[PARABOX]
[PARABOX] is an unforgettable multi-sensory installation from Filipino artist Josephine Garcia- Jowett (Jojo), presented by Hutt Valley Community Arts and Creative Communities Hutt City.
Created from hundreds of shredded cardboard boxes, [PARABOX] tells the story of Jojo’s perilous life growing up in the Philippines where home and family were built on fragile, uncertain foundations. Emigration to New Zealand didn’t free her from the responsibility of caring for her family – she still sends home huge boxes stuffed full of essential supplies. In [PARABOX], these balikbayan boxes (balik=return, bayan=home) are torn to pieces, and reconstructed into a room- size cave. The cave is filled with flickering light and half-whispered memories, letting the audience reflect on the ties that bind us all to our homelands.
As a child, Jojo’s family house burnt to the ground while corrupt firefighters looked on, and only a week later their temporary housing was destroyed by a typhoon. These extreme events form the core of [PARABOX], where Jojo wrestles the forces of fire and water into her installation. She says “While peeling cardboard boxes piece by piece, I remember seeing my parents picking up our lives every time we experienced disaster. One day I saw the picture of my life in my installation and I cried because I was not able to accomplish my dream. I promised myself that I would continue to look after my parents when they get older, but they died too soon.”
After marrying New Zealander Roy Jowett, Jojo worked and traveled the high seas in the late 1980s, and the first of her two children was born in Athens. Sadly, only a year after moving to ‘safe, secure’ New Zealand, Roy was killed in a Taranaki St construction accident. Despite this harsh history, Jojo believes in the transformative and healing power of art. “My artwork is like a scar, a reminder of my past. Although I can’t change it, perhaps reworking what happened will not only give me closure but help others revisit their own experiences with fresh eyes and ears.”
View [PARABOX] photos at Flickr.
[PARABOX] is presented by Hutt Valley Community Arts and Creative Communities Hutt City, with support from: Anco Print, Radio Active 89FM, Hutt Mana Charitable Trust, Filipino Migrant News, Friday Club, Lucky Travel and Victoria Motors.
JOSEPHINE GARCIA-JOWETT (Jojo) was born in Cebu City, the Philippines, the second of eight children. She is a qualified naval architect and has recently completed a Visual Arts Degree at WelTec in Wellington. Jojo has exhibited at The Dowse, NZ Academy of Fine Arts and the World of Wearable Art Awards & Museum.
Community Events Information
The Wonderful World of Cardboard Toys
Kids!! Visit [Parabox]—the biggest cardboard cave ever—and create a groovy artwork at the Farsite Gallery craft table.
On Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm until 12 October.
“What’s on the Box?”
The filming of [PARABOX].
From Jojo’s first step into the empty gallery we will be recording her journey on camera, as she creates her artwork, and tells her stories. The filming will also catch the stories of other migrants to New Zealand, children’s perspectives on the exhibition, and the audiences’ reaction to it.
Day by Day, Shot by Shot
Catch the ever-evolving photographic record of [PARABOX] being built. Photos will be uploaded to our website daily, showing the patience, skill, exhaustion, and thrill of painstakingly installing this complex artwork.
For further information on any of these activities, please contact Hutt Valley Community Arts.
Media Information
PARABOX press release 20 August.doc
PARABOX press release 20 August.pdf