Auckland Day is the anniversary of the arrival of William Hobson, later to become the first Governor of New Zealand, in the Bay of Islands in 1840. Always held the weekend around Jan. 29, for three days, the entire harbor area is transformed into a busy carnival-like atmosphere with entertainment, cultural exhibitions, music and food on and off the water. The Auckland Anniversary Regatta, the largest single-day regatta in the world, takes place on this long weekend holiday.
In fact, as I write this, I can hear live music from Albert Park where the St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, commonly referred to as Laneway, is part of the Auckland festivities this year. The Laneway began in Melbourne Australia, in 2005 as a predominantly indie music event. The festival has grown in popularity and has expanded to five Australian cities—Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle—as well as Auckland, New Zealand, Singapore, and Detroit in the United States. Sorry there's no audio on this blog!
There was a huge pavillion set up for the Tamaki Herenga Waka Festival, showcasing Māori history, heritage and contemporary culture.
The practitioner below is demonstrating the traditional Maori healing art of Mirimiri (tramping the body) and is described as "a context of healing that is perceptive in its delivery, intuitive in its knowing and powerful when it permeates the body". Ow!
And now for a little art.
We went to an exhibit at the Auckland Art Gallery featuring Lee Mingwei, a contemporary artist born in Taiwan and raised in New York with an interest in Buddhism. He creates "The Art of Participation" which is art that is not fully realized until an observer interacts with it through some unique participatory experience.
One particular installation caught our eye. This is how the artist explains his concept:
Recognize the following statue? Yes, it's a full scale marble copy of Michaelangelo's Moses that is in Rome. It was imported by the Milne & Choyce Department Store as the centerpiece for their Centenary Celebrations in 1971 and later presented to Auckland. It sits in Myers Park, one of many small, hilly parks in Auckland.
This goat statue is a representation of a traditional Chinese story:
In fact, as I write this, I can hear live music from Albert Park where the St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, commonly referred to as Laneway, is part of the Auckland festivities this year. The Laneway began in Melbourne Australia, in 2005 as a predominantly indie music event. The festival has grown in popularity and has expanded to five Australian cities—Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle—as well as Auckland, New Zealand, Singapore, and Detroit in the United States. Sorry there's no audio on this blog!
Laneway Festival ad
Security guy means business
Back to Auckland Day at the harbor:
Carved Maori entry gate
Chinese boat (with a solar panel on the left)
Beautiful yacht
Wow!
At the crafts fair, I saw this sign for Trump Card 2016, Ltd. (they make rustic garden and custom art) and asked if there was any connection to Donald, and the woman said no, she picked it for the "trump card" concept where a valuable resource may be used, especially as a surprise, in order to gain an advantage. Interesting choice for a company name...
There was a huge pavillion set up for the Tamaki Herenga Waka Festival, showcasing Māori history, heritage and contemporary culture.
Stage where we heard contemporary Maori singers
Getting a Maori tattoo (Ta Moko)
The practitioner below is demonstrating the traditional Maori healing art of Mirimiri (tramping the body) and is described as "a context of healing that is perceptive in its delivery, intuitive in its knowing and powerful when it permeates the body". Ow!
Mirimiri on the back (Miles says "No way!" for HIS back)
Maori flax cape
Weaving with flax
Weaving demo--the teachers are wearing beautiful flower wreaths
View of Auckland and part of the festival from a viewing platform
Waka canoe ride
New Zealand Navy band playing ragtime
We went to an exhibit at the Auckland Art Gallery featuring Lee Mingwei, a contemporary artist born in Taiwan and raised in New York with an interest in Buddhism. He creates "The Art of Participation" which is art that is not fully realized until an observer interacts with it through some unique participatory experience.
One particular installation caught our eye. This is how the artist explains his concept:
"While visiting New Zealand's south island, I was awed to discover the
Pororari River Valley, a wonder of nature sculpted by glacial movement
70 million years ago. That glacier also produced millions of smooth
round stones which now line the river's bed, and which I found unusually
cool and soothing when I held them in the palms of my hands. While
picking up 11 of these stones as souvenirs, I suddenly realized that
simply by taking them out of the river I was changing their
circumstances forever. When I returned to Taipei, I had each of the 11
stones replicated in bronze, yielding 11 pairs, one original and one
bronze replica.
This project centers on two ideas. First is the notion of ownership. What does it mean to own something, either natural or man-made? Second is the concept of value. Which stone is more precious, the natural stone or the fabricated one?
I ask those who become the owners of these stone pairs to decide when, where and how to discard one of them, a decision involving considerations of ownership, control, value and loss. It is this thinking/valuing process that I believe to be the heart of the project, not the stone pairs themselves."
This project centers on two ideas. First is the notion of ownership. What does it mean to own something, either natural or man-made? Second is the concept of value. Which stone is more precious, the natural stone or the fabricated one?
I ask those who become the owners of these stone pairs to decide when, where and how to discard one of them, a decision involving considerations of ownership, control, value and loss. It is this thinking/valuing process that I believe to be the heart of the project, not the stone pairs themselves."
Natural stone (65 million years old) and cast stone (new)--which do you think is more valuable?
Recognize the following statue? Yes, it's a full scale marble copy of Michaelangelo's Moses that is in Rome. It was imported by the Milne & Choyce Department Store as the centerpiece for their Centenary Celebrations in 1971 and later presented to Auckland. It sits in Myers Park, one of many small, hilly parks in Auckland.
Moses
Goat statue, a gift from Guangzhou, sister city to Auckland
"A herd of goats discover a bleak valley and
survive eating the rough vegetation.
Their feeding prunes the spiny plants and
their droppings manure the soil.
Contained in their droppings are the seeds
of plants from outside the valley.
Over a period of time the valley is
transformed into a fertile place due to
their quiet diligent activity."
Maybe this is why New Zealand is so green...
Maybe this is why New Zealand is so green...
OH WOW. SO much to take in. All fascinating. Thank you for sharing so many interesting 'events'. Strengthens my resolve to return to N.Z. Happy Auckland Day!
ReplyDeleteA very interesting art installation! This is why art and artists are so important to society .Not because they have created a "useful" object or solved a concrete problem but rather to inspire and challenge the non logical part of our brain. Examining a question that has no definitive answer is important for it's own sake.
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