Temporary Art Projects - Past
Marie Shannon: Love Notes (2005)
19 June - 19 December 2009
Curated by Heather Galbraith, City Gallery Wellington
Sixteen private handwritten notes offered an unexpectedly intimate encounter within this large-scale public display. Marie Shannon's Love Notes (2005) were a series of notes expressing love through various shorthand jottings, acronyms and more elaborately drawn compositions. Shannon's photographs presented tangible evidence of seemingly anonymous intimacy.
Courtenay Place Park - Light Box Project
Give Us a Sign
17 December 2008 - 14 June 2009
Curated by Heather Galbraith, City Gallery Wellington
While illuminated light boxes have become common currency within art galleries over the last 20 years or so, they have long been familiar in public space for commercial advertising or public service announcements. The Give Us a Sign project firmly acknowledges this context.
This project did not aim to sell products, but rather offered a platform for ideas within a busy retail and entertainment district.
Seven artists and/or graphic designers were invited to each contribute two or three works responding to the call to 'Give us a sign - a message, a proclamation, a warning, a proposition; a way to make things better'.
Give Us a Sign - Interpretive Text (245Kb PDF)
Flânerie and Figments
May 2008 - December 2008
Curated by Andy Palmer and Simon Bush-King
The inaugural light box exhibition - Flânerie and Figments - featured 16 contemporary photographs inspired by Wellington's urban condition.
Works by Wellington artists - Andy Palmer, John Lake, Victoria Birkinshaw, Shaun Lawson, Amelia Handscomb, Steve Rowe, Jessica Silk and Clare Noonan - reflect different photographic techniques and approaches.
One Day Sculpture
June 2008 - June 2009
One Day Sculpture (ODS) was a series of temporary sculpture projects that took place in public spaces across New Zealand.
Produced in partnership with arts institutions and curators across New Zealand, each ODS project lasted no longer than 24 hours.
The commissioned series was accompanied by an international symposium in Wellington in March 2009 and a retrospective book co-edited by Claire Doherty and Dr David Cross. ODS Litmus Research Initiative projects received funding from Wellington City Council's Public Art Fund.
For more information, see the One Day Sculpture website.
Toi Pōneke Stack Project
August 2007 - November 2008
On the roof of Toi Pōneke Wellington Arts Centre is a 'stack' - an architectural feature that covers the building's lift shaft. Artist / designer Andrew Shaw came up with the idea of painting the stack as a way to draw attention to the building. Funded through the Public Art Panel, a series of three 4-month-long stack projects was developed.
The first stack design was launched in August 2007. Andrew Shaw painted the stack with a face, titled the All-devouring-art-beast. After a second request for proposals, artist Victor Berezovsky's design, Junction, was selected. This work was a departure from Shaw's as it consisted of black and white, abstract shapes.
The last in the Toi Pōneke stack project series, Cracks in the Stack by Gabby O'Connor, explored the theme of extreme pressure - focusing on the elements of our rapidly changing urban environments. At the conclusion of the series, the stack will be repainted back to black.
Sound Circuits
21 March 2008 - 18 April 2008
Sound Circuits was a series of four sound / art installations located in public sites around Victoria University's Pipitea Campus, including Rutherford House and the Wellington Railway Station.
Artists Kaleb Bennett, Dugal McKinnon, Rachel Shearer and Dion Workman, created a soundtrack for the city that encouraged audiences to rethink the urban environment. Sounds were based on the rumbles of the city's walkways, transit routes and public spaces.
Sound Circuits was curated by Tina Barton and Frances Loeffler and was part of the Adam Art Gallery's annual Sound Check programme.
Nō Naianei
21 February 2008 - 12 March 2008
Nō Naianei (From this Moment) was the creation of With Lime - a cross-cultural collaboration between two Māori artists, Anahera Gildea and Eugene Hansen, and two Mexican-American artists, William Franco and Miki Seifert. Nō Naianei was a multimedia piece that comprised three aspects:
- a Butoh (Japanese dance) hikoi which travelled down Cuba Street to the James Smith Centre on 21 February 2008. Its aim was to draw attention to the land that used to be Te Aro Pa
- an installation that was presented in a retail space in the James Smith Centre
- a Butoh / VJ performance in the James Smith Centre combining live and recorded music.
Matthew 12:12
30 March 2007 - 1 April 2007, Civic Square
Matthew 12:12 was selected for the Telecom Prospect 2007: New Art New Zealand exhibition at the Wellington City Gallery. The exhibit was conceived and designed by artist Gregor Kregar.
Matthew 12:12 comprised photography, video work and live sculpture. The sculpture included twelve sheep wearing coloured woollen jumpers enclosed in white picket fences on either side of the entrance to the Wellington City Gallery.
Matthew 12:12 grew out of Gregor's interest in how livestock has shaped the landscape and culture of Aotearoa, New Zealand. The work was inspired by the biblical verse Matthew 12:12: 'How much better is a man than a sheep?' When the work was developed the ratio of people to sheep in New Zealand was 1:12.
Transplastic Bucket Fountain
March 2006, Cuba Mall
John Radford transformed Wellington's renowned Bucket Fountain in Cuba Mall, covering it in a layer of clay. The work included a clay-covered car that appeared to have crashed into the fountain and was sinking into the pavement.
This installation lasted for four days and involved more than 30 people in its construction and deconstruction. The artist's objective was to draw attention to the iconic fountain and challenge our perception of public space.
Department Details:
City Arts
