Cook’s Sites
In 1773, Captain James Cook visited Dusky Sound in the far south of New Zealand. The voyage artist, William Hodges, produced remarkable paintings of the spectacular antipodean environment and of the Māori people who occupied it. The visit represents one of the beginnings of New Zealand’s colonial history. How do we make sense of it today?
The authors of this book have revisited the sites of contact between Cook’s crews in Dusky Sound and Queen Charlotte Sound. The photographs by Mark Adams and text by Nicholas Thomas examine the traces of the past in these places, opening up ambiguities, and avoiding easy judgements about these early meetings. They have also travelled to Europe, to see where botanical specimens, indigenous artifacts, and the voyagers’ documents ended up. Cook’s Sites is a revelation: of places of unique historical significance, and of the intriguing stories woven around them.
'Splendidly produced ... quirky ... thoughtful and elegant.' – Gavin McLean, Evening Post
'... pictures our most remote corners in a way they've never been seen ... fascinating and highly idiosyncratic.' – Michelle Hewitson, New Zealand Herald
'An exciting book, distinguished especially by the artistry and suggestiveness of its photographs, and the bracingly stimulating character of much of the text.' – Michael King, The Listener
Mark Adams
Mark Adams was born in Christchurch in 1949. He is one of New Zealand's most distinguished documentary photographers, working with subjects of cross-cultural significance. His photographs have been exhibited through solo and group exhibitions and major biennales throughout the world. His other books include Cook's Sites: Revisiting History (with Nicholas Thomas).
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Nicholas Thomas
Nicholas Thomas was born in Sydney in 1960. His books include Entangled Objects (1991), Oceanic Art (1995), Possessions: Indigenous Art/Colonial Culture (1999) and Discoveries: the voyages of Captain Cook (2003). He has collaborated on several projects with Mark Adams, and curated many exhibitions, in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. He is Professor of Historical Anthropology, and Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge.
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Rauru