Join us for a panel conversation exploring climate change through art, storytelling and Pacific perspectives, featuring academic Caroline Vercoe and artists Uga Vaialia and Zech Soakai.
Our Ocean of Islands
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Pacific Voices: Trouble in Paradise
Carousel slide 1 imagePacific Voices: Trouble in Paradise
Image by Uga Vaialia
Inspired by the British Council’s exhibition and publication Trouble in Paradise: Climate Change in the Pacific, the discussion will explore environmental change, resilience, and the relationships between people, ocean and place, featuring selected images from the exhibition.
Arrive early to see Our Ocean of Islands, and explore how Indigenous knowledge and relationships with the ocean can deepen our understanding of the environment and futures of island communities.
Event timing:
- 5pm-6pm – Our Ocean of Islands open for viewing
- 6pm – Light refreshments
- 6.30pm – Pacific Voices panel conversation starts
- 8pm – Event concludes
This event is proudly supported by the British Council New Zealand and the Pacific.
Associate Professor Caroline Vercoe
Caroline Vercoe (Samoa, Aotearoa New Zealand) is an Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Auckland, where she teaches Global Art Histories, Contemporary New Zealand Art, and Pacific Art History. She specializes in contemporary Pacific art and performance art, with a particular interest in issues of race, gender, and representation. Her current book project focuses on contemporary Pacific artists’ explorations of identity, community, and placemaking, and their relationships to the environment and Indigenous Pacific world views.
Uga Vaialia
Uga Vaialia (Sāmoa, Aotearoa New Zealand) is a photographer and creative whose work uses visual storytelling to highlight issues affecting Pacific communities and inspire greater awareness and understanding. Drawing on her Samoan heritage, with connections to the villages of Vaito'omuli Palauli, Sa'anapu, Sasina and Salelavalu, her photography explores the relationship between people, culture, identity, and place. Her work has been featured in the Trouble in Paradise exhibition, which has toured a range of venues and events, including as a side event at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. Alongside her creative practice, Uga works as a District Court Scheduler in Manukau and is a proud mum to one handsome boy.
Zech Soakai
Zech Soakai is a Tongan and Samoan storyteller, curator, theatre-maker, producer, educator, and community practitioner whose work sits at the intersection of storytelling, arts, education, and social impact. He has collaborated on projects that centre Pacific voices and creative responses to climate change, including Our Culture, Our Climate: Voices from Across the Pacific for the Auckland Writers Festival. Through his creative and community work, Zech explores identity, belonging, and the power of storytelling to strengthen connections between people, culture, and place.
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