Jann Pilka's studio, Coromandel c.1985
silver halide photograph
Private collection, Dunedin

This shows a second view of Pilka's Coromandel workspace, which had no telephone or mains electricity. Power for tools and equipment was supplied by a noisy diesel generator. Pilka believed an artist should "rise and fall" with the sun in whatever part of the world he happened to be in order to "truly know where he was working." Thus artificial studio lighting was taboo. The ban also extended to flashguns, forcing Betty German to photograph using only natural light. Since Pilka worked alone during the day and only socialised in the evenings, this greatly limited her opportunities to record his portrait and she came away from the project with no images of the artist. The corporate sponsors demanded she return her salary and the matter fell into dispute. Betty German was declared bankrupt in 1987. Her collection was sold by forced auction in 1988 and purchased by national galleries at greatly reduced prices. Local critics derided her for her role in the controversial project. One literary magazine published an edition dedicated solely to New Zealand women landscape photographers as a platform for their criticism. Betty German does not discuss the matter but has communicated (via legal council) a formal denial of rumours that she may have had an affair with Pilka. She currently lives in Howick with her mother.