'First, they chose a name' explores the use of Karaitiana as a forgotten or defunct name for Ōtautahi Christchurch. After encountering this name on Wikipedia - described as meaning 'Christchurch' or 'Christianity' - and struggling to trace its origins, I used this as a starting point to consider the slippery, political nature of naming and its relationship to collective and personal identity.
The work includes an audio recording of the artist reading out loud and a piece of Halswell Quarry stone (click on the audio link. 20 seconds of silence followed by audio, 3min 29sec duration).
The stone from this quarry was used in the construction of many significant early buildings in Ōtautahi. Playing between the lightness of breath and the heaviness of stone, First, they chose a name highlights a series of displacements between written and spoken language, between name and identity.
