The No.8 Wire - Issue 13
Gondwanaland Ministry of Culture
Artists' Information Bureau
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An Electronic Alert for 412 of Wellington's Creative People
13.00
PING
Welcome to another edition of the No. 8 Wire...
A periodic compendium of news, information, and projects by and for Wellingtonians.
To be removed from this email list…
Or if you know someone who might want to be added…
Or if you have contents, events, opportunities, or comments to contribute to the No. 8 Wire…
Please send complete details to arts@wcc.govt.nz
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13.01
COMPLEX MEDIAPLEX
Secret Century : The Darker Side of the American Dream
Friday 24th September - Sunday 7th November
The New Zealand Film Archive presents Secret Century: The Darker Side of the American Dream, a collection of advertising, educational and instructional films from the Prelinger Archives, San Francisco.
Most of us are familiar with the classic kitsch images of 50's America; the dazzling style of the Ford motorcar, the model housewife, dating teens, and in the event of atomic explosion, the earnest instruction to 'duck and cover'.
Behind the dated hilarity of films like Are You Popular? and Safety Belt for Susie lay a serious attempt to construct a model society; one that would repair the social fabric after the ruins of World War Two, and introduce an era of economic and social prosperity.
In Boys Beware the narrator warns "What Jimmy didn't know was that Ralph was sick. A sickness that was not visible like smallpox, but no less dangerous and contagious. You see, Ralph was a homosexual."
No stranger to hyperbole and glamour, these films often portrayed the mundane aspects of consumption as a futuristic fantasy. In Design for Dreaming, a General Motors ballerina dances through Cadillacland and onwards "to the far out reaches of the highways of tomorrow", while More Dangerous than Dynamite! reveals itself to be propaganda for the dry cleaning industry.
Secret Century has been curated from the archives of American Rick Prelinger whose collection of 48,000 films was purchased by the Library of Congress in 2002. Prelinger says the value of the films lies in learning the lessons of history. "When things happen today, we think they're happening for the first time ... I look at old material, and I realise there's a basic experience in our society, a history, and if we're not aware of it, it could be to our own peril".
Secret Century divides into two three week installations at the Film Archive's mediagallery. The first Friendly Persuasion takes a more gentle approach to consumerism and social guidance ('pleasant unemotional conversation aids digestion'); whilst the second The Terrible Truth warns that the penalty for rebellion and risk is death and destruction. Each installation features interview and documentary material with two key film makers Jamison (Jam) Handy and Sid Davis.
Jam Handy was a former Olympic medallist and Christian Scientist who turned his hand to the world of advertising and public relations. Sid Davis was a stand-in for John Wayne and it was 'the Duke' himself who lent Davis the money for his first film The Dangerous Stranger. Where Handy reveals himself to be a keen entrepreneur savvy to the value of film as a sales medium, Davis shows a genuine concern for the future of American youth.
Film Archive Project Developer Mark Williams says the value of the films lies beyond simply laughs “Some of these films are actually genuinely wonderful pieces of filmmaking ... and some of their lessons are still relevant today".
As part of Secret Century the Film Archive will present a daily programme of free screenings in the mediacentre TV lounge and an evening cinema programme of longer works.
Go, now to http://events.filmarchive.org.nz for details.
Secret Century: The Darker Side of the American Dream
Part 1: Friendly Persuasion Fri 24th Sept - Thurs 14th October
Part 2: The Terrible Truth Fri 15th October - Sun 7th November
Film Archive mediaplex, corner of Ghuznee & Taranaki Streets, Wellington
12pm-6pm, every day.
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13.02
EVERYTHING THAT RISES MUST CONVERGE
STROMA presents PUTAHITANGA | CONVERGENCE
Sunday 26th September
3pm @ St Andrews on the Tce
Programme:
Dieter Mack: Quartett No. 1
Brigid Bisley: In Memoriam (world premiere)
Gillian Whitehead: Hine Te Kakara (for bassoon, voice and taonga puoro) Philip Brownlee: new work for flute and taonga puoro (world premiere) Lyell Cresswell: Con Fuoco (commission: world premiere))
Featuring Richard Nunns, Bridget Douglas, Hamish McKeich, Pepe Becker, Mahinarangi Tocker, Fiona Ferens, Catherine Bisley, Aroha Yates-Smith
Conducted by Hamish McKeich
Tickets: $20/$15 (conc). Door sales only.
Email: stroma@xtra.co.nz
Web: stroma.wellington.net.nz
Ph: (04) 463 7456
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13.03
FUEL IN THE TANK
A website launched this week by Creative New Zealand and the Australia Council for the Arts should become a valuable resource for arts professionals and creative folks.
The website www.fuel4arts.co.nz offers free advice on marketing and audience development from an international community of arts professionals. Check it out and see what you think.
"Fuel4arts.com has proven to be a highly effective tool for arts professionals across the Tasman. With the launch of the website here, New Zealand artists will have the opportunity to learn from and contribute to an on-line community of arts-marketers from around the world," said elected person, and arts advocate Judith Tizard.
Tizard says the initiative is a direct response to research by Creative New Zealand that showed most New Zealand artists felt they needed more help in the areas of marketing and audience development.
The website includes arts marketing case studies, on-line forums, articles, trend reports, research and an up-to-date database of industry contacts.
New Zealand artists will benefit from content developed specifically to address local market issues and will also be able to communicate with, learn from and exchange ideas with international arts marketing professionals.
That URL again is www.fuel4arts.co.nz
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13.04
I LIKE MISTAKE
Paintings by Guy Scoullar plus the infidel sounds of heavenly lofi will appear, dream-like, at The Pit@BATS from Wednesday September 22 onwards, opening between 5-7pm.
You can listen to CD's with the artist's music while staring at his paintings, then enjoy a BATS-style beer at the same time! Come and check it out. Make a date, find a friend...
The Pit's opening hours are 7-11pm on Tuesday to Saturday.
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13.05
GET DOWN WITH GET DOWN
Get Down NZ/NL/Oz
2nd Birthday Party & Royal Freeart Booklet Presentation
September 30 at the Pit @BATS, Wellington, NZ
GET DOWN is a cultural exchange organization between the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand. GET DOWN has people on the ground in Amsterdam and Wellington who develop and build networks in arts and music.
The 2nd birthday party features the presentation of the GET DOWN Royal Freeart Booklet. GET DOWN made a compilation of Dutch, New Zealand and Australian artwork for a Royal Elastics Freeart booklet. Alongside three Dutch and two Australian artists, this special edition features New Zealand artists Sam Broad, Michaela Stoneman and Elliot ‘Askew’ ‘O Donnell. The booklet will be distributed in Australia mainly, but GET DOWN helps to distribute a limited amount of copies in New Zealand and The Netherlands.
At the birthday party GET DOWN presents performances by musical superheroes New Zealand, Craig from the Sk8board Poets and no doubt a few surprises at the Pit on Kent Terrace.
GET DOWN invites you to this celebration at 5.30pm. We are happy to offer you a beer with the support of Bennett’s Wellington Lager of Island Bay. We challenge you to bring us your favourite NZ party snack. This way GET DOWN encourages exchange of winning recipes too!
Remember that this occasion can be one of just a few possibilities to get hold of a copy of the Royal GET DOWN Freeart booklet! Some of the involved artists will be present to sign. Do not miss this chance….
GET DOWN has not looked for any funding in the last 2 years, but has operated solely on enthusiasm, creativity and passion of people who want to make a cultural connection between NL, NZ & Oz. For this party we would like to do a BIG SHOUT OUT TO: Royal Elastics for giving GET DOWN and the artists this opportunity, Outwide.com for resuscitating our website, Bennett’s Wellington Lager for supplying the booze, The Pit for the charming venue and bartender, NZ for the loudness, Craig for the words and all artists for making the Get Down Royal Freeart booklet happen without even getting a pair of shoes…
For more images and/or more information on Get Down, Royal Elastics and the artists call Sacha on 0210444294 or e-mail: getdown@phat.co.nz or check url: www.get-down.info
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13.06
WELLINGTON’S PROMENADE
Promenade Artists Call for submissions
Promenade Artists, in association with the Wellington City Council, are looking for artists who may be interested in participating in their Murals on Traffic Signal Boxes scheme. Artists receive a small honorarium of $75 and their work is placed on permanent public display.
A traffic signal box is that beige thing about 600 x 1200 x 400 mm that appears in the vicinity of every set of traffic lights in the city. They are currently decorated with delightful bright green stickers and bland brown paint.
To view the two examples extant walk by the corner of Victoria and Mercer Sts and up to the Willis/Mercer intersection. It is intended that this will be an ongoing project and that, over time, every box in the city will be adorned with original art.
For a copy of the brief and other particulars contact:
Kristelle Plimmer, ph: 385-0909 Email: kristelle@paradise.net.nz
Also available from Eric at the Oriental Bay Rotunda/Arts Centre
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13.07
THE (UN)FORTUNATE SINGER: RACHEL BUSH
Stout Research Centre, 17 September at 1 pm
Rachel Bush is a Nelson-based poet who has been published in periodicals such as Sport, Landfall, the Listener, and in Faber & Faber's Introduction series. Her two books of poetry, The Hungry Woman (1997) and The Unfortunate Singer (2002) are published by Victoria University Press. During September she is writer in residence at Wellington Hospital, the second writer to take part in the New Zealand Poetry Society's 'Poetry Places' scheme. Some of the poetry she writes will reflect on the interaction of nurses and patients and also on some of the specialist language of the hospital. Asked about her own writing, she says: 'What I'm working on now is ...well, hard to say. I write a lot and I discard a lot. I often start with whatever has surprised me. Also I often write in response to whatever poets I'm reading at the moment. The Poetry Places project is exciting and challenging for me because instead of writing to discover my preoccupations, I'll focus on my experiences in Wellington Hospital and use those as the basis of my poetry.' Chaired by Chris Price
All Writers on Fridays sessions are open to the public and free of charge. No bookings or rsvp required. Hosted by: The International Institute of Modern Letters: modernletters@vuw.ac.nz
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13.08
ENJOY PERFORMANCE WEEK
Monday September 20 – Saturday September 25
For six days, from Monday through Saturday, each day at various and multiple times, Enjoy Gallery will be host to diverse and exciting performance work by an illustrious line up of local artists. Bringing a mix of both solo and collaborative performances, the programme also presents the launch of Arcad
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 6 P.M.
Colin Hodson
Film-maker Colin Hodson was burnt by the diminishing glow of the performance scene in New York in the late 80's/early 90's. Forsaking live performance for video in the nineties he went on to make two digital features and collaborate on numerous other narrative and performance video works. Hankering for that live feeling, here he revisits performance re-contextualised in the energy of the gallery, opening Performance Week with Ease.
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 3.30 - 6 P.M.
Vivien Atkinson
Previously existing as a video work, Vivien Atkinson presents Who am I Where am I as a live gallery performance. Employing collective means and personal narrative, Vivien's practice engages with a contemporary state of diaspora specific to both her own personal history, and contemporary global culture. Currently completing her MFA through RMIT, Vivien was recently included in Surface Tension at SHOW gallery in Wellington.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 12 noon - 12 midnight
The Amateur Music Club
On the hour, every hour, a better version yet.
For the debut of their collaborative, performance based project, Shay Launder & Louise Tulett will perform a twelve hour 'set' that, amongst other things, will offer a way to look for the hope of improvement through practice. Likened to a craft project for sound, The Amateur Music Club brings the whole-hearted fun and sincerity of attempt alongside the tense acceptance of failure inherent to such a project.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 23, during the day, culminating at 6 P.M.
James McCarthy, Kaleb Bennett, Eugene Hansen
Performers impersonating James McCarthy, Kaleb Bennett, and Eugene Hansen unveil the primary stages of their collaborative Noise Advancement Project; an inaugural performance commissioned by the Artbruit Department for the Development of the Sonic Arts. Join these three mystery operatives for a session of bloody-nosed good times as they take you through a selection of their very best love songs 'til midnight.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 6 P.M.
The S.T.A.F.F. Project
Starting out five weeks ago with a series of public fund-raising events including a bake stall, car wash and street appeal, the S.T.A.F.F. Project re-groups for a finale in the gallery itself. Members and guests alike are invited for a night of self congratulatory, photographic excess. The S.T.A.F.F. Project, run by Bex Galloway and Sarah Miller, has seen the co-ordination and involvement from over 30 local artists, writers and curators. As a proclaimed 'self-aggrandising' enterprise, the project talks with it's tongue proudly in it's cheek about the self-sustaining nature of our creative community.
SATUURDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 7 P.M.
Arcad
The final night of Performance Week presents Arcad
Kicking off with ‘Billboard: Ctrl Space', Daniel Agnihotri-Clark explores constructions of gender identity through interactive use of projections. Performing as Anaesthesia Associates, Daniel will also spin his own upbeat breed of cut-up electronic music in a DJ set. Rayzordoll will combine electro atomic light transmissions with sporeX, an audio fusion time traveller from planet scratch. Incorporating live performance with loco mixing styles, Thunderbirds are go! DIRAC makes cloying ambient textures and harsh scrapings which are poured liberally over a twisted (a-)rhythmic canvas. Years of pent-up frustration at the sequencer-grid manifest in a syrupy, non-linear morass of harmony and noise. Johanna Sanders’ geometric video projections will accompany Bek Coogan as FEMALE, the local rock goddess who trades in her telltale big hair, possum furs and banshee screams for the dulcet tones of the electronic beat to make ‘serious electronica'. YEEEOOOWWWEEE!
Also coming up.......
The final artist performance and exhibition closing event of 'Golden Axe' will now start at the slightly later time of 7.30pm on Friday the 17th of September.
The S.T.A.F.F. Project will have its final fundraising event, a street appeal, on Saturday 18th of September. The money raised will go towards purchasing polaroid film for a 'polaroid evening' as part of Performance week.
The second edition of 'Secret City' is now available. Pick up your free copy from Enjoy
enjoy@enjoy.org.nz
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13.09
CONNECTING CREATIVITY
The Learning Connection has opened its end of term student exhibition, and this is your personal invitation to come and have a look-see. We have paintings, sculptures, drawings, pastels, prints, and all sorts of other arty items.
Our opening night was Thursday 16 September 2004, and the show is also open to visitors from 10.00am to 4.00pm on Friday 17, Saturday 18, and Sunday 19 September.
These innovative works from up-and-coming as well as established artists reflect their passion for art, with an emphasis on creativity and thinking beyond the usual thoughts. You’re welcome to bring your friends, family, workmates, neighbours … you will walk away from our exhibition stunned and amazed! We hope to see you here!
Debbie McGuire
The Learning Connexion
PO Box 9811, 31 Avon St, Island Bay, Wellington
DDI: (04) 383-4325
www.tlc.ac.nz
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13.10
VENICE , et al.
http://www.creativenz.govt.nz/venice/index.html
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13.11
A WHOLE MESS OF NINJAS
Friday 17th September at 10pm
The Grand Puppet Ninja Fun-In Death Fight, Gala Fundraiser, Cash in Scam and Cake Stall
The Clan of the Puppet Ninja are strapped for cash. Puppets cost money. Ninja outfits cost money. Props cost money. Alcohol costs money. Pornography costs money. Ninja weapons of death/disrepute cost money. Producing top notch theatre/puppetry/performance art happenings at unrecognized and disused venues costs money. Money costs money. The Clan of the Puppet Ninja need money.
So was born the Grand Puppet Ninja Fundraiser, Cash-In Scam and Cake Stall a night of serious selling, performance and musical entertainment. All are invited to partake in the fun! Bring your wallets! We need your money! You need our fun! And hilarity! And Ninjas! You need us! We need you!
The Puppet Ninja will sell anything and everything they can to make money for their upcoming summer production. The Puppet Ninja are selling-out! Again! We will sell everything! Everything Must Go! We will sell each other!
The Puppet Ninja Fundraiser, Cash-In Scam and Cake Stall will include the following delectables:
• Live music from Wellington’s finest Music Makers!
• Special Guest Drunken Ninja MC!
• Live puppetry performances and demonstrations!
• “How to make a Puppet Ninja Puppet!” demonstration!
• Bobbing for Steamed buns!
• Punch and Judy shows!
• Free trials of Puppet Ninja computer games!
• Showing of strictly R18 Puppet Ninja DVDs!
• Puppet Arts and Crafts stalls!
• Grand Cash-In Puppet Ninja Auction!
• Begging Children!
• Spot Prizes and Raffles!
• Sake and Blow!
• Ninja “Mystery Room!”!
• Dangerous Blue Light Late Night R18 Ninja Goings ON!
• And Things for Sale!
Things for Sale include: cakes and fudge made by our very own orphaned syphilitic puppet, Rupreck; Puppet Ninja paraphernalia; Ex-Puppet Ninja show props (strictly limited editions only; a large clay cock, spray-painted gold; limited edition copies of the brand new Puppet Ninja computer game; limited edition of the Puppet Ninja DVD, Uncle Stinky’s Missing Shoes; limited edition copies of the CD single from the great lost Puppet Ninja musical, The Faunaphonic Expansion Kit; more, much much more!!!
Who are the Puppet Ninja? The Puppet Ninja are puppet-based black-theatre performance group with three major productions under their black belts (Uncle Stinky’s Missing Shoes, Fringe 2002; The Faunaphonic Expansion Kit, with the award winning jazz ensemble, CL BOB, Nominated Best Comedy, Fringe 2003; Redux Deluxe, at Bats Theatre, 2003) as well as a host of performances (including The 4th Great Moustache Competition; The Wellington Design Ball 2003 and 2004; film cameos; street performances; private party guest appearances, and more, much more!). The Puppet Ninja have been in existence for many centuries, but have in recent years begun appearing in Wellington. All are invited to the Grand Puppet Ninja Fundraiser, Cash-In Scam and Cake Stall!
And don’t forget these other Happy events…
Saturday 18th September at 10pm
The Inkling with the Flower Orphans
Popular “band about town” The Inkling fuse their extended improvised grooves with the Can-cum-Sun Ra aesthetic of Anthony Donaldson’s Flower Orphans.
Tuesday 21st September at 10pm
Green Herring
Space age Hendrix jazz, what? Alistair Campbell, Rick Cranson, Tom Callwood. Guitar (electric), bass and some drums hit very hard and fast.
Wednesday 22nd September at 10pm
The Dodecahedrons
The wildly anticipated return of Aotearoa’s finest New Music ensemble. Having just perfomed with the likes of Fat Freddy’s Drop and the Scribes of Ra, the Dodecahedrons are quickly finding themselves in the spotlight.
Further down the road at Happy we have: The Happy Happy Birthday! October 1st!!! Essential Phatty Acids (Sept 24th), return of The Perfect Machine featuring David Long (Sept 28th), No San Pedro with Mr Sterile (Oct 2nd), Jon White with guests (Oct 8th) Marineville (Oct 9th), the 8th Wellington International Jazz Festival (Oct 15th to 30th) The Jazz Festival this year features the Carlos Actis Dato Quartet from Itlay, Amy X Neuberg from the USA, Kris Wanders (of Bomb the Space 4) from Holand and Australia, JJ Milthau from France, Phil Dadson from Auckland, and a mindblowing selectiojn of New Zealand’s finest jazz groups. Look out for the butterfly.
Happy
underground
Vivian and Tory Streets, On the Corner
Wellington
384 1965
www.happy.net.nz
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13.12
ANTHOLOGY=COLLECTION OF FLOWERS
Tuesday 21 September is Poets Day in the Botanic Garden, a part of the
annual Spring Festival. During the lunch hour there will be a continuous poetry reading outside the Begonia House in the Rose Garden (or inside if it is wet.) Four Wellington poets, Dinah Hawken (the Poet in Residence), Chris Price, James Brown and Stephanie de Montalk along with students from Victoria University's creative writing programme, will read poems related to gardens or the Garden. Come to Flora Poetica anytime between 12 and 1.30 pm to celebrate spring, poetry and the natural world.
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13.13
PROPOSE SOMETHING GOOD
The Owhiro Bay carpark that serves Red Rocks and the South Coast seal colony is in for an upgrade and suggestions for the area are welcome.
Council Open Space Planner Hilary Harrington says the project is a fantastic opportunity to improve the gateway to one of Wellington's most popular recreational and tourist destinations.
"The carpark is a major entrance to Te Kopahou Reserve and the South Coast. It's a popular area - particularly at weekends - but could definitely do with an upgrade and a few amenities.
"Improvements are likely to include toilets, shelter, seats, new signs, better traffic and pedestrian management and landscaping with native plants - but before the design works starts we are keen to hear the ideas Wellingtonians may have. We also want their thoughts on the future of the old quarry building."
People walking and biking in the area or making a winter pilgrimage to the city's seal colony used to skirt past the old Owhiro Bay Quarry which once supplied 300,000 tonnes of aggregate to the greater Wellington area.
The City Council bought and closed the 80-year-old quarry in 2000 and has since been redeveloping it as a coastal recreation reserve in keeping with the South Coast Management Plan. The old quarry face has been gradually recontoured to make it safer, appear more natural and to create areas that can be revegetated with native plants. A number of areas have already been planted and more planting is planned over the next five years.
"The recontouring is complete and we're now turning our attention to improving the carpark area," Ms Harrington says. Students employed by the Council will be at the carpark some weekends during the consultation to survey people using the area.
Many artful people in Wellington are already thinking up creative possibilities and arts-based prospects for this South Coast icon. Come up with your own, then send a proposal to Council. For details on hjow to submit your idea…
http://www.wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay/publicinput/owhiro.html
Or pick up a submission form from libraries or Council service centres, or call 499 4444 to be sent one. Feedback is required by 5pm on Friday 29 October 2004
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13.14
GRANT ME ONE WISH
Community groups based in the Wellington City rate-paying area have until the end of this month to apply for funds in the latest Wellington City Council arts grants round.
Allocated twice a year, this round of Council arts grants - including arts and culture, community festival, Maori arts, and Creative Communities New Zealand local funding scheme - amount to over $250,000.
Deborah Hope, Wellington City Council's Grants Team Leader, is hoping local community groups will take advantage of the grants on offer as there are a variety of grant schemes available.
"The grants fund covers a range of arts projects and activity. Not-for-profit organisations looking for financial support for their next art event or project should contact the Council's grants team for more information."
Each year the Council giveaway about $2.8 million in community grants. Most grants are funded by rates with others from sources administered by the Council.
Projects to benefit from Council arts grants approved earlier this year include a five-day festival showcasing local and international experimental music practitioners, censor costs for a short film festival at Paramount Theatre, and funds to organise and host the New Zealand Brass Band championships next year.Each grant has specific criteria:
Arts and culture - intended to support projects that fit with the Council's Arts Capital strategic aims, as outlined in the Council's Annual Plan.
Community festivals - for groups staging festivals and events. This grant helps different communities in Wellington City to celebrate their identity or culture.
Maori arts - for projects that emphasise traditional or contemporary Maori cultural influences.
Creative Communities Wellington local funding scheme (a partnership between the Council and Creative New Zealand) - intended to increase grassroots participation in the arts. This scheme can help individuals as well as groups.
More information about applying for a Wellington City Council grant is available at
http://www.wellington.govt.nz/services/grants/index.html
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13.15
FLOOD OF ART IN THE HUTT
'Extraordinary' art auction honours Dowse eccentric
Artworks from all over New Zealand are flooding in to The Dowse in Lower Hutt for one of the largest charity art auctions held in recent years. The auction is to raise funds for a special memorial to former director Galvan Macnamara (previously James Mack), as part of a major redevelopment of The Dowse next year. The works will be on show at The Dowse from 9 October in the lead up to the auction on Saturday 30 October at 4.pm.
Dowse Director Tim Walker says: "The response to the auction has been amazing. We have received over 180 contributions from artists and makers. Contributing artists include Gretchen Albrecht, Len Castle, Dick Frizzell, Judy Darragh, Don Binney, Terry Stringer, Ann Robinson, Gary Nash, Gordon Crook, World and John Edgar. The artists had a strong association with James Mack or have benefited from the legacy of his extraordinarily wide-reaching generosity and enthusiasm.
"The works are diverse and interesting. A wide range of established and emerging artists have contributed some major works, many clearly inspired by Galvan himself. As is usual with The Dowse, the range is expansive We have fashion, a painted bedhead, painting, sculpture, ceramics and jewellery.The works reflect the extraordinary vision Galvan had for the future of The Dowse,' says Walker.
"The challenge in presenting the auction has not been in attracting work or interest, it has been in fitting it into the building. A wall will have to be demolished between two galleries to make room for the work. This is a graphic illustration of why The Dowse is in need of redevelopment. The new building will eventually give us 60% more display space and larger areas to comfortably accommodate exactly this type of big event."
The major redevelopment, planned for 2005, will extend the potential for The Dowse to further showcase innovative creative practice. The Dowse Foundation is raising $2.2 million towards the $5million project.
The names of all the artists who contribute to the exhibition will be inscribed on the glass surrounding a courtyard at the heart of new building, to embrace the memory of Galvan Macnamara, a very special person who gave so much to New Zealand's cultural life and The Dowse.
A flamboyant party in true 'James Mack' style is planned for the weekend before the auction. Fantastical event designer and visionary Warwick Broadhead will be working with volunteers at The Dowse for two weeks leading up to the event to transform the surrounding environment. Catalogues and tickets to the auction can be purchased from The Dowse. Selected works are open for bidding by a silent auction process throughout the exhibition period.
http://www.huttcity.govt.nz/council/services/recreation/dowse/
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13.16
CHARLOTTE’S WEB
Charlotte Huddleston, formerly curator/manager at Wellington’s enjoy gallery, has taken up a new position as assistant curator of contemporary art at New Plymouth’s flagship cultural institution, the Govett-Brewster Museum. Check out the museum’s website
http://www.govettb.org.nz/
And the contact to your database.
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13.17
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE FESTIVAL
Participation in the New Zealand International Arts Festival is by invitation only. Invitations are issued by the Festival Directors. NZIAF includes a wide variety of professional performing arts, including opera, dance, theatre and music with performers and companies drawn from around the world and New Zealand. The Festival leans towards contemporary work rather than folkloric performance. In the case of international artists, the Festival prefers to present those who have not performed previously in New Zealand. The Festival does not programme artists/companies unless the Directors have attended a performance. The 2004 Festival is fully programmed. The next Festival will be in March 2006 and the Artistic Director will begin to consider programming options in April 2004.
Companies and artists wishing to participate at the New Zealand International Arts Festival should send information, DVDs, videos, CDs and a schedule of performances over the period May 2004 to July 2005 for consideration to:
The Artistic Director
New Zealand International Arts Festival
PO Box 10 113
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Or email for the attention of the Artistic Director: nzfestival@festival.co.nz
If the Directors are interested in the work they will try to attend a live performance or concert.
http://www.nzfestival.telecom.co.nz/home/page.aspx
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13.18
THE VOID
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13.19
FILM CALL
The NZ Film Academy is again calling on all writers who have short film scripts that might be suitable for production.
The production of Anthony Clydes short film script “Doll Face” by NZFA Film Making students early this year was very successful, with the project completed on time and on budget over 6 weeks. Good casting and a strong script made for a solid 16 minute screen production.
So if you have a script or story outline that you want to see up on screen contact Jason for more information at the NZFA on 09 920 5931 or Jason@nzfilmacademy.com
Friday 24 September 2004
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13.20
THE PLAY’S THE THING
Please spread the word - budding Playwrights aged between 16 and 22 would be daft not to get writing. Organised by Playmarket, the competition (open to those aged between 16 and 22) will recognise young playwrights from the Northern, Central and Southern regions. The event has established itself as an important stepping stone in the development of new writers for our theatre. The winners are invited to attend a week-long event to work on their scripts and development of their writing in 2005. The competition is open to any New Zealand resident between the ages of 16 and 22. Plays must be more than 30 minutes in length. For the first time this year, scripts that have received non-professional production (e.g. within school and amateur groups) are now eligible to enter. For further information contact us at this email.
scripts@playmarket.org.nz
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13.21
PERFORMING ARTS PROVING GROUND
The Incubator warms up creative talent in Wellington.
Are you:
-a performing artist wanting to perform?
-a playwright needing actors and a director?
-an actor wanting to work with other actors?
-a choreographer with a new work, and nowhere to perform it?
-a muso with a new song?
Join us! The Incubator is an opportunity to perform to a supportive audience. The Incubator was formed to cater to performing artists/writers/directors wishing to present their creative genius in an informal and supportive setting. Kind of like a performance cafe, The Incubator is open to anyone, and operates bi-monthly at Thistle Hall.
It is the perfect forum in which to experiment with new ideas, perform that monologue you've always wanted to do , or a scene from a newly written play, a new choreographic work, an excerpt from a show you're doing (free publicity!)...The opportunities are endless! We publicise the event to local newspapers, and audience entry is by donation.
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
Easy. The next Incubator performance date is Sunday, October 3 at 6.30pm. If you are interested email Angela on mailto:aande_ productions@hotmail.com
We can also provide linkups to other practitioners; advertise upcoming shows, auditions,gigs or workshops; provide cheap rehearsal space.
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13.22
NEVER HURTS TO APPLY
Major Cultural Sector Awards, Scholarships and Residencies Nationally Available to New Zealanders
http://www.mch.govt.nz/awards/index.html
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13.23
TURNING JAPANESE, AGAIN
Here’s the skinny on the New Zealand Japan Exchange Programme…
Frequency: Annual
Duration: 9 months
Value: Covers travel, accommodation and stipend
Purpose: Established in 1974, the purpose of the programme is to foster a deeper understanding between the two countries through a programme of educational and cultural exchanges.
Criteria: Open to educators, artists and scholars.
How: By application.
When to apply: Applications close 31 March and 31 October each year.
Contact:
Association of Colleges of Education in New Zealand (ACENZ)
P.O. Box 10-298
Wellington
Ph: (04) 472 7162
Fax: 472 9562
Email: nzjep@acenz.ac.nz
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13.24
ART PARK
Spring Sketchings at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
Aspiring artists will have an inspiring setting and tuition this Saturday (18 September) at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary’s first-ever art day called “Spring Sketchings”.
The event, part of the city’s Spring Festival, is open to anyone interested in creating art in the unique urban sanctuary, says Sanctuary Marketing Co-ordinator Geraldine Hulls.
“Some of Wellington’s leading artists will run short workshops for children and adults throughout the day at various locations around the Sanctuary. It’s a chance for Wellingtonians and visitors to learn from professionals, express their creativity and meet others who like to dabble with paint, pencil and other media.”
Tutors offering workshops include Island Bay printmaker and painter John Drawbridge, Mt Victoria painter and sculptor Claire Jennings, and scenic artist Mark Hill, who paints backdrops, murals and film sets. There will also be hands-on activities for children such as rubbings.
“The event is an excellent opportunity for people to see world-renowned artists like John Drawbridge, who has produced some of this country’s best known public murals, such as those in the Beehive, National Archives and the National Library.”
Spring Sketchings follows on from a successful creative writing day held earlier this year at the Sanctuary. Participants in this Saturday’s event can submit their artworks into a competition for judging with prizes donated by businesses and organisations like Eco-store, The Learning Connexion and Ace Education.
There is no charge to take part in the event, apart from the normal admission fees for the Sanctuary. “The event will reinforce the value of the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in our community as a place of learning, discovery and expression.”
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13.25
PROVINCIAL GALLERY ON HORIZON
Wellington to get new art gallery from $1.5 million bequest…
A bequest to the city of Wellington of more than $1.5 million by the estate of importer and art collector Russell Hancock will be used to establish a new art gallery, Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast said today.
Mr Hancock, who died in 1994 aged 90, and his wife Kathleen, who died in July, also aged 90, were long-standing supporters of Wellington's literary and arts community, she said in a statement. Although much of Mr Hancock's art collection was burnt in a fire five years ago, the remainder -- which includes some important works of New Zealand art and paintings acquired since -- are part of the bequest.
Ms Prendergast said the Hancocks had expressed a wish the bequest be used to establish or maintain a municipal arts venue and the estate's works would be permanently displayed alongside a significant city collection that for various reasons could not be easily exhibited.
The bequest was a "magnificent gesture that will further enhance Wellington's reputation as a city that appreciates and promotes the arts", she said.
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13.26
WORD FROM BATS
Dear BATS peeps
Fiona Truelove rewrites myth from the perspective of a New Zealand-born Tongan-Irish woman in Leaving the Underworld, a new solo premiering at BATS Theatre tonight. Check it out!
BOOK NOW for any performance simply reply to this email with your name, number of tickets and date you wish to attend. We will reply to confirm your booking and you can pay when you come to the show.
Coming up next at BATS - Albert Speer starring Paul McLachlan.
Leaving the Underworld
Season: Wednesday 15 - Saturday 25 September (no show Sunday)
Time: 7pm
Tickets: $15 full $12 concession
'Leaving the Underworld' is a devised performance exploring identity in New Zealand¹s immigrant culture, and draws on the talents of its creator and performer Truelove, award-winning choreographer Louise Potiki-Bryant, well-known actor/director Nancy Brunning, and Naked Samoan Jerome Leota.
Truelove hopes to take Pacific Island theatre into a new direction, saying ³it was important for me to go back pre-colonisation and explore storytelling in a way my ancestors might have. People can come to think myths aren¹t relevant to their lives, subsequently I don¹t know what my culture is so I have to write modern-day myths to find out who I am.²
Truelove believes that it is this very water that appears to divide us that actually draws us all together. ³New Zealanders are all Pacific Islanders, we are a Pacific Island nation and need to define our own stories.²
BATS Theatre
1 Kent Terrace
bats@bats.co.nz
bookings 802 4175
office 802 4176
www.bats.co.nz
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13.27
Where are you in Wellington’s ethnic and global mix?
Are you skilled in art or craft – traditional or contemporary?
We invite you to show us your work, and your cultural world.
CrossOver
art connecting our colourful capital
March 2005
is a multicultural exhibition of Wellington’s visual treasures. Wherever you come from, we want to showcase your work and inspire our city’s creative future.
Want to know more? Contact Lucy Moore or Nadia Fawzi at Wellington City Council on 801 3963, 027 221 3791 or lucy.moore@wcc.govt.nz
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13.28
YOUNG AT ART
Island Bay Community Centre Presents
Art for Youth
Art Exhibition
Opening Night:
Date: 8th October 2004 at 5:30pm
Running Saturday and Sunday 9th and 10th
10:00 am till 2:00pm
With Guest Speaker: Iain Watt
Venue: Island Bay Community Centre
137 The Parade
Island Bay Ph: 04 383 7464
Email: ibcc@actrix.co.nz
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13.29
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS AT CITY GALLERY
BEING ME
5 to 7 year olds
Monday 20 September & Wednesday 22 September, 10:30am – 1pm
Hey kids! New Zealand artist Ronnie van Hout uses lots of different types of art to explore what it means to ‘be himself’. This includes photography and drawing as well as machine knitting, life size latex dummies and man-like monkeys. Come and see the amazing exhibition and explore your own identity in our art workshops, by creating badges and slogans and playing with portraiture photography. All you need to bring is……YOURSELF!
Bookings essential – contact Robyn Walker, email robyn.walker@wcc.govt.nz or phone ext 3987.
BEING ME
8 to 12 year olds
Tuesday 21 September, Thursday 23 September & Wednesday 29 September
In collaboration with Capital E and the Museum of City & Sea, the aforementioned Ronnie van Hout workshops will also be run as part of their full-day programme for 8 to 12 year olds.
Bookings essential - contact Morag Zaric at Capital E, email morag@cape.org.nz or phone 913 3723.
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13.30
UNDER THE MILKY WAY
Milky Way Bar: New Wellington Artists
18 September - 17 October 2004
Michael Hirschfeld Gallery, City Gallery
Open 10am to 5pm every day. Free Entry.
'Milky Way Bar' is the third new Wellington artist show at City Gallery Wellington's Michael Hirschfeld Gallery. Titled after Bill Manhire's 1991 poem 'Milky Way Bar', the exhibition brings together eight fresh and dynamic young artists who "live at the edge of the universe/like everybody else."
Featuring work by Marina Cains, Ryan Chadfield, Daniel du Bern, Regan Gentry, Kim Paton, Gregory Sharp, Marnie Slater and Louise Tulett, 'Milky Way Bar' highlights the present moment: it's about what these artists are making, thinking and communicating now.
Recently, the Wellington arts scene has entered a boom phase, with new exhibition spaces opening up, new arts projects being initiated, and new artists constantly emerging, fuelled in part by the establishment of the School of Fine Arts at Massey University's Wellington campus. 'Milky Way Bar' gives audiences an insight into how young artists are making their way in this rapidly expanding world.
Marnie Slater's work evokes the tension felt by young artists when they are torn between wanting to be discovered and wanting to hide in the shadows. Slater has created a mini mountain with a step ladder and a white satin flag with the word 'NOW' embroidered on it. Will you seize the day by climbing up and snatching the flag, Slater asks, or will you be stuck at the bottom, doubting your ability to face up to the challenge?
Regan Gentry also explores the idea of being a new artist trying to break into the art world. In 2003 Gentry began his 'Foot in the Door' project by sending hundreds of letters to public and commercial art galleries and art-related institutions asking if he could install a one foot ruler or piece of measuring tape in their entrance way. Enterprising and audacious, the project literally enables Gentry to get a foot in the door at a range of institutions. At the 'Milky Way Bar' opening, Gentry will insert a foot of measuring tape into the Michael Hirschfeld Gallery's roller door, marking his entry into another gallery space, another scalp in his exhibiting history.
'Martian Invaders in the Twilight Arcade' Thursday 30 September 2004 at 5.30pm Join the artists in 'Milky Way Bar' and Michael Hirschfeld Gallery curator Sarah Farrar for an informal floortalk in the gallery. Free entry, all welcome.
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13.31
THE POETRY BUG
Wellington’S 2nd annual International Poetry Festival will take place from October 7 to 11, and the programme is almost complete.
The literary festivities open with a free 6:30pm launch event and readings at Porirua’s Pataka Museum, which will include a dozen writers from as far as India, Sweden and Estonia. The following day, look for the poetry of the Americas to fill Te Papa’s Marae, and Kiwi poetry to be in the spotlight at City Gallery. Consult the complete schedule on the festival website:
www.poetryfestival.org.nz or contact Ron Riddell and Saray Torres for more information: poetfest@paradise.net.nz
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13.31
MAJOR PUBLIC ART COMMISSION
Expressions of Interest have been called for the design of the NZ Memorial in London. Prime Minister Helen Clark recently announced that design concepts are being sought from creative people who wish to be involved with the New Zealand Memorial project in Hyde Park, London.
"Plans for the memorial were announced in July 2003, and funding of $3 million over two years for its construction was announced in this year's budget. Now the government is initiating the process of selecting a design for this important memorial," said Helen Clark.
"Artists, architects, landscape architects and designers who would like to be considered are invited to register their interest with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
The memorial will commemorate the strong relationship New Zealand has with Britain, and the sacrifice made by New Zealanders who fought side by side with the British in times of war.
The memorial will provide a focus for future London ceremonies, such as those marking ANZAC Day and other anniversaries important for New Zealand. It is to be sited at Hyde Park Corner, near the memorials established by other Commonwealth countries.
"The design approved by the government, following recommendations from the selection panel, will be compatible with the other structures of Hyde Park Corner. It will have a timeless appeal, and will capture something of the distinctiveness of New Zealand," Helen Clark said.
Those eligible to register an expression of interest are New Zealand residents or New Zealanders living overseas.
Background Note: Expressions of interest should be with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage on 1 October 2004. The brief for the project can be obtained from the Ministry's website, www.mch.govt.nz, by phoning on (04) 499 4229, or by email to info@mch.govt.nz.
A shortlist of designers will be compiled by 22 October 2004, and selected designers will be asked to provide proposals by 3 December 2004. A final design will be chosen by an expert panel, and approved by the government, by early February 2005. Construction will commence in time for the memorial to be unveiled on 11 November 2005. It will be sited diagonally opposite the Australia Memorial in Hyde Park, on the large circle of land which houses the Wellington Arch.
Get going…
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13.32
STILL LOOKING FOR MIGHTY KONG?
http://www.kongisking.net/index.shtml
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13.33
THE NO.8 WIRE: PAST AND PRESENT
Archives of the No. 8 Wire are on-line at
www.arts.blogspot.com
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13.34
CONTACT THE NO.8 WIRE
Send comments, questions, requests, etc
to
Eric Vaughn Holowacz
Community Arts Co-ordinator
Wellington City Council / Wellington Arts Centre
P. O. Box 2199
Wellington, New Zealand
Arts@wcc.govt.nz
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13.35
PONG
posted by Cultural Engineer @ 12:37 pm
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