influence on the surrounding community. The innovative staff are working on numerous projects to enhance the lives of their chilren, including cultivating a large community organic garden in the grounds of the school. Their vision is for this garden to spread into the backyards of the inhabitants feeding their tummies and rejuvenating their souls.

There is also a strong community spirit flowing throughout this area and the relationship oriented cultures that exist in the few square kilometres of the boundary do much to counter the social and economic hardship many families face.

Discovering Awhi

While working on the Awhiwraparound project it became clear through number of peripheral conversations, haphazard archeological finds, and awkward interuniversal encounters that a parallel world existed. This world seems to be connected through a complex web of synchronicity lines and interdimensional portals.

Discovery is only recent, but already interworld activity is taking place. Locations for this activity are the primary school garden, backyards and walkways of neighbouring houses, Smith's Avenue Netball courts, and Te Koiwi Park. New hubs, portals and connection lines appear every day.

It seems as if Awhiworld (as we have named it) is a thriving interstitial realm inhabited by hybrid creatures and structures connected through imaginal doodlings and daydreams, digital meanderings and ungenreable physical artefacts and activities. Children and young adults seem most able to engage with Awhiworld, and given the importance of this discovery, we aim to work mainly with this group (together with local Kaumatua/Maori Elders) to uncover and map out Awhi Territory. The local primary school has dedicated their curriculum for the remainder of 2008, to uncovering Awhiworld, and all science, social studies, english and health materials will be directed toward the generation of ungenreable artifacts and activities and hybrid story-ing themed around Awhi archeology, anthropology, geography etc. A local alternative education school (for pupils excluded from mainstream education), are also engaged with the uncovery process.

As part of uncovering Awhi, varous portals need to be reactivated in order to more deeply understand their purpose and power. To work on this area we are partnering with Nextspace who are assisting with virtual portal reactivation, and local law enforcement agencies and civic authorities who are providing resources to reactivate portals in the physical realm.

The secret nature of the world means that information appears only in fragments, and mysterious clues. We are working out systems to interpret these clues and children seem particularly adept at this process. Due to the significance of this find much of our work is done undercover, although once a large amound of evidence has been recovered, we hope to exhibit this to the larger Papakura community.

Record of Awhiworld Activities consensusrealityawhi.doc

June/July 2008

• Meeting with [ ]Primary School teachers to meta-plan Awhiworld uncovery project.
• Alternative Education Students from CEAT Ltd put together music visual exploration of Smiths Avenue Netball Courts. Material is shown at a Matariki (Maori New Year)event (27 June 2008) attended by Mayor of Papakura. M/V asks for physical reactivation of Smiths Avenue space. http://un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/06/matariki-mirror-building.html

August 2008

• Teachers create systematic and detailed lesson plans based around AwhiWorld concept (to be added). Plans for unveiling of world begin in earnest. Expected launch date 25 August 08.