Deepen*

Deepen* places us at the centre
Deepen* understands you are with us (even when you’re at home)
Deepen* our sovereignty as queer, disabled people and tāngata whaikaha
Deepen* creates time and space for our relationships
Deepen* our community through gathering and witnessing

Deepen* is a new curatorial programme led by The D*List and in partnership with Auckland Pride. Deepen* centres queer, disabled artists and their artistry. Deepen* will include digital poetry and activations led by these artists. It asks us to imagine what a carefully considered, “luxurious” space might look like for us and revelling within it. And we welcome you to join us.

In Te Ao Māori, stars were observed as important indicators of time, navigation, and change. The D*List tohuwhetū is a sign of transformation and a waypoint to a dierent world, one that emboldens our people. In reo Pākehā, an asterisk sometimes suggests a conditional statement, a ‘but’. Here it symbolises an ‘and’. Our people are many things, and this tōhu marks the strength of those intersections. In this tradition Deepen* reclaims the tohuwhetū as a way to extend our invitation, acknowledge our intersections and deepen its meaning for our audiences.

Āhurutanga

Deepen* is underpinned by āhurutanga1 - a Te Ao Māori tikanga and principle which embodies the concept of āhuru (warmth, comfort). In our kōrero with hapori (community),2 they shared a whakaaro around this kupu and how it can relate to the wā (time) and wāhi (places) for tāngata. When Te Ao Māori values such as aroha, whanaungatanga, manaakitanga are in place, āhurutanga acknowledges the importance of safe spaces and that this may look dierent depending on context and people. It creates ways forward together without encroaching on others' space and informs one's actions and behaviours to give purpose. Ultimately āhurutanga encourages one to understand their own whakapapa to create a sense of belonging.3

Deepen* celebrates that we have always been here, in our communities and in relationships. Deepen* welcomes you to take up our invitation to proclaim your queerness, disability, and takatāpui identity. Deepen* oers a space to enact our sovereignty and remove the non-disabled, outsider gaze. We will be who we want and show up how we want to. This is a place for us, by us.

Deepen* acknowledges the diculty in ‘showing up’ and instead welcomes you, in whatever form you want to show up in. Deepen* invites you to attend in person or from the comfort of your bed. Deepen* is intentional in our programming, understanding the power within intimate gatherings. Working with a series of queer disabled people we are asking them to deepen their relationships with themselves, and each other.

Deepen ask us, where do we feel our Pride deeply? In our homes, with our loves, family and community.

_{1 Chand, Beniia Simati-Kumar, (2020) “Understanding āhurutanga in teaching practice,” Te Kaharoa, vol 15, (no 1.)
2 We mihi to Patti Poa for her whakaaro and sharing of āhurutanga as a practice
3 Chand, Beniia Simati-Kumar, (2020) “Understanding āhurutanga in teaching practice,” Te Kaharoa, vol 15, (no 1.)}

The D*List

The D*List is an arts and media organisation that creates replenishing, joyful content, events and community spaces for disabled people across Aotearoa. We celebrate our community and our stories. Deepen* is led by The D*List Programme Director Pelenakeke Brown. She is a queer, disabled artist whose practice explores the intersections between Sāmoan concepts and disability theory. This project has been created from conversations within our community, noticing the spaces in between and in response to what has not been oered before. Deepen* celebrates the quiet as well as loud, moments of Pride. It prioritises intentional gathering, understanding that it often takes a lot for us to get somewhere.

Image description: A dynamic image made up of text in colourful lettering, sits in blocks of orange, pink, black and purple. The words are: Deepen, our sovereignty as queer disabled tāngata whaikaha, places us at the centre, creates time and space for our relationships, our community through gathering and witnessing, understands you are with us and a tohuwhetū and the d*list logo. It's snappy, loud, and the text included embodies the values of Deepen.*