Performance: Mata Mata - Phusion.

To celebrate the end of his installation Mata Mata at Auckland Art Gallery, the performance choreography was led by artist Michael Tuffery and accompanied by students from St Paul's College. The event was held at the Main Gallery's forecourt & fountain.

Photography by Paul Chapman 2003.

Maouli Prints

Moauli Prints was formed in 1994 by Christchurch Young PACIFICA & was driven by the energy of sister’s Amber Young & Loretta Young. 

The foundation of Maouli Prints was in screen-printed textile designs with artist Loretta Young as the pivotal figure. Its aim was to develop & nurture the artistic talents of young Polynesian people & to promote Pacific art through a youth perspective. In its inaugural year the Workshop’s student’s (‘Oka Le Printers’) culminated their work with an exhibition of textiles at the Salamander Gallery.

In subsequent years the focus were live performance shows as part of the Christchurch Arts Festival. ‘The Moauli-Moasina Show’ in 1995 was immensely successful & followed by the ‘Return to Paradise’ show of 1997. Performing on many various occasions is a vibrant part of Polynesian family life, integrating the creation & wearing of costumes. Maouli extended this concept by encompassing modern & non-traditional materials, new ideas with interpretations; & importantly involving many talented young people who were able to express themselves as performers, musicians, artist, & designers in their own right.

Preserve, Renew, Invent [Light Bytes]

These installation images were photographed by myself in 2008. The work is by artist Lesley Kraiser. The exhibited work ‘POST ART suitcase’ is a beautifully crafted portable exhibition archive that packs down to a suitcase. It was shown at MIC Toi Rerehiko [Media and Interdisciplinary Arts Centre]. It formed part of Lesley’s submission for her Masters degree titled “Preserve, Renew, Invent. [Light Bytes]. An exploration into disseminating aphorisms”

APHORISM

Def.: n. 1 a short pithy  maxim. 2 a brief statement of a principle.

[The Concise Oxford Dictionary, ninth edition, 1995]

MAXIM

Def.: n. a general truth or rule of conduct expressed in a sentence.

[The Concise Oxford Dictionary, ninth edition, 1995]

Lesley's website: http://www.lesleykaiser.com

all work is copy-write by Lesley Kaiser

A Clinical Practice

The title for this blog site is also for an art exhibition of mine. ‘A Clinical Practice’ was exhibited recently; it added new work to my original submission towards my Masters degree at AUT. I’ve included graphic posters  - both for the initial (2006) & subsequent (2009) exhibition.

A Clinical Practice investigated a contemporary representation for suicide. The following is from my exegesis & sums up the project.

Anyone who has taken their own life becomes the ‘author’ of their own death, and the researcher is the ‘reader’ left to interpret, relive, and reconsider this final irrevocable action. In a sense the author is still omniscient while we take the role of voyeur, extrapolating backwards from the event, looking for insights as to why. 

As Mathew Piantalto writes in his thesis on suicide, ‘the problem a suicide leaves is a “whydunnit” on one level is glaringly obvious, because for one reason or another, this person chooses to die.

This final ending is seldom witnessed; leaving a dead body that invites comparisons to a CSI scenario, complete with clues that need deciphering in the best traditions of Sherlock Holmes, inviting narration and fictionalization.

A Clinical Practice was my response to the suicide of my friend J.

all work is copy-write by Paul Chapman