We must carefully find the right position from which to view Joyce Campbell’s images — this might mean moving back and forth a little before the silvery surfaces come into focus. These artworks are daguerreotypes: an early form of photography in which the image is printed onto a mirrored plate instead of paper. Using this nineteenth-century technique, Campbell photographed sections of the Wairoa River where she grew up, together with the New Zealand longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii). Both this river and the eel are manifestations of a female water spirit, or taniwha, called Hinekōrako. Working closely with historian and Māori elder Richard Niania, Campbell seeks a visual form to capture this elusive presence.