Torbay ti kouka - A photographic study of landscape, identity and the globalisation of an iconic species.

Cordyline australis – referred to here as the ‘cabbage tree’ or ‘ti kouka’, is known in Devon and the South West of England as the ‘Torbay Palm’. This species is highly represented in New Zealand colonial and art history and is a quintessential symbol of national identity, having a high level of significance for both Maori and Pakeha. From a recent trip to England I was surprised to see that it is also an officially defining landscape feature in the South West.

Much of my recent photography focuses on New Zealand’s legacy of adopting and acclimatising British plants and animals so I am keen to consider the process in reverse. Given that much of the New Zealand landscape was modelled as the ‘England of the South’ in the nineteenth century, it would be interesting to explore how – in Devon and Cornwall, at least – the process was not one way. In essence this study develops an  understanding of how this natural landscape feature contributes to place-making and narratives related to site identity.

Project supported by Land/Water and the Visual Arts, University of Plymouth (UK) and the School of Fine Arts, Massey University, Wellington.