Student Exhibition Examples

Exhibition Examples from Class 2022

Hei Matau (Fish Hook)

The Hei Matua, generally known as the “Fish Hook”, is a cultural design traditionally worn by the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maori people. Not only does the Hei Matau represent their land, it serves as a symbol of prosperity, strength, fertility, and safe travels over water. The meaning behind it originates from the traditional Maori Legend of Maui who, by only using a fishhook made from his grandmother’s jawbone, caught a giant fish that would then became Te Ika-a-Maui, the North Island of New Zealand.

Historically, the pendant was only worn by the Maori people as they are the only community of knowers who identify with the Hei Matau as a symbol of their land and relationship to Tangaroa, the god of the sea. However, due to vast globalization over the past decade, with the introduction of new technologies such as social media which allows people all around the world to communicate and express their traditions, the Hei Matua has become a popular design outside of the community of knowers commonly seen in tattoos and, in this case, pendants.

Although it has become common for the pendant to be used for simple ornamental purposes for non-indigenous people, it does not yield the same knowledge for them as it does for the Maori people. Many companies who mass produce the Hei Matau and other indigenous Maori designs, such as 81stgeneration, are heavily criticized for cultural appropriation as they are essentially exploiting the Maori culture for economic gain. For the indigenous New Zealanders, the Hei Matua serves as a traditional legend of the origins of their land and a reminder of their ancestors and therefore holds significance within their culture. Whereas for non-Maori people, the pendant serves as a form of appreciation for the Maori culture but is simply used for ornamental purposes.

Therefore, the Hei Matua does not yield the same knowledge and value for them as it does for the Maori people as they are not part of the community of knowers and further shows how, on cultural grounds, some knowledge belongs only to a particular community of knowers.

ABC News. “Anti-Vaxxer Mom Changes Mind After Her Three Kids Fall Ill.” ABC News, ABC News Network, abcnews.go.com/Health/anti- vaxxer-mom-mind-kids-fall-ill/story?id=42351543. Accessed May 26, 2020

For several years, Kristen O’Meara was a strong advocate for anti-vaccination research,

refusing to vaccinate her three young children. However, her perspectives on this controversial topic completely changed in 2016 when her children contracted rotavirus. Overwhelmed with an immense guilt upon realizing that her children’s illnesses were a result of her anti-vaccination beliefs, O’Meara finally made the choice to vaccinate her children. She recalls in a later interview, “you come to your truth when you come to it. Hopefully for most parents, it’s sooner than I did” (ABC news).

Personal experiences can therefore influence our response to and perception of knowledge, shaping our values, beliefs, and principles as we reflect on past mistakes and successes and build upon them. Despite widespread evidence demonstrating the importance of vaccines, O’Meara initially ignored such research, trapped inside an anti-vaccine echo chamber. However, in personally seeing her children contract rotavirus and experience the deadly side effects she was previously warned of, she adopted an entirely new outlook, finally accepting the knowledge presented regarding vaccine necessity. This story is significant to this exhibition as it serves as a reminder that we cannot truly understand what another is going through until we experience it for ourselves, and this is important in this time in which human suffering is often perpetuated by such strong knowledge claims and misinformation from those who did not endure the problems personally. Therefore, with transformative experiences comes transformed knowledge as we reflect, extract meaning and improve upon that which we have learned.

1907 photographer of the “Wright Flyer”

Latson, Jennifer. “Wright Brothers First Flight: An Anniversary of Airplanes.” Time, Time, 18 Dec. 2014, time.com/3629042/wright-brothers/. Accessed May 20, 2021.

On December 17,1903, brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright, were credited with the creation of the world’s first successful airplane. However, it was only after several failures that they finally perfected their design. Their 1900 Wright Glider, for example, functioned effectively as a kite but was not able to sustain a human pilot on board. Inspired by previously observed flaws, the brothers conducted further testing, perfecting wing design in their 1902 glider, also adding a double fixed rear rudder in response to the adverse yaw they observed in their original model (Britannica). Even after the development of their first successful 1903 “Wright Flyer”, the brothers continued to improve their aircraft design in response to shortcomings, revealing their Wright Model EX in 1911.

The Wright brothers’ experiences therefore clearly demonstrate the importance of personal experiences in the production and development of knowledge. The knowledge that the brothers gained from creating and trialing each of their produced prototypes was harnessed in future models to overcome the failures and setbacks that were previously observed. Without using their personal experiences with the different models as tools for reflection, improvement would not be possible and the knowledge we currently have regarding the basics of flight and aviation design would not exist. Therefore, whether it be in the social, chemical or physical sciences, the trials, tribulations and setbacks that are often associated with personal experiences are essential in this AOK as they contribute significantly to the development and improvement of fundamental phenomena and theories.