Sophie Jerram
The Kauri Project with Toi Taiao Whakatairanga
Wellington, New Zealand · Curating
The Kauri forests of Aotearoa New Zealand have been managed under European-based resource models for nearly 200 years and face ongoing health challenges. These ancient trees, some over 2,000 years old, provide the context for The Kauri Project, a charitable trust and initiative composed of artists and Indigenous activists.
Established in June 2013, The Kauri Project uses art alongside science and cultural knowledge to research and develop exhibitions and community events. The goal is to promote awareness of kauri dieback, kauri biodiversity, and celebrate the significant role kauri plays in the ecology, history, and cultural landscape of Aotearoa.
As a member of the trust, curator Sophie Jerram creates immersive installations as advocacy projects for the country’s capital, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. Her work aims to provide a contemplative space for dialogue rather than a didactic lesson, sharing a deeper understanding of the issues facing the Northern forests.
2020 AFIELD Peer Sophie Jerram and The Kauri Project for the protection of the Kauri forests, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Dr Sophie Jerram is a Wellington-based curator and researcher concerned with spatial commoning. Her work focuses on the relational politics of space, involving landscape studies, arts-led urban projects, and negotiations with capital. She was co-founder with composer Dugal McKinnnon of art and climate platform Now Future (2010-2013) and co-founder with Mark Amery of Letting Space (2010-2020), and Urban Dream Brokerage (2013-), pioneering approaches to transforming underutilized urban spaces into vibrant community assets. Her work continues to explore how temporary and permanent sites can become inclusive environments through creative practice. She is co-author of books Brokered Dreams – 104 uses of empty space and Urgent Moments – Art and Social Change: the Letting Space projects 2010-2020. She is the Oceania region’s Coordinator for the International Association for the Study of the Commons. Her latest project, Critical Signals, is primarily funded by EU Cultural funds and is concerned with community upskilling in face of crisis or rapid change.
Sophie Jerram. Photo: Florence Hillyer-Brandt
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