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Blog Archive

Check out some of my recent work, and my essays on Photographing The Arts!

Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Ravi Shankar, Mark Twain & Me in Maoriland (2010) and Hohepa (2012)

It was a pleasant surprise to be asked to pop over to Ravi Shankar's sound check on the afternoon of his concert - I don't think I was really expecting to get a chance to photograph him or the show, but I tailed Festival Director Lissa Twomey over to greet him and spent a bit of time with them as he & his daughter Anoushka got things ready for that night.  It was amazing to see him, at the age of 90, settle in and just play.  Because he could really PLAY.  Amazing - wish I'd been able to come back for the show!

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: The Overcoat (2004), Body Movies (2008) & The Arrival (2010)

Another three-show day, today; this time, starting in 2004 with a production from my old home town of Toronto!  One of the few times English-Canadian theatre has visited New Zealand - in fact, I'm hard pressed to think of another - this was The Overcoat, an entirely wordless work that totally won audiences over, and possibly paved the way for The Sound Of Silence in 2010 now that I think about it.  (Having proved a silent show could work, I mean!)

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Cookin' (2004), Once Upon A Deadline (2008), Don McGlashan (2010) & The Maori Troilus and Cressida (2012)

Four shows today - first is Cookin' (Nanta), which apparently is the most popular show in Korea and toured to Broadway just before it came to New Zealand!  I remember enjoying it, but also that I had no idea the cook in the fourth photo was going to throw that onion in the air and chop it - much less that it was stuffed with glitter...!

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Velocities II (2004), Holy Sinner (2006), Black Watch (2008), The Animals & Children Took To The Streets and Writers & Readers Launch (2012)

Chamber orchestra Stroma followed up their 2002 concert with Velocities II in the Wellington Town Hall in '04; and this photo from the sound check became one of their main images for most of the next decade, which was nice!  They're a great ensemble, wish I could see more of them.

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Out Of Order (2002), Akram Khan & Where We Once Belonged (2008)

Two shows and a workshop, today - first is Out Of Order, from the Out & About series in 2002.  Looking at the photos, I remember the show pretty well - I feel like the performer was French, but of course the phone box was sourced & branded locally so it would look normal.  I feel like he didn't speak during the show, but convinced members of the audience to help him at various points - getting up on the box, then passing him his briefcase, that sort of thing - and I think it was the most popular Civic Square show that year.  Certainly the crowd on the steps was good, and enjoyed themselves!  (Of course, could you do a show about trying to get into a phone booth now?  Wouldn't someone just hand him their iPhone, if he needed to make a call!?)

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Indian Ocean (2002), Verona (2004), Don McGlashan (2006) & Giselle (2008)

A good selection today!  First up is Indian Ocean, a band that appeared in Civic Square as part of the Out & About section of the Festival (which one year was run by a Canadian, to much hilarity in the office) - and second isn't from a show, it's the band Verona from the show Geographical Cure in the 2004 Festival, but at the traditional Government House reception that all artists were welcome to attend.  A great bunch of people, and one of my favourite New Zealand bands.

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Festival Picnic (2004) & Nouvelle Vague (2008)

A quick couple of events today - one of our outdoor regional events in 2004, part of a series of Festival Picnics we did in Upper Hutt, Porirua and at Frank Kitts Park in town.  (There may have been more I'm not remembering, too!)  This one had a series of performances over a few stages, including Pacific drummers, bands, a British comedian, and - as you can see - Korean tightrope walkers & drummers!  Nice to see some of the staff from that era out enjoying the sunshine, too - we all spend too much time in dark venues!

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Golden Holden & Sculpture Walk (2002), Kora (2004) & Maori Showbands (2006)

It's actually kinda hard to date these images from 2002, because they're on FILM - and unlike those fancy digital cameras, they don't have data in the file to tell me what day & time they were taken!  But this was the day I got the film scanned and saw the results, so I think we're close...

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Mahinarangi Tocker (2004) & Ship Songs (2010)

Continuing from yesterday's rehearsal photos, here are a few images of Mahinarangi Tocker's 2004 concerts in the Festival Club / Pacific Crystal Palace tent - I went back the following day to photograph the school's performance in the afternoon, then again in the evening to enjoy the show myself.  These are a mix of both shows - two from the afternoon, three from the evening - and the second one was cropped, clearcut and used as the cover of her album the following year, The Mongrel In Me.

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Mahinarangi Tocker & Kaboom (2004), Maori Showbands & Zeibekiko (2006), Beautiful Burnout meets The Hobbit (2012)

"Has it really been...ten...years?"

I remember going back to my high school reunion in Canada, and hearing the disbelief in the headmaster's voice as he looked at all of us, and it sank in just how much time had passed since this particular bunch had graduated.

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Aarero Stone (2006), The Winter's Tale & Beautiful Burnout (2012)

A mix of boxing, Shakespeare and dance, today - first a 2006 show, Aarero Stone, featuring Carol Brown and Charles Koroneho at Soundings Theatre in Te Papa.  I actually photographed this one over a couple of days' rehearsals as it came together towards opening night - which often happens - but it still stands out in my head for the images that came out of it, this many years later.

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: SuperVision (2006), Inside Out (2010), Masi & Tu (2012)

Four different shows today - first up is Super Vision, with Harry Sinclair from the Front Lawn.  To be honest, when I heard he was in Wellington doing a show at the same time Don McGlashan was playing at the Festival Club, I kinda hoped...well, you know.  Never happened, though!

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Gilberto Gil (2004), Battalion (2006) & Apollo 13 (2010)

Three shows today - well, actually, four really!  From 2004 we've got both Gilberto Gil at the Events Centre, and a late-night set at the Festival Club (but I'm not sure who the band was that night, I was flying past on my way to the car ten years ago!).

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: MTYLand & Sound Of Silence (2010)

Two shows from the same year (and the same day), today - plus a bonus photo of lovely Vi Blackburn, who has been ushering and selling programmes around Wellington for as long as anyone can remember.  This is possibly the first photo I got of her in action, but I always tried to track her down at some point during each Festival.

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Today in New Zealand International Arts Festival history: Sutra (2010)

Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's work had been to New Zealand before, with works like Iets Op Bach and Foi appearing at the Festival previously, but I think Sutra was the first to appear under his own name rather than as part of Les Ballets C de la B.  (Happy to be proven wrong of course, but that's how I remember it!)

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