Kia ora Gremlins,
First of all, I want to welcome you to the Gremlin realm.
One piece of admin that I want to acknowledge is the elected terminology. Traditionally, the word ‘gremlin’ has been bestowed with a negative connotation. You know, those warty and slimy things that live underneath bridges that climb out of their dens only at nighttime? Well, that connotation is about to change.
Like many other gremlins, we hail from Ōtautahi, Aotearoa. One thing we want to let you know before disclosing anything more is that we adore the fuck out of this city. Despite its typical dreary narrative that is perpetuated by Northerners that have never been here and extended to Cantabrians themselves, this place is home and we will embody that proudly with all of its idiosyncrasies - the good and the bad.
Nevertheless, this city of around 380,000 of us has most definitely seen its fair share of trials and tribulations. As part of Ōtautahi’s rangatahi, sometimes this city does feel stale, static, and disenchanting. Not to entirely contradict the earlier paragraph about loving this city, but a narrative of wanting to vacate and exit Ōtautahi as soon as possible indisputably exists. Personally, we have left and then come back but know many others that have left and have no plans of returning.
The time of us being disheartened and disillusioned by this city is coming to an end. And this space and platform is a means to disseminate the ideology that Ōtautahi is somewhere that you want to be in rather than just happening to be here. Shit is happening beneath the surface and we’re here to facilitate you knowing about stuff that is to be excited about.
The choice of employing the gremlin terminology is related to the idea of the underground. And the underground simply refers to that which you cannot see. Being a gremlin and a part of this community is not related to the term’s negative connotation in the slightest. Being a gremlin means that you seek your own unorthodox means to express yourself as fully and authentically as possible. Being a gremlin means that you do not let the norms and ideas of others’ guide and dictate your truest being. Being a gremlin means picking up and bolstering others in your community when their goings get tough. Ultimately, being a gremlin means that you strive for a reality that is not constrained by the vertical hierarchies put in place by people who do not care for you but rather for their own power.
We’re extremely excited to commence this endeavour. And we hope you’re on board for the ride, dear gremlin.
Arohanui,
Grems x