Some Places Carry the Weight of History

In 1872, a ship entered Wellington Harbour flying the yellow flag.
Smallpox was aboard.

What followed marked the beginning of a darker chapter for Matiu Island.

Once a place of recreation, the island was transformed into a quarantine camp, a place where people were removed from society and left to die. For 42 years, Matiu became synonymous with isolation, fear, and abandonment.

Later, it served again as a place of confinement.
In 1914, those deemed “enemy aliens” were imprisoned there.
The same happened in 1945.
In 1937, a man was even held on the island under suspicion of creating a so-called “death ray”.

History has a way of compressing these stories.
Places move on. Roads pass by. Life continues.

Lived Curiosity Became the Spark

If you’ve ever driven along the Wellington motorway, you’ve passed Matiu Island without stopping.

My son didn’t.

His fascination with the island led us to learn its history together, slowly and carefully. That learning became the foundation for this artwork. Not to dramatise the past, but to acknowledge it.

Remembering Matters

Forgotten Histories is a tribute to the dozens of people who lost their lives in the isolation of Matiu Island, people removed, forgotten, and left behind.

This artwork exists to hold that memory. Because some places deserve more than being passed by.