In this episode, I sit down with Cora-Allan Twiss at her studio in Tāmaki Makaurau. This episode is part of a series I’m delivering this season for the McCahon House Parehuia Residency, celebrating their 20th Anniversary, where I’m volunteering the services of The Good Oil to highlight the wonderful and important work they do, and some of their very impressive alumni, which includes Cora-Allan. Cora-Allan completed a Bachelor of Visual Art and Design (in photography) in 2007 and completed her master's degree in visual art and design (in performance) from Auckland University of Technology in 2013. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, including Te Papa Tongarewa, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, Otago Museum, National Museum of Scotland, Auckland Museum, New Bedford Whaling Museum, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in the Chartwell Collection and the Adam Art Gallery Collection. Cora-Allan is represented by The Central Gallery in Ōtotahi Christchurch. There are images of the works that we talk about on The Good Oil Cora-Allan Twiss Instagram Post for your reference. We spend a good chunk of this chat discussing hiapo. For the uninitiated, hiapo encompasses the Niuean tradition of tapa cloth making, including the creation of the cloth itself, the application of inks to add patterns, motifs and figurative elements that appear on the cloth. Not to be confused with Siapo, the Samoan tapa cloth tradition. In the episode, you’ll hear her talk about how important materials are in facilitating a connection to family and Niuean community, not least of all, tea towels, the nuances of sharing knowledge of the hiapo tradition, her very personal, but almost unintentional beginnings, of a hiapo practice that now defines who she is, and, I think one of the most unexpected, but fantastic and romantic answers I have ever got to that final question I always ask.