First published in a limited edition in 1985, John Pule's epic love poem "The Bond of Time" is now available in a new edition from Canterbury University Press.
'A net of words across the Pacific ... The Bond of Time is a vast, surreal cornucopia of images stretching over 88 ages, a non-lineal narrative, bursting at its seams into every successive five-lined unrhymed stanza, each self-contained but caught in the net of Pule's ravishing imagination. [...] It seems obvious that while a human relationship is signaled from the very beginning and pursued through dark and light along the poem's entire trajectory, no one person could be the sole object of the poet's attention and passion - this is a love letter to a sea of islands, to Niue and the entire Pacific.' - From the Introduction by Jeffrey Paparoa Holman

Pages: 100

Dimensions: 140 x 210 mm

Publication Date: 27-03-2014

'Hiapo' is the word for barkcloth or tapa in the language of Niue. The aim of this book 'is to reveal the power of a remarkable art, that until now has been obscure to all but a few specialists' – the painted hiapo of Niue Island in central Polynesia. Most known pieces of hiapo were produced in the mid- to late nineteenth century and are now dispersed, largely in museum collections, all over the world. The authors have worked on this project for a decade, visiting museums, collecting information, travelling to Niue, talking to old people, trying to find out how these paintings were done and who made them. One of the authors, John Pule, has drawn on the art of hiapo for his own paintings and etchings, some of which are included in the book. In the text, the authors describe their separate encounters with hiapo and offer two perspectives on the art form. Hiapo paintings range from abstract patterns to detailed renderings of plants (from taro to missionaries' sunflowers), people and ships. The use of colour is restricted and the format is often huge, as many cloths were used as bed coverings or tablecloths. Collectively, the paintings offer a window on life in Niue in the second half of the nineteenth century, a time when missionaries, traders and locals were intermingling with increasing frequency. The illustrations in the book, most of which are in full colour, bring together hiapo from all over the world. This book is the first study of this art form and is a major publication.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 160

Dimensions: 190 x 255 mm