Artefact is a new, 6-part television series hosted by Dame Professor Anne Salmond that tells stories about Aotearoa's past through artefacts and taonga.
Each of the 6 one hour episodes has a distinct theme and has a hero artefact we begin and end with, interwoven with the stories of other taonga that related to that theme. Some are in world famous collections, others are in small local museums or are cared for by whānau. Dame Anne is our informed guide, a vivid story teller who travels around Aotearoa and abroad to find artefacts and the people who connect with them and who will tell their stories. (http://www.greenstonetv.com/our-programmes/artefact/)
In an interview with Joanna Wane for North & South magazine, Dame Anne describes how the initial concept behind Artefact developed from a David Attenborough-style "talking expert" to one where people could tell their own stories through artefacts. Through the series we will meet "some really amazing people doing things every New Zealander should feel really proud of and be fascinated by, because these are our stories," she said. "Some are quite painful or heart-rending, but it's also very joyous and there's a lot of laughter as well."
Dame Anne Salmond recently spoke about Artefact on Radio New Zealand, and you can check out the trailer on Greenstone TV.
The series, funded by NZ on Air, will screen on Māori Television at 8.30pm from Monday 7 May to Monday 11 June. Episodes will also be available on demand on Māori Television.
