Edith Amituanai is a New Zealand-born Sāmoan photographer working from the suburb of Ranui, Tāmaki Makaurau. AFTLOS chronicles her work within the siren scene: an underground subculture of sound making practiced by siren crews, predominantly young, Pasifika communities in South Auckland, Porirua and the Hutt Valley. AFTLOS is an acronym that the siren scene uses: "all for the love of sound".
Originating in Māngere in the early 2000s, siren crews stack battery powered speakers on cars and bicycles and compete against each other at battles (known as 'siren jams' or 'siren beats') in carparks and industrial areas, with the winners having the loudest, clearest sound. The music played at siren battles emphasises a clear, treble sound. Céline Dion's hit from the the Titanic soundtrack, 'My Heart Will Go On' is regularly used to judge battles. Siren crew members also compose their own tracks, with Jawesh 685 from Manurewa having a worldwide TikTok hit in 2020 with his song 'Laxed (Siren Beat)'.
Siren culture briefly became world news in 2023 after complaints about the sound emanating from siren battles hit the headlines, with news that Porirua residents were being 'terrorised' by Céline Dion blasting from speakers and that city's mayor saying she was "sick to death" of the sirens. Previously, siren crews in Auckland had been targeted by police following reports of loudspeakers and fire alarms being stolen from schools, fire stations and community centres, resulting in crews carrying large numbers of receipts for sirens in their pockets or on car dashboards.
For many years, photographer Edith Amituanai has documented siren culture. Her exhibition features photographs and moving image/audio works that celebrate this unique form of sound making, indigenous to Aotearoa.
Live Siren Battle happening at 6:30pm outside Pyramid Club. Two Siren crews, SwitchHittaz Juicy Famili and SwitchHittaz Team Capital, are coming in to P-Club from Porirua and the Hutt to do battle in sound with cars and bikes.
Edith Amituanai
From interiors to driveways to communities, Amituanai's practice is concerned with the environments that shape who we are. She was the inaugural recipient of the Marti Friedlander Photography Award, and the following year was the first Walters Prize nominee of Pacific descent. In 2019 she staged her first major survey exhibition at Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington and has exhibited widely in Aotearoa and internationally.
Amituanai is a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to photography and community and her work is held in numerous collections including Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Queensland Art Gallery).
Exhibitions open Tuesday's 11am-3pm, at gigs and by appointment.
Special thanks to Creative NZ for supporting Pyramid Club's programme
