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Maiangi Waitai; maker/artist; early 2000s; New Zealand
Overview
This skirt was made and hand painted by Maiangi Waitai for her label Who is Dead Martin?
Anti-GE movement
The skirt has a strong anti-GE (genetic engineering) message. At the beginning of the 21st century, new applications of genetic research stirred up controversy in New Zealand and around the world. Terms such as 'genetic modification', 'genetic engineering', and 'GE' became emotionally charged labels in a heated debate between contending groups. Fault lines opened up: organic versus artificial; progress versus preservation; cutting-edge technology versus environmental safety; customary Mäori knowledge versus western scientific thinking.
The developments generated new legislation and regulations, provoked protests, heralded commercial opportunities, and raised fears about safe agricultural practices. Public disquiet about the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) prompted a moratorium in 2000, and a Royal Commission inquiry into the issue.
As the moratorium's expiry date neared (October 2003), many groups lobbied for an extension. The largest anti-GE marches were held in cities throughout New Zealand on 11 October 2003. They were unsuccessful. A Green Party bill proposing its reinstatement was defeated in Parliament in March 2005.
Many protest objects were produced during this period including billboards, posters, banners, placards, postcards, t-shirts, badges, etc. This skirt was a more personal take on the issue and was worn by New Zealander Sophie Barclay who was against genetic engineering. She remembers people were interested when she wore it, and that it was a ‘conversation starter’.
Who is Dead Martin?
Maiangi Waitai is an artist, creating unique garments with upcycled, hand stitched, painted and appliqued elements. In the mid-1990s, she began selling her work at Frutti, Cuba Street, Wellington, after owner Sandy Jeffs saw Waitai wearing her first stitched-on skull skirt made from a blanket. Waitai’s work was also featured in Rip Shit and Bust Fashion Gallery on Karangahape Road, Auckland. The gallery was founded in 2001 by Kristine Crabb (later of Miss Crabb) and Jonelle Hanrahan to showcase upcycled vintage clothing and unique avant-garde garments by local designers.
The skull
The skull imagery on the skirt is an enduring symbol in Waitai’s work. It symbolises memento mori – reminding viewers of their mortality and the fragility of human life. The skull is also a key symbol of the Mexican Day of the Dead when the living remember friends and family members who have died. Here, the largest skull calls a warning from the grave: ‘G.E. bugger off!!!’ The flowers with smaller skulls are a reminder of the fragility of the ecosystem.