The following work is by Matapuku Robati, a student in our Science Communication course. For this assignment, students were encouraged to explore non-written modes of communication. Below is the story of this work…
THE CONVERSATION, BY MATAPUKU ROBATI [vimeo http://vimeo.com/109568592]
If I was given the opportunity to communicate something to the world that I actually gave a shit about, what would it be? This notion came to me from Dr Rhian Salmon who described the inner challenge of deciding what to speak about as she was preparing for a TEDx Talk. This was the inspiration that placed ‘The Conversation’ at the forefront of other scientific topics that I had considered for a creative science communication piece. My aim was to communicate the science of climate change to a non-specialist audience by engaging in a continuous two-way exchange of knowledge between specialists and laymen. I am no climate change specialist by any stretch of the imagination, but for this project I assumed that particular position. The role of the laymen was allotted to my teenage daughter (Sanaa), nephews (Isaac, Adam and Te Ahi) and nieces (Daley, Grace, Faith, Tuakana and Missy). However I felt that these roles were frequently interchanged throughout the course of the project as I felt myself being educated about the complexities of the teenage psyche on many occasions. Whilst not addressing a worldwide audience, but definitely a global issue, I felt a moral obligation to address the teenagers in our family, because at some stage they will need to deal with what generations before them have left behind. ‘The Conversation’ is a creative science communication piece that tackles the issue of climate change by drawing attention to its link with our personal energy consumption.
A changing climate is upon us and as a result of the human consumption of fossil fuels global surface temperatures have been increasing rapidly since the advent of the industrial age. With the latest electronic socially necessitated devices appearing more frequently on the teenage wish list and communication within households occurring more often via social media than in person, I felt compelled to at least engage in a conversation that would allow us to look at the situation with some degree of objectivity. But first I needed to establish common ground and between myself and the rest of the family – and music is something we all love!! So it was not very difficult to entice the teenage faction within the family to help me write a song. Prior to that invitation a series of casual conversations about climate change unfolded between me, my daughter and several of my nieces and nephews; who knew what? and how we each of us felt about it. Only 1 out of these 9 teenagers I spoke with had some kind of understanding of climate change and how we as individuals are influencing it. I began to elucidate the subject utilizing various forms of information with the intention of allowing those who engaged in the process of writing the song to think intently about the information I presented, whilst considering any barriers in this exchange and how they thought it could be best conveyed. A collective decision was made to portray the different stages of personal opinion and understanding of the conversations that took place in the song. Considerations as to the intended audience, genre, tempo, artistic elements, delivery, video etc… saw these teenagers don the role of multidisciplinary expert, whilst I took note of their views and steered the project to an amicable conclusion. I have since allowed the budding environmental enthusiasts to take ownership of our creation, to see if they can impart what they have learnt to others. For artistic integrity it was decided that ‘The Conversation’ would be posted on Vimeo. My niece, Daley Bishop, who has been a key collaborator in the development of the project, has since been given the opportunity to speak about the project and could possibly get ‘The Conversation’ some airtime on Atiawa Toa FM.
Success for me in this process would be for at least one of these kids to consider the impact of their energy consumption and, more ambitiously, that one would go on to influence the behaviour and culture of society with regards to our impact on the changing climate.
The Conversation
Lyrics:Daley Bishop, Sanaa Tupuivao & Matapuku Robati Creative contributions: Tuakana Pupuke Producer: Matapuku Robati Video & Images: Matapuku Robati; Videoblocks.com
Pre chorus:
Don’t take my device away / it’s my life my everything – x 2
Verse 1:
You say I should care about the world, but I don’t.
I don’t care what you say what you do with your thoughts.
What I own is mine stop wasting your time preaching about a minor thing, it’s not my problem.
(Rap)
I ain’t trying to drag you down/ just want you to look up
You got your head in your phone/ you can’t see that were stuck
We leave devices on charge, the lights left on, we take the car to the shop/hot water until it’s gone
You know we’re using more than ever before/ power bills through the roof and appetites are growing more.
The source ain’t infinite, if we can’t find more/ we need to change right now, we need to take a detour.
Bridge:
We are – x 3
Running out of patience
Whatever man, whatever man.
Chorus 1:
Don’t take my device away / it’s my life my everything – x 2
Verse 1:
(rap)
Keep your iPod and your phone what I need is your trust/ give me your ears for a second this is bigger than us.
Bigger than who’s rocking the next best big thing/best be better than your average teenage meme right?
Temperatures are rising/a result of the gases emitted from the cars that we driving.
Things we consume, energy we use / 80% still coming from fossil fuels.
Weather patterns changing, sea levels on the rise/ homes in the pacific sitting beneath the tide
Then there’s us sitting at home oblivious/ apart of the cause, but we gotta change or we’re ……..
Bridge:
We are – x 3
Running out of time
And you should know it all matters.
Chorus 2:
Don’t change my skies today / I’m staying far from that energy – x 2
Verse 3:
Every thought on my mind / has no conclusion, resolution.
Not the life I had in sight / over and over constantly moving.
Now I know, now I’m aware/ I will change some habits yes.
It’s just one of those things/ it’s ongoing
And now I know it all matters.
Chorus 2:
Don’t change my skies today / I’m staying far from that energy- x6