Page 571 - Week 02 - Thursday, 20 February 2020
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site visit to Bolton Street Cottage, where Dean stayed for six weeks last year. Building on the success of this pilot, we agreed to continue the Canberra Wellington Indigenous artist exchange in 2020, and then again in 2022.
We also discussed Wellington’s recent designation as a UNESCO City of Film, which provides much-deserved recognition of the world-class screen facilities on offer in the Wellington region. Following on from our discussions, I was given a tour of Toi Pōneke Arts Centre, a multi-arts hub run by Wellington City Council which is similar in principle to Gorman House Arts Centre. A number of artists very generously allowed me into their studio spaces, which I greatly appreciated.
While in Wellington, I also visited a number of other arts facilities. I spent a number of hours at Te Papa and visited a wide range of exhibitions, including the Gallipoli exhibition that was developed with Weta Workshop and the opening of the Samoan and photography exhibition, and I experienced the largescale installation, Final Bouquet, by former Canberra artist and artsACT creative arts fellow Nike Savvas.
Wellington Museum featured many fascinating insights into the history of Wellington. The recently renovated Attic is a quirky and interactive space featuring collection items, artworks, images, photographs and a pseudo time machine that portrays the evolution of Wellington from the early Maori settlers to the Wellingtonians of the future. I also visited Capital E on the Wellington waterfront. Capital E is Wellington’s centre for children’s creativity and gives children access to a wide range of creative technology, live performances and events. It is also home to an in-house children’s theatre company, the National Theatre for Children, which produces two nationally touring performances each year.
The City Gallery Wellington featured a fantastic exhibition entitled Eavesdropping, which featured a diverse range of works such as recordings of answer phone messages and a screen-based work that was based around audio-ballistic evidence that led to an Israeli soldier being tried for manslaughter. Another thought-provoking exhibition that I saw was the HERE: Kupe to Cook exhibition at Pātaka Art and Museum in Porirua. The exhibition marked 250 years since Captain Cook’s arrival in New Zealand with an exploration of the voyagers who were first to arrive—Maori, Polynesian and European navigators.
One of the most poignant works was Red Cloud by Christine Hellyar, which was made up of red handkerchiefs, scarves, napkins and ribbons, all items that were used in trade and each featuring the name of one of Cook’s men. Red was the most valued colour in the Pacific and is also the colour of blood, symbolising the spread of disease during Cook’s time. I also visited the gallery space at Te Auaha, the New Zealand Institute of Creativity, which opened in 2018. Located in the city centre, the gallery gives students the opportunity to show their work.
I also attended a participatory performance entitled ransom at the iconic BATS Theatre, which has been recently restored. BATS is New Zealand’s leading venue for the development of new theatre practitioners and experimental plays and has supported the early development of well-known performers such as Flight of the
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