THE UNDERWORLD PART 1 (2024)

"This video work examines consent and the ethics of witnessing in relation to capturing pivotal moments in recent history. It draws on footage from the protest against Posie Parker in Auckland on March 25, 2023, a moment that continues to circulate within my practice. Frosted windows function as both barrier and interface, mediating visibility while complicating ideas of access and consent. While they suggest protection, they do not ensure it. Through a performative engagement with the surface, the work positions the boundary as active yet unstable. The work situates the viewer within an ethical framework where the act of looking becomes a decision. It does not restrict access, but instead redirects responsibility onto the viewer, asking whether consent is acknowledged or overridden in the act of viewing. Rather than refusing visibility, the work interrogates it, prompting the question: what does it mean to watch, and at whose expense?" - Latamai Katoa