High street to the hills, issue 31

Events worth noting around the country

Words: Ann Warnock

Material Girls

7 to 30 May, Statements Gallery, Napier

Five Whanganui glass artists collaborate on an exhibition comprising new works, diversity and a dash of the comic. This is a return exhibition for Karen Ellett, Katie Brown, Carmen Simmonds and Sarah Courtney Plant who showed together at Statements two years ago. This time they’re joined by Isla Osborne, renowned for her fine glass jewellery. With intricate hand-engraved works, cast-glass sculptures, chandeliers, platters, paperweights and perfume bottles, the exhibition delivers the metamorphic elements of an exciting medium.

Phone (06) 834 1331, www.statementsgallery.co.nz

Erupt Lake Taupo Festival

6 to 16 May, Taupo

An explosive interactive work encompassing the might of what simmers beneath the volcanic plateau in the central North Island takes centre stage as part of the Taupo region’s biennial cultural festival. There is also a site-specific work staged amidst the hot roller and hairspray mania of a main-street hairdressing salon and a large-scale musical project which seeks to capture the spirit of the lake and the land. Also on the agenda are visual arts, theatre, dance, cabaret and comedy acts showcasing both local and international talent.

Phone (07) 376 0348, www.erupt.co.nz
 

Mille-Fleurs

8 May to 25 July, The Suter Te Aratoi o Whakatu, Nelson

Flower power is highlighted in historical and contemporary artworks with a floral theme. Drawing together an array of art and photography, this exhibition takes its name (which means “a thousand flowers”) from French and Flemish 15th and 16th-century tapestries characterized by backgrounds of hundreds of small flowers. It includes fine botanical illustrations by artist Nina Jones (1871–1926) as well as contemporary and sensual works by photographers Boyd Webb and Ans Westra, artists Karl Maughan and Tim Main and the exquisite grassy forest floors of emerging artist Frances van Dammen.

Phone (03) 548 4699, www.thesuter.org.nz

Hot Club Sandwich

7 May, 5.30pm. Held on the first Friday evening of every month, Old St Paul’s,Wellington

The gothic architecture of an historic treasure built in 1866 buzzes to the sound of jazz, blues, country and old-time English music hall melodies as the swing trio Hot Club Sandwich struts its stuff.

The musical team of Andrew London, Terry Crayford and James Tait Jameson offers everything from Nat King Cole and Gilbert & Sullivan to Tiny Tim and whimsical songs about male insecurities, television evangelists, politicians and posers. Drinks and food are available.

Phone (04) 473 6722, www.historicplaces.org.nz

Wairoa Maori Film Festival

4 to 7 June, Wairoa

Maori and indigenous films are centre stage at an annual festival which fosters our aspiring film-makers. Movies, short films and documentaries are screened at the Kahungunu and Taihoa marae with the film-makers often on hand to discuss their work. The festival has gained serious traction since its inception five years ago and this year has attracted films from Australia, Canada and South America as well as strong input from local Maori film-makers including Taika Waititi’s latest feature-film success Boy. A festival dinner and awards night is staged at the Wairoa War Memorial Hall.

Phone (06) 837 8854, www.manawairoa.com

Andrew Drummond: Observation/Action/Reflection

14 May to 5 September, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu

Two major kinetic sculptures featuring state-of-the-art technology have been installed in the foyer of the gallery as part of the first comprehensive survey exhibition by New Zealand sculptor Andrew Drummond. The review focuses on his works from 1980 to 2010 and includes a rich documentation of sculpture, performance art, drawing, photography and technology. Lauded for having enhanced the development of sculpture in Aotearoa, Drummond’s works are often vast in size and explore issues of the land, the human body, machines and movement.

Phone (03) 941 7300, www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz

A New Coat of Paint – Simon Clark

19 June to 14 July, Milford Galleries, Dunedin

The Frosty Boy ice cream icon, a hand-built Buzzy Bee toy, a wooden peg and a soda bottle are part of the treasured 1960s memorabilia that forms the basis of Simon Clark’s solo show of oil-on-board paintings. Although the concepts in the works are rooted in Clark’s experience of growing up in the ’60s, he allows the viewer to make personal connections with the images and objects he presents, some of which are a little worn and glow with an out-of-this-world light. Clark is currently a senior lecturer in graphics at Auckland University of Technology.

Phone (03) 477 7727, www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

Stories Your Grandmother Never Told You: The Depression in Wellington in the 1930s

17, 24 and 31 May, 6.00 to 8.00pm, Pipitea Campus, Victoria University, Wellington

Children going without shoes, demonstrations, sugar bags and sustenance, men working with shovels, Michael Joseph Savage – the Depression triggers a host of recollections. But this is not the whole story. New Zealand historian Malcolm McKinnon explores the varying circumstances found in different parts of the capital city and among different social groups during this time. Participants are encouraged to contribute any knowledge of the Depression years they’ve gained from family or other sources.

Phone (04) 463 6556, www.victoria.ac.nz/conted

Comets, Asteroids and Meteorites: The Threat They Pose to Civilization

17 May to 31 June (Mondays 7.00 to 8.30pm, excluding 7 June), University of Canterbury, Christchurch

What do comets, asteroids and meteorites tell us about the origins of the solar system? What is the nature of a comet and its evolution? Can we predict how solar system bodies might impact on earth and what’s the latest on spacecraft missions? How might you discover a new comet? Professor Jack Baggaley of the Department of Physics and Astronomy leads a series of engaging discussions on the mysteries beyond our planet and outlines the latest global research activity.

Phone (03) 364 2470 (ask for Community Education), www.communityeducation.canterbury.ac.nz

New Zealand Youth Choir

26 June, 7.30pm, Auckland Town Hall

On the eve of its departure to perform in Singapore, South Korea, China and Australia, the nation’s youth choir shows why it has garnered a world-class reputation. There’s been a three-year build-up to the tour which includes an appearance at World Expo in Shanghai. The farewell concert in Auckland showcases the choir’s versatility with an exciting mix of ancient and modern works including pieces by New Zealand and Asian composers. The concert is free but donations towards the tour are welcomed.

Phone (04) 802 4047, www.youthchoir.org.nz

Josef Špacek with Michael Houstoun

25 June then on tour, Glenroy Auditorium, Dunedin

Twenty-three-year-old Josef Špacek of the Czech Republic is the 2009 winner of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition and part of his prize is a nationwide tour for Chamber Music New Zealand, teamed with legendary pianist Michael Houstoun. The pair rolls out a display of virtuosity and musicianship in a programme that encompasses diverse cultures and traditions. Špacek recently graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, one of the finest music conservatories in the world which trains exceptionally gifted young musicians.

Phone 0800 4TICKET (Dunedin show), www.chambermusic.co.nz

Young & Hungry Festival of New Theatre

9 to 24 July, The Basement Theatre, Auckland and BATS Theatre, Wellington

Two of the country’s professional theatres throw open their doors to young people wanting to experience the cut and thrust of treading the boards – as actors, designers, stage managers, publicists or backstage crew. Leading industry professionals mentor the students and the collaboration culminates in the production of a package of three plays. For the audience it’s an opportunity to experience performance drama delivered with exhilarating contemporaneity.

Phone (09) 309 0390, www.atc.co.nz
 

Mini Sized Square Eyes

5, 7, 9, 12, 14 and 16 July at 11.00am, The New Zealand Film Archive Nga Kaitiaki O Nga Taonga Whitiahua, Wellington

Early black-and-white American animations, Kiwi classics and contemporary New Zealand material are some of the gems included in the Film Archive’s school-holiday screenings which are tailor-made for people aged four to 12 years. The invigorating programme includes the original film version of Where the Wild Things Are, Ub Iwerk’s 1936 Mary’s Little Lamb, the Walt Disney animated classics Little Toot and Ferdinand the Bull plus Fred O’Neill’s animation The Great Fish of Maui. Prams and buggies welcome.

Phone (04) 499 3456, www.filmarchive.org.nz

Te Radar – Eating the Dog

29 June to 10 July, Downstage Theatre, Wellington

Part educational history show, part installation art, Eating the Dog is comedian Te Radar’s satirical take on New Zealand’s history with his own irreverent selection of our heroes, both Maori and Pakeha. The spotlight falls on those Kiwi characters who, from Te Radar’s perspective, personify the “she’ll be right” spirit that epitomizes Aotearoa.

Phone (04) 801 6946, www.downstage.co.nz