Pacific Island [antikvár]

INTRODUCTIONSince Inca legends first told of 'paradise' beyond the Western horizon, the Pacific Islands have held a special fascination for the Western world.Exotic reports from the first European explorers only served to reinforce the 'seductive myth' that here, perhaps, was the Garden of Eden; ever since the islands of Oceania have retained their place in the popular imagination as the last unspoiled place on earth.In fact, the South Pacific might not be as ideal as it once was in our shared imagination. European colonization and imported Western standards, moral and otherwise, have, in the space of less than two hundred years, completely changed the original civiUzation that the first European explorers found. In its place is a watered-down version of the once pure Polynesian culture. Yet, despite all the changes, this group of islands, spread throughout the Pacific, has maintained, and continues to maintain, a distinct and vibrant culture.Most cliched images of the South Pacific start and end with white sand beaches, blue lagoons and palm trees. Little is known of the important and varied artistic traditions of these islands and their spiritual significance and even less about the relevance of these traditions and customs to contemporary society. But the fact that the visual culture of the Pacific Islands has received so little coverage makes it all the more fascinating. Polynesia presents the opportunity of a largely unexplored creative domain.The culture of the islands, the culture of Polynesia, is one of refined simphcity. Devoted to their ancestors through the expression of their arts, the islands of the Pacific are united by an organic, sensuous civilization that promotes harmony with the environment rather than dominance over it. Polynesian culture exemplifies a simpler way of fife, an appreciation of the basic elements of sky, land and water and their importance to everyday life. The people of these Pacific isles, both indigenous and descended from the colonizing Europeans, are acutely sensitive to, and protective of, their Pacific domicile. Their focus is on the value of what they have and the importance of preserving it. In modern Polynesia, there is a concerted effort to build on rather than abandon the tenets of Pacific culture. It is fascinating to see that in architecture, art and design, Polynesian influences, whether literal or inferred, are used wherever possible to help to create a contemporary version of an ancient culture.'Paradise', it's safe to say, is in good hands!