Fiona Pardington of Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Kāti Waewae, Ngāti Kahungungu and non-Māori descent, is a prominent New Zealand photographer. Drawn from the series 'The Pressure of Sunlight Falling', her photographs are portraits of life casts made by phrenologist Pierre-Marie Dumoutier during the 1837−1840 voyage of French explorer Dumont d’Urville to Aotearoa New Zealand. Held in the Musée de l’Homme collection in Paris, the life casts were made to preserve the likenesses of the people Dumoutier encountered during the voyage. Pardington considers the life casts as a pre-photographic form of portraiture. Her images of the life casts of Ngai Tahu rangātira or Māori leaders Takatāhara, Piūraki and Heroua, use the Māori concept of āhua, related to appearance and character. Printed at a large scale to highlight their status, they are accompanied by a mōteatea, E tau aku kamo chant composed by Ngai Tahu language expert Hana O’Regan. The chant accentuates the ‘living presence’ of the rangātira, amplifying the Māori belief of carrying your ancestors with you, as you move through the world.