"When the Kārearea screams on a rainy day, it is an indicator that it will be fine the following day."
Ka Tangi te Kārearea a te Rangi Uaheke is a solo percussion performance by Riki Pirihi recorded at the summit of Moe-i-te-rā (Brooklyn Hill) in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington). The composition is for drums, gongs, and cymbal, and the accompanying sky.
This semi-improvised sound piece uses a graph of the Wellington temperature history for 2023 as a rhythmic motif and a graphic score by correlating the linear points of data with tempo, pitch, and timbral variance. The image of the sky in the two-channel video was filmed on the day of the performance.
The maunga location, Moe-i-te-rā, is a nesting spot for Kārearea (falcon). As the summit is exposed to the volatility of the Wellington wind, Riki has located himself inside one of the bunkers on the side of the mountain, embraced in the warmth of Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) while playing to Ranginui (Sky Father).