Rob Thorne

Rob Thorne (Ngāti Tumutumu, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Raukawa, Tainui Hauraki) is a Māori composer, performer, improviser, and anthropologist whose practice centres on the contemporary evolution of taonga pūoro (traditional Māori musical instruments) within experimental, interdisciplinary, and intercultural contexts.

Working across sound art, composition, improvisation, and installation, Thorne investigates the relationship between Indigenous knowledge systems, sonic embodiment, and spatial listening. His practice positions taonga pūoro within contemporary art discourse while remaining grounded in mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge systems and worldview).

His work has been presented internationally through performances, exhibitions, and collaborative projects spanning contemporary music, moving image, and gallery contexts.

Notable projects include Earth Mother, Father Sky (2021), a dual-channel sound installation created with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Raven Chacon, presented at ISSUE Project Room in New York. The work explored environmental and cosmological themes through an immersive sonic environment.

Thorne also collaborated with Fiona Pardington, alongside Ariana Tikao and Thomas Carroll, to create the accompanying sound work for Taharaki Skyside at the Venice Biennale. Through projects such as these, he continues to expand the sonic and conceptual possibilities of taonga pūoro within contemporary art and international exhibition practice.