working in progress || elise sterback

2011-10-10

Creative Coalition partnered with artist Kim Newall to bring an installation to First Thursdays in the Ironbank building last week. This was the concept behind the project:

Cheeky critters squatting in city say “we won’t go!”

A new, unclassified species has taken up residence and set up a bush lounge in the Ironbank building on Karangahape Road. The cheeky critters refuse to leave the homely habitat they have unlawfully set up in the central city, saying eviction could mean extinction for their kind as they have nowhere else to go.

Mysteriously, their origin is unknown, but they have been spotted around other parts of the city - in Lorne Street and the Aotea Centre - by locals who describe them as friendly and playful, if a little mischeivous.

In an attempt to rally public support to keep their home, inspired by the success and popularity of fellow feathered celebrities Happy Feet and Sirocco, the creatures are inviting the public in for a cuppa and a lamington for one night this October. Aucklanders and visitors have a special chance to meet this rare animal and save it from eviction by signing the petition at its Ironbank nest.

I’ve partnered with Jade Tang to bring Creative Mornings, a monthly breakfast talk series, to New Zealand. We held our first talk at the BOX cafe in the Aotea centre last month featuring Zoe Ikin, Sam Trustrum and Clem Devine from Studio Magazine, a very swanky little publication that’s just launched in NZ and is gearing up to go global. Find out more about upcoming talks on the Auckland Creative Mornings page.

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My events company Vibracorp helped Creative Coalition put on this happening as part of We Can Create. Artists such as Louise Menzies, Karin Hofko, Mark Harvey, Becca Wood and Sensitive Boyfriend, each created an instruction that was texted out to the audience to form an artistic scene in the fluxus style. Click on the Creative Coalition link to see all the videos and artists reflections on the experience.

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Creative Coalition is an interest group that I started observing as part of my main research project a couple years ago and am now working with closely. We act as an advocate to and conduit between council and other bodies for the arts and creative sector of Auckland. Thanks to Zoe Ikin for creating our identity, a very talented woman.

2011-06-22

rimonitmd:

Future going forward?

Went along to finally have a look at the wall on Poynton Terrace and it really does look miserable. This is what the future holds for us as far as visual arts go? Grey walls waiting for bureauRATs to finish shuffling paper so that council appointed and approved “art” gets to go up around the same time flying cars and teleportation are the norm? Screw that crap…

Source: rimonitmd

2011-05-03

Graphic designers Zoe Ikin and Sam Trustrum create different letter forms as part of the 100 Days Project. The project is open to all who want to participate - create a different design ‘operation’ every day for 100 days and share your results. Nice to see creativity for creativity’s sake.

2011-04-01

The Depot has produced this series of interviews with cultural icons - with the intent of creating a ongoing record and genealogy that maps NZ’s cultural history as it is being formed. Interview subjects include: Barry Brickell, Philip Clairmont and Shonagh Koea, among many more.
Watch the interviews here.

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Sideroom is an online arts and culture magazine that aims to connect NZ’s local arts community. Submissions of all kinds of creative outputs are welcomed.

2011-03-28

Sir Ken Robinson gives a TED talk on the role of the arts and creativity in education.

I thought that now is a particularly interesting point in time to consider his ideas, given the emphasis on engaging youth in the Auckland Council discussion document. His ideas also present a strong critique to the National government’s reduction in funding for arts-related community courses in favour of literacy and numeracy education.