“The Maori of New Zealand have a phrase to describe the artistic process:
‘Te ihi, te wehi, te mataku, te mana.’
Te ihi is the performer’s gift to the audience.
Te wehi is the audience’s reciprocal gift to the performer.
Te mataku describes the circular nature of that process.
Te mana is the general uplifting realized by both parties.
In their opinion, and mine as well, one can create by one’s self, but in order for it to be an artistic creation it must be shared in some way. Acceptance, rejection, ambivalence…. a response of some kind is necessary for that creation to become art. You and I have both discovered in our lives how an audience can and does shape a performance. The artistic process is participatory. Only when our creations are shared do they become art.”
Roger Mills
