New Zealand International Arts Festival 2010 - The Arrival

Again – another great thing about working on the NZ International Arts Festival is when a show sneaks up on you completely.  I knew little about The Arrival or Red Leap Theatre when I went in to photograph a dress rehearsal, but I came out wanting to see a lot more of their work.  I haven’t had the chance since then, but one of these days I will, I’m sure!  Great, great show – and an interesting New Zealand theatre company…

So – we’ve counted down to the launch, it all starts tomorrow at dawn (yes, DAWN).  Look forward to seeing you all at the Festival Club some night, I’m sure!

Black Watch cast at the New Zealand International Arts Festival 2008

One of the truly great things about being the photographer for an event like the NZ International Arts Festival is the stuff you find out about, outside the actual shows themselves.  The cast of National Theatre of Scotland’s Black Watch spent their time in Wellington learning the traditional Ka Mate haka that had welcomed them here when they first arrived, so they could perform it to the audience after their closing night.

I think when they started, it was a bit of fun that they could do as a warmup before each show; but by the time they got to the night they were meant to do it, they’d really started to grasp what it means to New Zealanders, and they got extremely nervous about doing it properly in front of a room full of people who KNOW how it’s done.  So, naturally, I crowded in at the back of the auditorium after the show, along with just about everyone else from the Festival office to see how it went…

I think you can see how they did – even if they’d got the words wrong (which they didn’t), they’d have got by on pure passion.  Good on you, lads.  And, welcome back!

Tea: A Mirror Of Soul

Continuing from yesterday’s image – this one’s from the 2006 New Zealand International Arts Festival, and is from Tan Dun’s opera Tea: A Mirror Of Soul which featured him conducting the NZSO, in the Michael Fowler Centre.

It’s an interesting work, which involves a lot of paper – from memory, at one stage the orchestra don’t play at all, but turn the pages of their scores back and forth very quickly.  You can imagine the sound of about 95 people doing that at once, I’m sure!

It also featured three huge strips of paper hanging from the roof of the MFC, which were used for percussion by three musicians positioned below them – which made for great silhouettes when the paper was lit.  You can actually see the paper crumpling where it’s just been hit, by her left hand…

The Overcoat

I’ve decided this week, in the lead up to this year’s NZ International Arts Festival, to show one image from each of the previous years I’ve photographed. So – here we are, starting in my first year as official Festival photographer, 2004, with a show from my home town of Toronto: The Overcoat, by Morris Panych.   I’d seen a few of his shows before – the hilarious Vigil and 7 Stories, at very least – but this one, he’d written an entire show without words.  Worked well, I thought!

It was nice to have an old friend from university in the cast, too – way too few people come to visit, this far from from home!

And as a note for the photographers – yes, I am taking the opportunity to re-process the original raw files – from a Canon 10D in this case – using the most recent version of Photoshop, and all the noise reduction / colour tweaking / contrast adjustment techniques I’ve learned in the last eight years.  So glad I didn’t just shoot .jpg, back then!

Angel Place, Sydney

I came across this installation in January while I was over in Sydney for their festival; this was just outside City Recital Hall where I saw Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau the night before.

As with so many things in life, I don’t know what it means, but I like it!

Worser Bay on a damp evening

From Seatoun Heights, Wellington.  (I should, perhaps, have started my walk about half an hour earlier tonight, in the interests of staying dry, and actually being out in daylight.)

Aleksandra Lane reads from Birds Of Clay

Just thought I’d add this image – shot with a REAL CAMERA for a change – from Aleksandra Lane’s book launch on the weekend.  I was happy to be there, as I’d met Aleks back in December and done a photo shoot with her for the author portrait on the back cover – which looked great to me, in the final printed version!

I’m really impressed with her writing, as well – she has an amazing clarity, economy with words, and uses fascinating images in her work.  Definitely worth checking out Birds Of Clay, at fine booksellers* nationwide.

(* As is usual, the definition of ‘fine’ in this context is ‘a bookseller which stocks this book’.  Any shop not selling it would, obviously, be less than fine.)

At Thistle Hall on Cuba St, Wellington.

Seatoun Heights, Wellington.

Dominion Post Who What Wear page

Those of you here in Wellington may have spotted me in the Dominion Post’s Who What Wear page a little while ago – but for everyone else, I’ve been given permission by the lovely writer, Carolyn Enting, to post a pdf version here…so, enjoy!  (And thanks again, Carolyn!  And to Kent Blechynden for the great images…)

Nice to have it come out on my birthday, too – even though I was actually over in Sydney at the time, myself.

Notes from the article – the folks I mentioned are my friends Lee at Off The Cuff in Toronto (I’m also wearing a Boss jacket & Attachment jeans from him), and Trudi at Wardrobe Flair here in Wellington; and of course the shoes are Fluevogs…as are the ones I’m wearing in the main photo.  My shirt is by 3 Wise Men - and the camera in my hand is a Fujifilm X100!