Terri Te Tau is a trans-disciplinary artist of Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu descent who grew up in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand.
Te Tau's work has investigated power relations and surveillance by juxtaposing a Maōri worldview with state-sanctioned surveillance of citizens. Using a creative practice-based enquiry she explored intersections and differences between these two perspectives against the backdrop of "Operation 8", an anti-terror investigation carried out by the New Zealand Police in 2007. As an artist within the community subjected to the surveillance action she was motivated to explore how an interdisciplinary arts practice, informed by Maori concepts might respond to state surveillance.
Part of a research project that looks at the expansion of surveillance culture and the social effects of these changes on communities.