Fijian Art: political power, sacred value, social transformation and collecting since the 18th century
Lead Research Organisation:
University of East Anglia
Department Name: Art, Media and American Studies
Abstract
This project aims to unlock the potential, for scholarly and public benefit, of the outstanding collections of Fijian art, material culture and associated archives and photographs held in UK and other museums. Originating from Britain's voyaging, missionary and colonial ties with Fiji, these extensive collections, hitherto neglected, will be systematically researched, analysed and made the focus of major publications, exhibitions and outreach activities.
Fijian artworks are visually impressive and beautifully made; they include sculptures in wood and ivory, shell and ivory regalia, ritual equipment, weapons, pottery and large decorated textiles. Central to pre-Christian and post-conversion religious practices, and often heavily Tongan-influenced, many of these objects played an active role in relations with the British, resulting in significant collections in UK museums. Foremost are the Fijian collections at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA), probably the most important in the world. With over 2,500 objects, 2000+ photographs, diaries, field notes and drawings, they include items from all periods of Fijian history since the late 18th century as well as extensive material from the early colonial period (1870s-90s). Other outstanding collections are in the British Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum Oxford, World Museum Liverpool, National Museum of Scotland and Maidstone Museum, while major overseas collections are in Paris, Salem, the Smithsonian Institution and the Fiji Museum. All 9 museums are collaborating with the project as official Project Partners. Many regional UK museums (in Aberdeen, Exeter, Ipswich, Birmingham and elsewhere) will also participate; the National Archives will also be a valuable resource.
Building on the specialist expertise of project staff, working in partnership with UK and overseas museums (including the Fiji Museum), the project will:
- Provide the first comprehensive history of Fijian art.
- Contribute greater understanding of the enduring potency of Fijian artworks and exchange valuables.
- Extend theoretical perspectives on the nature of exchange, and of object/person relations more widely, including analyses of gender, embodiment, equivalence, shrines and relics.
- Provide a nuanced history of collecting which will illuminate complex and shifting Fijian/British relations, especially during the early colonial period (1870s-90s).
- Elucidate trends in British intellectual and academic history through analysis of field collecting in Fiji and its implications for the development in Britain of major museums and the discipline of anthropology.
- Enhance existing museum documentation with expert identification and analysis of collections, while linking key museums internationally.
- Improve the ability of museums to display and interpret their collections for multiple audiences.
- Disseminate research results to diverse specialist and public audiences, including UK-based Fijians, through publications, symposia and several exhibitions with associated educational outreach activities.
- Contribute to museum/academic training programmes by holding workshops/curators' forum, and by involving 40+ graduate students in project-related course assignments.
- Contribute insights for policy makers into the importance for understanding contemporary Fijian politics of historically-rooted relationships between chiefdoms.
The project team, led by UEA's Professor Steven Hooper, a Fiji specialist and Fijian-speaker with over 30 years research experience, includes Dr Anita Herle, Senior Curator at MAA, who will oversee research on MAA's Fiji collections. Other participants include former and current Fiji Museum Directors Fergus Clunie and Sagale Buadromo, and MAA Director Professor Nicholas Thomas (a renowned Pacific specialist; chair of the project Advisory Committee); all will contribute to numerous publications, exhibitions and other outputs.
Fijian artworks are visually impressive and beautifully made; they include sculptures in wood and ivory, shell and ivory regalia, ritual equipment, weapons, pottery and large decorated textiles. Central to pre-Christian and post-conversion religious practices, and often heavily Tongan-influenced, many of these objects played an active role in relations with the British, resulting in significant collections in UK museums. Foremost are the Fijian collections at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA), probably the most important in the world. With over 2,500 objects, 2000+ photographs, diaries, field notes and drawings, they include items from all periods of Fijian history since the late 18th century as well as extensive material from the early colonial period (1870s-90s). Other outstanding collections are in the British Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum Oxford, World Museum Liverpool, National Museum of Scotland and Maidstone Museum, while major overseas collections are in Paris, Salem, the Smithsonian Institution and the Fiji Museum. All 9 museums are collaborating with the project as official Project Partners. Many regional UK museums (in Aberdeen, Exeter, Ipswich, Birmingham and elsewhere) will also participate; the National Archives will also be a valuable resource.
Building on the specialist expertise of project staff, working in partnership with UK and overseas museums (including the Fiji Museum), the project will:
- Provide the first comprehensive history of Fijian art.
- Contribute greater understanding of the enduring potency of Fijian artworks and exchange valuables.
- Extend theoretical perspectives on the nature of exchange, and of object/person relations more widely, including analyses of gender, embodiment, equivalence, shrines and relics.
- Provide a nuanced history of collecting which will illuminate complex and shifting Fijian/British relations, especially during the early colonial period (1870s-90s).
- Elucidate trends in British intellectual and academic history through analysis of field collecting in Fiji and its implications for the development in Britain of major museums and the discipline of anthropology.
- Enhance existing museum documentation with expert identification and analysis of collections, while linking key museums internationally.
- Improve the ability of museums to display and interpret their collections for multiple audiences.
- Disseminate research results to diverse specialist and public audiences, including UK-based Fijians, through publications, symposia and several exhibitions with associated educational outreach activities.
- Contribute to museum/academic training programmes by holding workshops/curators' forum, and by involving 40+ graduate students in project-related course assignments.
- Contribute insights for policy makers into the importance for understanding contemporary Fijian politics of historically-rooted relationships between chiefdoms.
The project team, led by UEA's Professor Steven Hooper, a Fiji specialist and Fijian-speaker with over 30 years research experience, includes Dr Anita Herle, Senior Curator at MAA, who will oversee research on MAA's Fiji collections. Other participants include former and current Fiji Museum Directors Fergus Clunie and Sagale Buadromo, and MAA Director Professor Nicholas Thomas (a renowned Pacific specialist; chair of the project Advisory Committee); all will contribute to numerous publications, exhibitions and other outputs.
Planned Impact
Enhance museum resources:
Museums will be the main institutional beneficiaries. Research conducted by project specialists on Fijian collections held in many UK museums will be fed directly back to holding institutions. In addition to project partner museums, at least 20 other UK museums have significant Fijian material. The development and transfer of specialist knowledge will enable museums to identify objects and greatly improve display, documentation, interpretation, management and care of Fijian and other non-western collections.
Enhance visitor experience, increase visitor numbers, transfer knowledge:
Project outputs include the development of several distinct exhibitions aimed at diverse audiences (numbering 100,000+). A major exhibition at Cambridge will be accompanied by numerous outreach activities, aimed at schools, artists, families and community groups, including those at risk of social exclusion. A planned second major exhibition, drawing on the collections of partner institutions, will bring together for the first time an extraordinary range of Fijian art for national and international audiences. A new Fijian display in the Wellcome Gallery at the British Museum will join those showing how diverse cultural groups maintain social, physical and spiritual well-being. The provision of special Exhibition Packages with National Curriculum-based teacher's packs and other outreach materials will enable regional museums to optimise their Fijian and Pacific collections for public display. Several museums have expressed enthusiasm for such Packages. Increased visitor numbers, with increased catalogue and other sales, will bring direct economic benefit to many museums.
Facilitate development of sustainable professional networks:
The development of productive and sustainable links between museum partners will greatly facilitate communication between specialist project researchers, curators, museum educators and host institutions. In addition to the invaluable benefit for the proposed project, the network will encourage skill sharing and collaboration on future projects.
Stimulate creative output:
The display of outstanding works of Fijian art to broad museum audiences throughout the UK will stimulate appreciation and creative output, particularly in the visual arts. The production of the exhibition at MAA will include an artist-in-residency with the results incorporated into the display.
Encourage communities to engage with their past:
The project's goals have particular relevance to British Fijians and Pacific Islanders more broadly in providing a publicly accessible visual and documentary history of Fijian art and culture in multiple media. Community representatives will be encouraged to participate actively in the project, enriching the presentation of Fijian art and culture and encouraging widening participation.
The project and its various outputs will explore complex colonial histories and legacies. Fiji is an unusual case. For reasons anchored in local politics, influential Fijian chiefs petitioned for Fiji to become a British colony. Sir Arthur Gordon, the first Governor (1874-80), developed a controversial policy of indirect rule and encouraged many traditional cultural activities. The exhibitions will foster broader historical understandings of the nature of the British Empire and tolerance in contemporary multicultural societies such as Fiji and the UK.
Policy making and international relations:
Overall, the project aims to encourage positive international relations with Fiji and the Pacific Islands through better understandings of the historical processes underlying relations between chiefdoms in Fiji and between Fijians and outsiders, including the British and indentured Indian settlers. The FCO, the Fiji High Commission, NGOs, focus groups and special interest groups will be invit
Museums will be the main institutional beneficiaries. Research conducted by project specialists on Fijian collections held in many UK museums will be fed directly back to holding institutions. In addition to project partner museums, at least 20 other UK museums have significant Fijian material. The development and transfer of specialist knowledge will enable museums to identify objects and greatly improve display, documentation, interpretation, management and care of Fijian and other non-western collections.
Enhance visitor experience, increase visitor numbers, transfer knowledge:
Project outputs include the development of several distinct exhibitions aimed at diverse audiences (numbering 100,000+). A major exhibition at Cambridge will be accompanied by numerous outreach activities, aimed at schools, artists, families and community groups, including those at risk of social exclusion. A planned second major exhibition, drawing on the collections of partner institutions, will bring together for the first time an extraordinary range of Fijian art for national and international audiences. A new Fijian display in the Wellcome Gallery at the British Museum will join those showing how diverse cultural groups maintain social, physical and spiritual well-being. The provision of special Exhibition Packages with National Curriculum-based teacher's packs and other outreach materials will enable regional museums to optimise their Fijian and Pacific collections for public display. Several museums have expressed enthusiasm for such Packages. Increased visitor numbers, with increased catalogue and other sales, will bring direct economic benefit to many museums.
Facilitate development of sustainable professional networks:
The development of productive and sustainable links between museum partners will greatly facilitate communication between specialist project researchers, curators, museum educators and host institutions. In addition to the invaluable benefit for the proposed project, the network will encourage skill sharing and collaboration on future projects.
Stimulate creative output:
The display of outstanding works of Fijian art to broad museum audiences throughout the UK will stimulate appreciation and creative output, particularly in the visual arts. The production of the exhibition at MAA will include an artist-in-residency with the results incorporated into the display.
Encourage communities to engage with their past:
The project's goals have particular relevance to British Fijians and Pacific Islanders more broadly in providing a publicly accessible visual and documentary history of Fijian art and culture in multiple media. Community representatives will be encouraged to participate actively in the project, enriching the presentation of Fijian art and culture and encouraging widening participation.
The project and its various outputs will explore complex colonial histories and legacies. Fiji is an unusual case. For reasons anchored in local politics, influential Fijian chiefs petitioned for Fiji to become a British colony. Sir Arthur Gordon, the first Governor (1874-80), developed a controversial policy of indirect rule and encouraged many traditional cultural activities. The exhibitions will foster broader historical understandings of the nature of the British Empire and tolerance in contemporary multicultural societies such as Fiji and the UK.
Policy making and international relations:
Overall, the project aims to encourage positive international relations with Fiji and the Pacific Islands through better understandings of the historical processes underlying relations between chiefdoms in Fiji and between Fijians and outsiders, including the British and indentured Indian settlers. The FCO, the Fiji High Commission, NGOs, focus groups and special interest groups will be invit
Organisations
- University of East Anglia, United Kingdom (Collaboration, Lead Research Organisation)
- Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) (Collaboration)
- National Trust (Collaboration)
- Tourism Fiji (Collaboration)
- Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundeskunsthalle) (Collaboration)
- National Maritime Museum, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Pacific Arts Association (Collaboration)
- George Sexton Associates (Collaboration)
- Government of Fiji (Collaboration)
- The Royal Collection Trust (Collaboration)
- Anhui University of Technology (Collaboration)
- The H Power Group (Collaboration)
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) (Collaboration)
- University of Oxford, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Quai Branly Museum, France (Project Partner)
- The British Museum, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Smithsonian Institution, United States (Project Partner)
- Maidstone Museum, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- The Peabody Essex Museum, United States (Project Partner)
- Fiji Museum, Fiji (Project Partner)
- National Museums Liverpool, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- National Museums of Scotland, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
Publications
Carreau L.
(2013)
Tapa: Barkcloth paintings from the Pacific
Carreau L.
(2013)
'Let your fingers do the walking': Exploring Fijian landscape with an iPad
in Journal of Museum Ethnography
Clunie F
(2013)
Tapua: 'Polished ivory shrines' of Tongan gods
in Journal of the Polynesian Society
Clunie F
(2015)
Tongiaki to Kalia: the Micronesian-rigged voyaging canoes of Fiji and Western Polynesia and their Tangaloan-rigged Forebears
in The Journal of the Polynesian Society
Herle, Anita
(2013)
Chiefs and Governors: art and power in Fiji
| Title | Art and the Body: exploring the role of clothing in Fiji - curated by Jacobs with Fijian Art project team |
| Description | The exhibition 'Art and the Body: exploring the role of clothing in Fiji' was curated by Jacobs, with Igglesden and Rosanna Raymond, at the Fiji Museum, Suva, Fiji (March-September 2014). The theme of 'clothing and body adornment' was developed in discussion with the Fiji Museum, which is a project partner of the research project, mainly because it was deemed a broad and accessible theme, which allowed the inclusion of recent work, and therefore had the potential to attract a wider audience than the museum usually draws in. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | The exhibition attracted a larger audience to the Fiji Museum. The exhibition was discussed in Fijian newspapers and on the local radio. |
| URL | http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=264875 |
| Title | Comissioning of salusalu (garland) of contempary artist Lambert Ho |
| Description | In the framework of the major Fiji exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich (opening October 2016), a salusalu or garland was commissioned from contemporary Fijian artist Lambert Ho. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Impact | Lambert Ho does not use traditional materials for his garlands, but innovative and contemporary materials. This commission will serve an important role in the exhibition, emphasising the dynamic nature of Fijian culture while providing Ho with an audience beyond Fiji. |
| Title | Exhibition Package at Hunterian Museum - Mills and Jacobs |
| Description | The exhibition 'The Art of Fiji' was on display at the Hunterian Museum between 6 January 2015 and 1 May 2015. The exhibition was curated by staff of the Hunterian Museum and Fiji Project team members. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Impact | The exhibition attracted mainly local visitors from Glasgow and students. Because the display of objects showcased key objects from the museum's collections and told the stories of the artefacts and their donors, all of which have a fascinating connection to Glasgow, visitors were able to make global connections between Glasgow and the Pacific. |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/theartoffijiHM.php |
| Title | Exhibition Package at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery - Igglesden and Jacobs |
| Description | The exhibition 'Fiji: Ocean connections' was on display at the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery between 10 October 2015 and 6 January 2016. It was curated by Plymouth Museum staff in collaboration with Fiji Project team members (notably Igglesden and Jacobs) and focused on the surprising connections between Plymouth and Fiji. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Impact | The exhibition attracted many visitors to the Plymouth Museum who learned about the surprising connections between Plymouth and Fiji. The museum also organised family and children's activities who broadened their horizon and expanded their view of the world through play-based learning. |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/plymouthmuseum.php |
| Title | Exhibition Package: Photographic Exhibition at the Fiji High Commission, London |
| Description | This indefinitely mounted photographic exhibition occurred in conjunction with the Cultural Olympiad of London 2012, and sought to emphasise the changing nature of Fijian culture over the last 150 years, with a particular emphasis on the British involvement. The focus was on shared histories. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Impact | This exhibition informed the audience by not just focusing on cultural change in Fiji, but in Britain as well and this is something that the mainly British and Fijian audience appreciated. |
| Title | Exhibition package Horniman Museum - Jacobs and Mills |
| Description | Together with the Fijian Art Research project, the Horniman Museum organised a display of their Fijian collections with a specific focus on the role of women in art production. The display combines objects from the Horniman Museum, historical photographs and text panels provided by the Fijian art project team. The display will open early 2015. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | The display will feature in the 'Object in Focus' series at the Horniman Museum and will showcase research findings to a wider audience. |
| Title | Exhibition package at Sheffield Museum, 2014 - Jacobs and Mills |
| Description | Another exhibition package taken up by the Sheffield Museum. Rather than install a new display, the Fijian collections at the Sheffield museum were photographed and a film was produced showcasing these collections. The film will be on display in the gallery. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | When the film will be on display in the Sheffield Museum, the audience will have an overview of the richness of the Fijian collections at Sheffield. The Fijian Art Project team researched the collection and updated the museum information. By inserting historical photographs, the collections are also contextualised and research findings are conveyed to a wide audience. |
| Title | Exhibition: Chiefs and Governors: Art and Power in Fiji - co-curated by Herle and Carreau with Fijian Art project team |
| Description | This exhibition at the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology ran from 7th June 2013 to 19th April 2014. It engaged with the central aim of the project, and presented the finest examples from Cambridge Museum's world class Fijian art collections, contextualising them in their original context of acquisition through the contemporaneous collecting activities of the first British Governor Sir Arthur Gordon, A.P. Maudslay, Constance Gordon Cumming, and the Museum's first curator Baron Anatole Von Hugel. It was the first exhibition of Fijian art to be mounted in the UK, and was opened by the Fiji High Commissioner. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2013 |
| Impact | Engagement with a broad range of audiences, from academics to the general public, schools and especially with UK-based Fijians |
| URL | http://maa.cam.ac.uk/maa/chiefs-governors/ |
| Title | Far Side of the World: Torquay's Fijian Connection - Jacobs, Mills, Hooper |
| Description | The Torquay Museum, on 21 September 2013, opened an exhibition featuring its Fijian material. Advised by members of the Fijian Art Research Project, Far Side of the World: Torquay's Fijian Connection, was one of the project's exhibition packages, curated locally by Barry Chandler. The aim of the exhibition packages was to enable regional museums to optimise their Fijian collections for public display. Some museums chose to have larger exhibitions, which led the project team to consider these exhibitions as double packages (allowing the project to give double the amount of the allocated budget for an exhibition package, enabling a larger exhibition). Torquay counted as a double exhibition package. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2013 |
| Impact | The exhibition showcased the rich, but unknown, Fijian collections in the Torquay museum and drew in a wide audience. The museum's Fijian material was donated by three prominent members of colonial 19th century Fiji: Adolph Brewster Brewster, Arthur Hebden Ogilvie and the Honourable Charles Richard Swayne. The local audience was previously unaware of the close connection between Fiji and Torquay. |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/farsideoftheworldTM.php |
| Title | Fiji, Scotland and the Making of Empire (January - May 2014) - Hooper |
| Description | With the collaboration of the Fijian Art project's exhibition packages scheme and the Scottish Pacific Collections Review, the University of Aberdeen Museums launched a temporary exhibition at the King's Museum entitled Fiji, Scotland and the Making of Empire (January - May 2014). The exhibition explored the prominent role of the Scots in Fiji's early colonial history. The first British governor Sir Arthur Gordon, his nephew A.J.L. Gordon and the early colonial medical officer William MacGregor were all Aberdeenshire men. All three were influential in the early colonial administration and left collections of significant material to the University of Aberdeen. The exhibition drew on these remarkable collections, including some of the rarest historical Fijian artefact types. This exhibition counted as a double exhibition package and was locally curated by Neil Curtis. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | A programme of activities was organised in association with this exhibition, and the University of Aberdeen's hosting of the 2014 conference of the Museum Ethnographers Group. |
| URL | http://www.abdn.ac.uk/museums/exhibitions/4504/ |
| Title | Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific |
| Description | The largest and most comprehensive exhibition ever mounted about Fiji, shown at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, 14 October 2016 - 12 February 2017 |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Impact | Numerous, including: The President of Fiji travelling to Norwich to open the exhibition on 14 October 2016 Her Majesty The Queen visiting the exhibition on 27 January 2017, at the request of her private office Thousands of visitors, including many school visits and visits by UK-based Fijians Strong interest from two major US museums to tour the exhibition there in 2019 Global press coverage Many talks to visiting groups |
| URL | http://scva.ac.uk/art-and-artists/exhibitions/fiji-art-and-life-in-the-pacific |
| Title | Fijian Art: Dancing and Clubbing (June- December 2014) - Mills, Jacobs |
| Description | A exhibition of the Fijian collections of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, (17/6/2014 - 7/12/2014) by the Fijian Art Research Project. This exhibition counted as a double exhibition package (see Torquay exhibition). |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | This exhibition was another exhibition package supported by the Fijian Art Research Project. The exhibition incorporated new research findings of the project team, which could be conveyed to a wider audience through this exhibition. |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/fijianartRAMM.php |
| Title | Fijian double-hulled sailing canoe |
| Description | A traditional 8m-long double-hulled sailing canoe (drua) made to the highest standards and allowing the recovery of key skills |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Impact | As reported in Collaborations, the canoe has generated a lot of attention, appearing in the annual Hibiscus Festival Parade in Suva as the FBC float (Aug 2015) and it will shortly feature prominently in The Queen's televised 90th birthday pageant at Windsor (12-15 May 2016). After exhibition in Norwich it will go on permanent display at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. There are plans (as at March 2017) that it will be taken to Bonn and exhibited during the next major UN Climate Change Conference, COP23, in November 2017 |
| Title | Large Fijian barkcloth |
| Description | A 5m x 2m painted barkcloth made in Fiji by specialists from Cakaudrove to the highest traditional standards, for exhibition at the Fiji exhibition in Norwich in October 2016 |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Impact | None yet |
| Title | Redisplay of the Von Hugel Case, MAA - Herle and Carreau |
| Description | The MAA project team undertook the redisplay of the Von Hugel case in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology's permanent gallery, detailing the Museum's founding Fijian collection, in anticipation of conservation needs for several objects destined to be involved in the Chiefs and Governors exhibition, and The Arts of Fiji exhibition. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Impact | Although a necessary preliminary redisplay to liberate the top-flight artefacts needed for the project's major temporary exhibitions, this case redisplay also allowed MAA to update the permanent Fijian displays and exhibit more works from the collection. As such, the MAA could publicise the event and draw in more and new visitors. |
| Title | Treasures from Fiji: exploring the collections of Perth Museum and Art Gallery - Jacobs and Mills |
| Description | This is another exhibition packages. Supported by the Fijian Art Project team, Perth Museum and Art Gallery photographed its Fijian collections, updated its information and included research findings. The film is on display in the entrance hall of the museum since July 2014. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | Through this exhibition package, similar to the others, research findings can reach wide, localised audiences. |
| Description | The research team has discovered a wealth of material relating to Fijian history and culture and Fiji-British relations. These materials are held in numerous museums whose collections have been visited and studied, in the UK (notably at Cambridge and the British Museum), and in the USA, New Zealand and Fiji. We have developed an extensive network of relations and this is regularly activated by our project website and a busy Facebook page which is heavily used by Fijians in Fiji as well as UK-based Fijians. We have developed exhibitions, including a series of exhibition packages developed in collaboration with a number of UK museums, and numerous outreach activities. We especially value our collaboration with the Fiji Museum (where we co-curated an exhibition for local audiences), and the support of the Fiji Government (both the President and Prime Minister of Fiji visited the collections and exhibition in Cambridge, as well as the Fiji High Commissioner and the UK High Commissioner to Fiji). Through our major exhibition Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts (2016-2017), we have discovered strong interest in heritage among UK-based Fijians. The exhibition garnered widespread attention and a version of it is under discussion to be shown in 2019 at the Los Angeles Count Museum of Art. Los Angeles is not only a major Pacific rim city, it has a large Pacific Islander population for whom the exhibition would be attractive and instructive. |
| Exploitation Route | Based on our research, and as a direct result of the project's activities, the largest and most comprehensive exhibition never mounted about Fiji and Fijian art was shown at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts (14 Oct 2016 - 12 Feb 2017). This was opened by the President of Fiji and visited by Her Majesty The Queen. This has been very well received, so is likely to lead to a one-, two- or three-venue version of the exhibition being shown in the USA in 2019-2020. Research results and information about Fijian canoes is proving valuable to Fijian canoe builders. An 8m long double-hulled sailing canoe has been funded by the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Germany, and discussions are underway for the building of a second high quality canoe, contributing to the reassessment of the importance of canoes as carbon-free means of transport in the Fiji islands. The existing canoe may be shown during the November 2017 COP23 UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, which will be attended by many thousands of delegates. In addition to these specific outcomes, we anticipate that Pacific art specialists, and especially Fijians, will benefit from the results of our research, by developing greater understandings of, and respect for, the achievements of Fijian artists and craftspeople past and present. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Transport |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/ |
| Description | Our findings are being used at a range of levels, from other university-based academic researchers to Fijian villagers who have access to the internet and therefore our website and active Facebook page. By disseminating our research results through publications and exhibitions all over the UK - via our exhibition packages programme - we have been able to convey more sophisticated understandings of Fiji and its history - and also its close relationship with Britain since the 19th century. Researchers are also now able to undertake comparative studies of a corpus of material, leading to the identification of hands and workshops in the manufacture of important 19th century artworks, thereby applying the methods of art history to a body of material previously often regarded as being 'without history', occupying some generalised ethnographic past. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | Professor Hooper: Adviser and Consultant on Strategic Plan for Fiji National Museum and Botanical Gardens |
| Geographic Reach | Australia |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a advisory committee |
| Description | AHRC/ODA Follow-on Funding for Impact and Engagement Scheme |
| Amount | £77,176 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (UK) |
| Start | 10/2016 |
| End | 09/2017 |
| Title | Online exhibition |
| Description | An online version of the exhibition 'Chiefs and Governors: Art and Power in Fiji' held at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, between 6 June 2013 and 19 April 2014, is available on the Museum's website. These webpages provide a complete archive of the exhibition. They include the information panels, an image of every object and photograph alongside detailed labels, and a slide-show of the exhibition. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This permanent record of a temporary event is available to a much larger audience. When we shared the news of this online record on the Fiji Project's Facebook page, it was shared widely and this mainly amongst a Fijian audience, who commented that they appreciated learning about these collections which were obtained mainly between 1875 and 1877, a period coinciding with Fiji's entry into the British Empire. |
| URL | http://maa.cam.ac.uk/about-the-exhibition/ |
| Title | Updated Database MAA Cambridge |
| Description | The Fiji collections in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, have systematically been studied and photographed resulting in updated records of the whole collection in the Museum's Database. Many previous queries have been solved, materials and/or origins corrected, etc. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The database is available online for anyone to see and is regularly consulted (by SRU students for example for their coursework) |
| URL | http://maa.cam.ac.uk/category/collections-2/catalogue/ |
| Title | Updated Databases several museums |
| Description | Project staff studied Fiji collections in various museums in the UK and abroad and always shared their findings with the museums so that staff could integrate these into their existing databases. Databases that have benefitted from this are owned by the following museums: -British Museum - Torquay Museum -Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter - Hunterian Museum, Glasgow -Kings Museum, Aberdeen - Museums Sheffield - Horniman Museums and Garden - Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery - Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery _ Perth Museum and Art Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, Washington - National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh - Metropolitan Museum, New York - Peabody Essex Museum, Salem - Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Fiji collections were completely or partially studied in the museums listed above by project team members who shared their research findings and photographs with the museums. This has resulted in updated database records (and new photographs in some cases). Each museum has their own URL - hence why no URL is listed below. |
| Description | Advising on redisplay of Royal Commonwealth collections at Windsor Castle |
| Organisation | The Royal Collection Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (UK) |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The research team was visited at UEA on 23 November 2016 by four curatorial and collections staff from the royal Collections at Windsor Castle, to see the Fiji exhibition and discuss strategies for the redisplaly of their collections at Windsor Castle, and how to animate their displays for multiple audiences. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They have significant collections from the Commonwealth, about which we can provide expert advice based on our Fijian Art project expereince. |
| Impact | No outputs so far, besides an instructive discussion |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Building of a Fijian traditional canoe |
| Organisation | Anhui University of Technology |
| Department | School of Mechanical Engineering |
| Country | China, People's Republic of |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have provided access to old drawings and illustrations in Cambridge and elsewhere to Mr Joji Marau Misaele, Head of the School of Mechanical engineering, to facilitate the building of a traditional double-hulled canoe as a heritage initiative funded by the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Germany. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Mr Misaele was project manager of this project, supervising traditional carvers to produce a high-quality vessel of a kind that has not been made for many decades. |
| Impact | An 8m-long double-hulled Fijian sailing canoe (drua), built to the highest standards, entirely from renewable materials (wood, fibre, leaves); no metal components. An experimental 2.5m-long canoe hull made by the planking technique, a technique which has not been used since the late 19th century, and which allowed the building of enormous 30m-long vessels. Mr Misaele was sponsored by HPower to come to the UK to manage the canoe during The Queen's 90th Birthday Pageant in May 2016. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Design solutions achieved in collaboration with exhibition designers, George Sexton Associates. |
| Organisation | George Sexton Associates |
| Country | United States of America |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | A series of design workshops have been held in collaboration with George Sexton Associates and a successful design for the Fiji exhibition has been drawn up. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Hooper, Jacobs and Igglesden, as co-curators of the exhibition, have provided detailed information and curatorial guidance to the designers in terms of themes, zones, case positions and objects positions within cases. We have also provided information and guidance on graphics and information panels. A series of design meetings has resulted in an agreed design for the exhibition, which opens in October 2016. |
| Impact | The main output is the design of the forthcoming Arts of Fiji exhibition, which will open in Norwich (UEA) in October 2016. The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving art, design, art history, anthropology and archaeology. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Exhibition. Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific |
| Organisation | University of East Anglia |
| Department | Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (UK) |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Our Fijian Art research project (2011-14) has finished formally, but this major exhibition - the largest ever mounted about Fiji - is a direct result of the research undertaken. Professor Hooper, Dr Jacobs and Ms Igglesden (all members of the project team) curated the exhibition, which was shown in the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, between 14 October 2016 and 12 February 2017. We selected 290 objects for display, and 12 institutions in the UK and Fiji agreed to lend (as a direct result of our research work with them, and some in their role as formal project partners). Professor Hooper wrote the book/catalogue (288 pp.) to accompany the exhibition. The curators provided a full programme of events, tours and community engagement activities during the exhibition. The exhibition was opened on 14 October 2016 by His Excellency the President of Fiji, Major-General (retired) Jioji Konousi Konrote, It was visited, at her request, by Her Majesty The Queen on 17 January 2017. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Sainsbury Centre has an 900 square meter suite of galleries. They are contributing £150,000 to finance the exhibition. This financial contribution does not feed into the research, which is already completed, but builds on it and disseminates it in a major way via the exhibition, its educational and outreach activities, and the publication. Without the AHRC grant and the research it funded, the exhibition would not have taken place. The collaboration is still active because a tour of the exhibition to two major museums in the USA is under discussion. |
| Impact | The exhibition has taken place. It featured the double-hulled Fijian sailing canoe which was commissioned and built as a heritage project stimulated by the original AHRC-funded research. Four other contemporary works of art have also been commissioned. The exhibition involves the disciplinary approaches of art history, history, anthropology and archaeology. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Fijian canoe display at National Maritime Museum, Greenwich |
| Organisation | National Maritime Museum |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (UK) |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Proposing and facilitating an agreement for the National Maritime Museum to display the project Fijian canoe in their new permanent 'Pacific Encounters' gallery from May 2018 onwards. Hosting NMM staff in Norwich when they came to inspect the canoe and discuss its acquisition and display, and also its storage between Feb 2017 and May 2018. |
| Collaborator Contribution | A commitment to display the canoe in a prominent position in their 'Pacific Encounters' gallery from May 2018 onwards. NMM have already incorporated it into their gallery plans and have paid £3,680 to the Sainsbury Research Unit at UEA towards sharing the costs of bringing the canoe from Fiji to the UK and will be paying for its storage and transfer to Greenwich in early 2018. |
| Impact | Permanent display of canoe, with AHRC project fully acknowledged. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Hibiscus Festival float for Fiji Broadcasting Corporation |
| Organisation | Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) |
| Country | Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Providing a traditional Fijian canoe to be the FBC float at the annual Hibiscus Society Parade in Suva in August 2015. Also providing radio interviews about the canoe. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Displaying the canoe during the Hibiscus Festival Parade and paying for it to be transported from the wharf to the FBC building. Promoting the canoe and Fijian canoes in general (it also appeared on the front page of the Fiji Times) |
| Impact | Displaying the canoe during the Hibiscus Festival Parade |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Hosting annual conference of the Pacific Arts Association, Europe |
| Organisation | Pacific Arts Association |
| Department | Pacific Arts Association - Europe (PAA-E) |
| Country | Netherlands, Kingdom of the |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Hosting and delivering papers at the conference, 16-18 October 2016, timed to coincide with the Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific exhibition |
| Collaborator Contribution | Co-ordinating the holding of the conference - providing funding to bring speakers |
| Impact | Papers and discussions and exposure to the Fiji exhibition and the collections in Saffron Walden Museum and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | National Trust of Fiji - Thurston Botanical Gardens, Suva |
| Organisation | National Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (UK) |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Advice to Mr Robin Yarrow (chair) and Mrs Elsa Miller (architect) on the development of the Historical and Cultural Precinct of Suva that includes Fiji Museum and Thurston Botanical Gardens. |
| Collaborator Contribution | In the course of Professor Hooper's consultancy for Fiji Museum, an integrated approach is being taken to the relationship with the Fiji Museum of the adjacent Thurston Botanical Gardens |
| Impact | Plans are in process, but have been delayed by the national emergency after tropical cyclone Winston of February 2016 |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Participation of Fijian canoe in The Queen's 90th birthday pageant, Windsor Castle, 12-15 May 2016 |
| Organisation | The H Power Group |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (UK) |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Providing advice to HPower, the organisers of the Queen's 90th Birthday Pageant, on the appearance of the canoe in the pageant with the Fiji Military Forces band. Hooper also acted as liaison between HPower and the UK High Commission in Fiji, the Fiji High Commission in London and the FMF band, around the logistics of the Fijians performance. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The canoe was prominently featured in the pageant, which was seen on 4 nights by a live audience of 14,000 people and was televised on 15 May by ITV to an estimated audience of 8m viewers. HPower funded the costs of bringing Mr Joji Misaele (who project managed the building of the canoe in Fiji) from Fiji to the UK for 2 weeks to manage the canoe during the pageant (costs c. £3,000). They also funded the internal UK costs of transporting the canoe from London Gateway Docks to Windsor, and then on to Norwich, where it was displayed in the exhibition Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific at the Sainsbury Centre (14 Oct 2016 - 12 Feb 2017) |
| Impact | Performance in Queen's 90th Birthday Pageant Televised pageant on ITV Major feature article in Fiji Times - double-page spread with photos provided by Hooper, Wed 18 May 2016 |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Sponsoring the building of a traditional Fijian canoe |
| Organisation | Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundeskunsthalle) |
| Country | Germany, Federal Republic of |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | In the context of an exhibition plan (which was not realised because of budget cuts at the Bundeskunsthalle), the team advised them on the commissioning of a traditional canoe, and facilitated a partnership with Fiji National University |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Bundeskunsthalle agreed to fund the building of the canoe (25,000 euros) and also a research visit to Fiji by Professor Hooper (£2,000) to plan the construction of the canoe with Mr Misaele and the traditional builders, and establish a work schedule, payment schedule and MOU. |
| Impact | An 8m-long double-hulled Fijian sailing canoe (drua), built to the highest standards, entirely from renewable materials (wood, fibre, leaves); no metal components. An experimental 2.5m-long canoe hull made by the planking technique, a technique which has not been used since the late 19th century, and which allowed the building of enormous 30m-long vessels. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Tourism Fiji: facilitating marketing activities |
| Organisation | Tourism Fiji |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (UK) |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | We have liaised with Jane West, director of Tourism Fiji UK (which also covers the rest of Europe), and her staff around the major exhibition 'Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific' at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. We have provided curatorial tours of the exhibition to guests and received visits by Tourism Fiji staff. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Tourism Fiji sponsored the dinner and other promotional activities around the opening of the exhibition, which was attended by HE the President of Fiji. They also promoted ubat the opening |
| Impact | 2 February 2017: the most successful marketing event to travel agents that Tourism Fiji has held, with over 40 participants. It was hosted at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts during the Fiji: Art & :Life in the Pacific exhibition, and involved a curatorial tour by Steven Hooper and promotional of cultural aspects of Fiji. Future collaboration with project members is planned during COP23 in Bonn in November 2017 (Fiji currently chairs the UN Climate Change Conference), when Fiji will be promoted. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | UK High Commission in Fiji - book sponsorship |
| Organisation | Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) |
| Department | British High Commission Suva |
| Country | Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We have advised the UK High Commission on an educational initiative in Fiji, which will take the form of the distribution of 200 copies of the book/catalogue, Fiji: art and life in the Pacific, to schools, colleges and universities in Fiji in 2017. |
| Collaborator Contribution | 2400 pounds sterling to pay for the printing costs of 200 books 200 pounds sterling towards the costs of the Art and the Body exhibition mounted at Fiji Museum in 2014 by project staff |
| Impact | The Art and the Body exhibition at Fiji Museum |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Visit of H.E. Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, President of Fiji and H.E. Mr Solo Mara, High Commissioner to the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology |
| Organisation | Government of Fiji |
| Country | Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | On 28th July 2012, His Excellency Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, the President of Fiji, and His Excellency Mr Solo Mara, the Fiji High Commissioner to the UK, made a formal visit to the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. This is part of our collaboration with the Fiji Government and the Fiji Museum. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They discussed the display of Fijian art works with project staff, examined a number of Fijian art works of particular historical significance, and offered consultation with project staff on the Chiefs and Governors exhibition. |
| Impact | - The Art and the Body exhibition at Fiji Museum (March - September 2014). - A long-term exhibition of 19th century Fijian photographs at the Fiji High Commission in London (one of the project's 'Exhibition Packages') using photos in the collection of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge (2012 to present). - A formal consultancy for Professor Hooper to advise on the creation and execution of a Strategic Plan for Fiji Museum (March 2016) |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Anita Herle, Guest lecturer for undergraduate seminar and workshop History Department, University of Cambridge: Researching the Fijian Collections at MAA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The aim was to teach the undergraduate students in the History department about methodologies involved in researching Fijian collections. The students enjoying broadening their disciplinary boundaries and showed an increased interest in material culture studies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Art and the Body: exploring the role of clothing in Fiji - Jacobs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This talk was given by Jacobs at the University of South Pacific, Suva, to participants of the Fabricating Fashion II? workshop (reported separately) and Pacific Studies students. The aim was the introduce the exhibition and explain the curatorial process. The talk had an immediate impact as it led to an increase in visitor numbers to the exhibition at the Fiji museum (reported separately). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Cannibal Encounters - Carreau and Herle |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a public workshop in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology exploring the historical use and purpose of iculanibokola, so-called 'cannibal forks'. This workshop sought to publicise the complexity of historical Fijian culture by exploring the ceremonial flesh fork. It was a popular event with the people of Cambridge, and provided an important opportunity to dispel a number of stereotypical beliefs about cannibalism in Fiji. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150375312684445.371762.55206044444&type=3 |
| Description | Chiefs and Governors: The History of MAA's collection from Government House in Nasova, Levuka, Fiji (1875-present) - Herle and Carreau |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The paper outlined the key themes and historical background to the Chiefs and Governors exhibition. The audience of peers (mainly curators responsible for Pacific collections) was very interested and a good discussion developed after the presentation. This presentation outlined the developing scope and subject-matter of the Chiefs and Governors exhibition, and drew attention to its approach in the Pacific arts community. The presentation led to input from colleagues in other institutions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Conference paper - Hooper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | The talk 'Fijian canoes: reviving and developing indigenous knowledge' will be given during the international symposium of the Pacific Arts Association on 15 March 2016. The focus was on the recent commission of a canoe in the framework of the Fiji Project and its revitalisation of skills and knowledge. The talk will hopefully trigger an increased awareness of navigation techniques and carving practices from the past among the audience, which will consists of Pacific artists, Pacific scholars and other participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Connecting bodies: unfolding an exhibition and workshop in Fiji - Jacobs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This report on the exhibition 'Art and the Body: exploring the role of clothing in Fiji' at the Fiji Museum (curated by Jacobs and reported elsewhere) sparked discussion about the influence of Christianity in Fiji and its impact on the display of objects from the past. Peers reported that they were inspired by the talk and surprised to hear about the impact of Christianity on the museum. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Cultural Day with Vosa Vakaviti UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 2 December 2016, fifteen Fijian children and about ten others attended a workshop run Ana Lavekau, a Fijian in the British Army who is also a dancer, designer and cultural practitioner, who encourages retention of Fijian language and cultural skills by UK-based Fijians. The group toured the Fiji exhibition with project team members and had dance demonstrations and made Fijian-style pottery |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Discover Fijian Patterns |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk and events broadened the boundaries of the families involved. The events led to a higher number of visitors to the Chiefs and Governors exhibition, an outcome of the project reported elsewhere. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Exhibition packages as a way for smaller museums to exhibit their collections - Jacobs and Hooper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The talk introduced the project's concept of exhibition packages and reported on the first successful exhibition package in Torquay Museum. There was great interest in the idea as it was indeed considered to be a way to include smaller collections and work with smaller museum, which was the conference theme. The presentation led to a further interest and new takers of the exhibition package scheme (and a request to expand the scheme outside Britain). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Exhibition tour for Sotheby's special clients - Sotheby's Preferred |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 21 October 2016 project team members made a presentation and led a tour of the Fiji exhibition, arranged by Sotheby's for 29 members of Sotheby's Preferred, a special club for collectors. Most participants were not collectors of Oceanic art, but were interested because of the quality of the Fiji exhibition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Exhibitions and Objects/People Without History: Fiji and Fijian History - Hooper and Herle |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The talk argued for displaying Fijian material taking historical contexts into account and developed into a great discussion with the audience. The talk not only inspired the audience, but informed the various exhibitions and exhibition packages that were outcomes of the Fiji project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Fabricating Fashion II? - Jacobs, Igglesden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | workshop facilitator |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The second Fabricating Fashion? workshop was held at the University of South Pacific, Suva, Fiji, and was organised in relation to the exhibition 'Art and the Body: exploring the role of clothing in Fiji' at the Fiji Museum (March-May 2014) by Jacobs, Igglesden and Rosanna Raymond. Participants ranged from academics, to professional designers, art and textile students and scientists with an interest in fibre arts. During the first two days presentations were held about the exhibition and the role of clothing in Fiji. The last two days were spent on creating new forms of clothing. All participants shared skills and knowledge. The creations produced during the 4-day workshop were put on display in the Oceania Centre at the University of South Pacific. There has been a considerable impact in these, up to the point that a separate 'Fabricating Fashion?' working group was set up to which enthusiasts from various places in the Pacific have contributed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/fabricatingfashionpacific?fref=ts |
| Description | Fabricating Fashion? - Igglesden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The talk, given by Katrina Igglesden and Rosanna Raymond, led to an interesting discussion about the use of fashion to create a Pacific identity. The talk highlighted the success of the Fabricating Fashion? workshops and led to the organisation of another one in Fiji in 2014. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Fabricating Fashion? Curating and Creating Pacific Fibre Arts and Adornment - Jacobs, Igglesden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | workshop facilitator |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This two-day workshop, organised by Karen Jacobs, Katrina Igglesden with artist Rosanna Raymond, on Fijian and wider Polynesian fashion was hosted between the SRU at UEA and MAA at Cambridge, in collaboration with the London Pacific Fashion Show. It brought academic researchers, museum and gallery professionals, Pacific fashion designers and fibre arts enthusiasts together in an environment of collaboration and free dialogue. The idea behind the workshop was to raise awareness and understanding. Museum curators and conservators learned from Pacific fashion designers about the importance of movement in clothing and how this should be taken into account in its display and conservation. Pacific designers learned to appreciate the role of museum curators and conservators. The research by academics reached an important audience in museum professionals, designers and artists. Their research focused mainly on clothing on th |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.533029433377699.142294.395478463799464&type=3 |
| Description | Fale vs Bure: Material Embodiments of Tongan and Fijian Gods - Fergus Clunie |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This presentation by Clunie was part of the two-day symposium organised by the Fijian Art Research Project team: Researching Fijian Collections: Revealing and Developing Relationships, Past and Present, at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, 7-8 June 2013. The workshop was highly productive as the audience consisted of Fijian specialists from the US, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the rest of Europe. The open policy of the workshop stimulated discussions. The workshop revealed new research findings and will result in a publication. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/researchingfijiancollections.php |
| Description | Fiji exhibition tours for staff and guests of Archant, the publishing company |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On 16 November 2016, 30 November 2016 and 25 January 2017, three evening presentations and exhibition tours of the Fiji exhibition were given by project members to staff and guests of Archant, the newspaper company that was one of the sponsors of the Fiji exhibition. The guests were mostly business associates of Archant. There were over 20 people in each group. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Fijian Art: Political power, sacred value, social transformation and collecting since the 18th century - Carreau and Igglesden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The talk was well received and sparked discussions and requests for further collaboration afterwards. This was a showcasing presentation for the project, aimed at publicising its ongoing activities, aims and scope. Through this presentation, a number of working relationships were initiated with associate museums (e.g. the Hunterian Museum and Plymouth Museum) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.437933509553959.122294.395478463799464&type=3 |
| Description | Fijian Craft Day - Carreau |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The MAA organised a family day of public craft activities exploring Fijian arts. After the event, schools were interested in visiting the exhibition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.751198988227408.1073741838.395478463799464&type=3 |
| Description | Fijian Journeys: Von Hugel, Chiefs, Culture and Canoes - Steven Hooper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Professor Hooper delivered the MAA's annual prestigious Von Hugel Lecture, using results of the Fijian Art research project. Feedback from the audience, which contained many Fijians and Pacific Islanders resident in the UK, was extremely positive. A lecture delivered to an audience of 100+ on the founding collections of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and the relationships between the collectors and Fijians. It stimulated attendance to, and understandings of, the 'Chiefs and Governors' exhibition on at MAA, and was attended by the Fiji High Commissioner in London and members of his staff. They said that this kind of event was stimulating interest in Fijian history and culture amongst Fijians in the UK and others |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://maa.cam.ac.uk/maa/von-hugel-lecture/ |
| Description | From the field to the Museum: Tangible and intangible transformations of the ethnographic object - Carreau |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | An academic lecture delivered as part of the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology's Museum Seminar series, which led to interesting questions. This lecture in the MAA's Museum Seminar series explored the tangible and intangible nature of the Museum's Fijian collections as part of the early heritage of the institution. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Helping Weapons to Speak: Neglected Sources of Western Polynesian Ethnohistory - Mills |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Lively discussion afterwards about the largely hidden potential of analysis of weapons and weaponry as complex cultural items Possible stronger interest in looking at weapons among my peers |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://esfo-org.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2012Power-of-the-Pacific-ESfO-Programme.pdf |
| Description | How Relevant is the Fiji Museum to the Community? - Sagale Buadromo |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This presentation by Buadromo was part of the two-day symposium organised by the Fijian Art Research Project team: Researching Fijian Collections: Revealing and Developing Relationships, Past and Present, at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, 7-8 June 2013. The workshop was highly productive as the audience consisted of Fijian specialists from the US, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the rest of Europe. The open policy of the workshop stimulated discussions. The workshop revealed new research findings and will result in a publication. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/researchingfijiancollections.php |
| Description | Introduction to Chiefs and Governors - Herle |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Herle's presentation during the workshop organised by the Fiji project at the MacDonald institute, June 2013 (reported elsewhere) enlightened the audience about the curatorial processes that informed the Chiefs and Governors exhibition (reported elsewhere). The talk led to an interesting discussion on the complexities of displaying Fijian material in museums. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Karen Jacobs undergraduate lecture on Fijian liku |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | As part of a module 'The Arts of the Pacific: the agency of representation', the Fiji project featured in a 2-hour session on representing the self and the body. The focus was on Fijian skirts and general project work. It led to 2 students applying for the SRU MA course as it had sparked their interest. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Let Your Fingers Do The Walking: Exploring Fijian landscape with an iPad - presentation by Lucie Carreau |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This conference paper presented fieldwork findings relating to the 1870s landscape paintings of Constance Gordon Cumming, many of which are currently housed at MAA and led to interesting questions. This talk led to interesting discussions amongst peers about receiving indigenous feedback on historical documents. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Looking Inside the Box, Thinking Outside the Box: Exhibiting Fiji in Cambridge - Carreau |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This lecture was given by Carreau to Wolfson College's Humanities Society Seminar Series and sparked interest. The lecture led to more visitors viewing the Chiefs and Governors exhibition, which was an outcome of the Fiji project (reported elsewhere). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | MA lecture: 'Displaying Fiji' - Hooper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Steven Hooper gave a session on the issues involved with displaying Fiji in relation to the upcoming major Fiji exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich. The discussion afterwards was very stimulating and the students showed an increased interest. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Masterpieces from the South Pacific: Exploring The Art of Fiji - Mills |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a public lecture delivered to an audience of 50+ on 9th October 2013 as part of the Torquay Museum Society's monthly lecture series. This public lecture reviewed the key works of Fijian art, as added value in support of the Torquay Museum's exhibition 'Far Side of the World', which was one of our project exhibition packages. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | My liku-ed beauty: Female Ornaments in 19th century Fiji - Jacobs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The talk built on a previous talk given in Cambridge and widened the scope to ornaments. The talk was well received and feedback from the audience, mainly from contemporary Pacific artists, was valuable for the speaker. After the talk, Sean Mallon from Te Papa Museum in New Zealand emphasised the importance of research on Fijian tattooing and body ornaments and he spread the news of this research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | My liku-ed beauty: some thoughts on 19th century Fijian skirts - Jacobs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The talk was well received, particularly by the Fijians in the audience as they were unaware of the volume of liku in European museum collections. The Fijians commented on the way liku might have disappeared but still have an impact on Fijian behaviour today, while the speaker was able to share knowledge of what she found in archives and museum collections with Fijians and peers. Tarisi Vunidilo, Secretary of PIMA (Pacific Islands Museum Association) was inspired by the talk and is currently setting up a workshop with the aim to revive the skills of making liku. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.667112829969358.1073741833.395478463799464&type=3 |
| Description | PIMA in the New Millennium: PIMA's Role in Pacific Heritage Management - Tarisi Vunidilo |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This presentation by Vunidilo, Secretary of PIMA (Pacific Islands Museum Association) was part of the two-day symposium organised by the Fijian Art Research Project team: Researching Fijian Collections: Revealing and Developing Relationships, Past and Present, at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, 7-8 June 2013. The workshop was highly productive as the audience consisted of Fijian specialists from the US, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the rest of Europe. The open policy of the workshop stimulated discussions. The workshop revealed new research findings and will result in a publication. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/researchingfijiancollections.php |
| Description | Patterns in Transition? Following the Path of Masi from Historical Use to Contemporary - Igglesden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This presentation by Igglesden was part of the two-day symposium organised by the Fijian Art Research Project team: Researching Fijian Collections: Revealing and Developing Relationships, Past and Present, at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, 7-8 June 2013. The workshop was highly productive as the audience consisted of Fijian specialists from the US, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the rest of Europe. The open policy of the workshop stimulated discussions. The workshop revealed new research findings and will result in a publication. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/researchingfijiancollections.php |
| Description | Patterns, the role of wrapping in images in Pacific clothing - Karen Jacobs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A large part of the talk was about Fijian tattooing, which has been unstudied. In fact, so little is known about Fijian tattooing that Fijians today are often unaware of former tattooing practices. This talk was therefore well received among the Fijian and other Pacific Islands members of the audience, who longed to know more - resulting in long discussions after the talk. After the talk, news spread about this talk and Karen Jacobs has been approached by Fijians who want to know more about the practice as they are interested in reviving it. Jacobs is therefore preparing an article on the subject matter. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.533029433377699.142294.395478463799464&type=3 |
| Description | Places of encounter: museum collections, programmes and audiences - Jacobs |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This talk given by Jacobs during the 25th anniversary symposium, Sainsbury Research Unit, University of East Anglia, May 2014, about the Fiji exhibition that she curated at the Fiji Museum was well received by a wider audience including African, American and Pacific specialists. The impact was felt immediately as one of the speakers later that day changed his talk to include references to Jacobs' talk. The talk also reached a wide audience of potential new students. The impact might therefore be felt later as well. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Presences and Absences: Exploring MAA's Fijian Collections - Carreau |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The talk was well received among colleague academics, contemporary Pacific artists and international museum curators. After the talk, Carreau was contacted for further information by colleagues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Researching Fijian Collections |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | This was a two-day academic conference organised by the Fijian Art Research Project team, which was attended by speakers and delegates from Europe, North America and Oceania, including all project members and representatives of project partner museums. It was held at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge. It was attended by 75+ delegates. Speakers included internationally-known experts and curators from 8 museums. The workshop format stimulated discussions amongst all delegates. New collaborations have been formed and future projects thought through (see individual papers by project members during this conference). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/researchingfijiancollections.php |
| Description | School visit to Sainsbury Centre collections |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | About 130 Reception pupils (5-6yo) in 6 classes from Costessey Infants School, Norwich, visited the Sainsbury Centre, where Dr Mills gave them sessions on 'Tropical islands and The People Who Live There', using Fiji as a prime example. 9am-1pm, 6th March 2013. The children engaged strongly with information about the lives of children in tropical islands, and their use of local resources |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Some Interim Findings on the Decoration of Fijian Clubs - Mills |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This presentation by Mills was part of the two-day symposium organised by the Fijian Art Research Project team: Researching Fijian Collections: Revealing and Developing Relationships, Past and Present, at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, 7-8 June 2013. The workshop was highly productive as the audience consisted of Fijian specialists from the US, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the rest of Europe. The open policy of the workshop stimulated discussions. The workshop revealed new research findings and will result in a publication. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/researchingfijiancollections.php |
| Description | The 'Comprehensive' Collection and the Collection That Might Have Been: Constance Gordon Cumming's Ephemeral Assemblages -Carreau |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This presentation by Carreau exploring the Gordon Cumming collection of artefacts and watercolours owned by MAA was part of the two-day symposium organised by the Fijian Art Research Project team: Researching Fijian Collections: Revealing and Developing Relationships, Past and Present, at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, 7-8 June 2013. The workshop was highly productive as the audience consisted of Fijian specialists from the US, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the rest of Europe. The open policy of the workshop stimulated discussions. The presentation led to an interest to collaborate: Chantal Knowles and Lucie Carreau are thinking of writing a book on Constance Gordon Cumming for a wider audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | The Dumont d'Urville and Wilkes Collections from Fiji - Stephanie Leclerc-Caffarel |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This presentation by Leclerc-Caffarel was part of the two-day symposium organised by the Fijian Art Research Project team: Researching Fijian Collections: Revealing and Developing Relationships, Past and Present, at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, 7-8 June 2013. The workshop was highly productive as the audience consisted of Fijian specialists from the US, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the rest of Europe. The open policy of the workshop stimulated discussions. The workshop revealed new research findings and will result in a publication. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/researchingfijiancollections.php |
| Description | The Fijian Art Research project - Hooper, Jacobs and Igglesden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This presentation aimed to introduce the project and was well received amongst peers in the Pacific Arts community. Based on this talk, we received requests for institutions to become project associates. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | The Flow of Fijian Ivory: continuing value and changing practices as evidenced in museums collections - Hooper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Observations were made about similar uses of, and value of, whale ivory elsewhere in the Pacific Some museum professionals indicated they would look afresh at their collections |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://esfo-org.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2012Power-of-the-Pacific-ESfO-Programme.pdf |
| Description | The Migration of Weapons, their Styles and their Makers: Some Interim Findings of the Fijian Art Research Project - Mills |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This talk given by Mills was part of a panel on Fijian collections organised by the Fijian Art research project team. The panel was well attended by a wide audience, including Pacific academic specialists, Pacific artists and international museum curators. The talk led to an interesting discussion on the use of Fijian language in research. The panel generally led to interest and was reported on several forms of social media, including a blog by a Fijian artist. The conference was a good way to highlight research findings to an international audience of peers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Tour of Chiefs and Governors Exhibition For the Cambridge Alumni Society - Herle and Carreau |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Museum offered a private viewing and curatorial tour of the Chiefs and Governors exhibition as part of the University's 2013 Alumni Weekend. The tour not only led to interesting questions but showcased the work of the Fijian Art Research Project to an international audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Tour of the Chief and Governors Exhibition for the Cambridge Antiquarian Society - Carreau |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An exhibition tour contextualising the Fijian art collections for the C.A.S. on 15 June 2013. The Cambridge Antiquarian Society was particularly interested in the exhibition as it revealed much about the Cambridge Museum's history. The tour sparked interest and the audience suggested the exhibition to friends and colleagues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Training sessions for Fiji Museum staff - Igglesden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | During January and February 2016, Katrina Igglesden provided weekly training sessions to staff in the Fiji Museum in Suva, Fiji. She taught staff members about object handling, objects storage and packing, conservation, cataloguing, etc. The staff benefitted from this experience and will integrate this training in their daily work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Uncharted Histories of Ivory-Carving Canoe Builders and Canoe-Building Ivory Carvers in Western Polynesia - Hooper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This talk given by Hooper was part of a panel on Fijian collections organised by the Fijian Art research project team. The panel was well attended by a wide audience, including Pacific academic specialists, Pacific artists and international museum curators. The talk led to an interesting discussion on the analysis of the identification of 'hands' and workshops in Fijian art production. The panel generally led to interest and was reported on several forms of social media, including a blog by a Fijian artist. The conference was a good way to highlight research findings to an international audience of peers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.pacificarts.org/symposia |
| Description | Valuables and Feasts: Sacrifice, Embodiment and Value in Fiji - Hooper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This presentation by Hooper was part of the two-day symposium organised by the Fijian Art Research Project team: Researching Fijian Collections: Revealing and Developing Relationships, Past and Present, at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, 7-8 June 2013. The workshop was highly productive as the audience consisted of Fijian specialists from the US, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the rest of Europe. The open policy of the workshop stimulated discussions. The workshop revealed new research findings and will result in a publication. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/researchingfijiancollections.php |
| Description | Visit by Her Majesty The Queen to the Fiji exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | As a result of an audience with the President of Fiji (q.v.) on 19 October 2016, the Palace got in touch to arrange a visit to the Fiji exhibition by Her Majesty The Queen when she was staying at Sandringham in Norfolk in January. After the usual preparations with the Palace, the Lord Lieutenant's Office and other parties, the visit took place on Friday 27 January 2017. A special tour was provided by project members and the Fiji High Commission, including costumed warrior guards, drummers and a Fijian choir. HM is familiar with Fiji and has visited there several times. The visit provided an opportunity for her to meet a range of local arts-related people and students studying at the Sainsbury Research Unit at UEA. The visit attracted global media coverage - there were about 30 photographers and news organisations present - attention being intensified by The Queen's illness over Christmas. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/education/the_queen_enjoys_a_cultural_tour_of_fiji_at_the_sainsbury_cent... |
| Description | Visit by His Excellency the President of Fiji to open the Fiji exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Supporters |
| Results and Impact | We were honoured that the President of Fiji, His Excellency Mr Jioji Konrote, agreed to come to open the exhibition Fiji: Art & Life in the Pacific at the Sainsbury Centre on 14-15 October 2016. In fact he built a trip to Europe and the Middle East around this as his primary commitment. An audience of over 300 people witnessed a traditional Fijian reception for him, before touring the exhibition. This event attracted strong media interest and coverage and was attended by many UK-based Fijians and other luminaries including Sir David Attenborough - which also attracted media attention. Among the impacts was that on Wednesday 19 October the President had an audience with Her Majesty the Queen, at which he mentioned the exhibition in glowing terms. This led to a request from the Palace for Her Majesty to visit the exhibition, which she did on 27 January 2017 (reported as a separate item) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Vosa Vakaviti Workshop - Igglesden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A one-day Fijian language and culture workshop for children, organised in August 2013 by the cultural group Vosa Vakaviti UK, and hosted at thje Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge. This Fijian language and culture workshop was the 3rd of a series conceptualised and carried out by Ana Lavekau and Vosa Vakaviti UK. Held previously in Aldershot and at Sandhurst, Vosa Vakaviti UK chose to hold the workshop at MAA due to its role in the Fijian Art Research Project and the current exhibition 'Chiefs and Governors: Art and Power in Fiji'. The workshop involved a group of Fijian children learning about Fijian language and culture. The workshop included a tour of the 'Chiefs & Governors: Art and Power in Fiji' exhibition, a pottery lesson and a meke performance. It was a real privilege to work with this group and not only did the exhibition widen the children's knowledge of Fijian culture, the project team learned as much from the workshop participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.713226628691311.1073741836.395478463799464&type=3 |
| Description | Western Polynesian Food and Drink: Acts of Power - Mills |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a public lecture given by Mills at the Horniman Museum in London, to an audience of 80+, which examined the nature of food and drink, and carved vessels for their preparation and serving, in the ceremonial life of Fiji and its neighbours. A wide range of questions came from the audience. The talk led to the Horniman Museum expressing interest in hosting an exhibition package (reported elsewhere). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Workshops on Fijian garland making |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Two 1-day workshops were held on 26 November and 3 December at the Sainsbury Centre at UEA, the second by demand because the 20-person limit for the first was heavily oversubscribed. The sessions were run by project member Katrina Igglesden and by Sera Tavainavesi, a Fijian craft specialist who lives in East Anglia. Participants were taught how to make fibre garlands by plaiting and weaving techniques. These special garlands (salusalu) are worn by honoured guests in Fiji, and the cultural context of their use was also explained to participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | tour of the exhibition Art and the Body: exploring the role of clothing in Fiji - Jacobs, Igglesden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The exhibition Art and the Body is an outcome of the Fiji project (reported elsewhere). This tour led to interesting discussions among Fijians. The exhibition was reported in newspapers, social media and the radio and sparked discussions on the role of the Fiji Museum in Suva. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.fijianart.sru.uea.ac.uk/artandthebodyFM.php |