2010 archives a

          
          
          
          
          
          All above photographs by Evan McBride

ETHIOPIA
An exhibition of photographs and a multimedia presentation of 
3 of our Wellington region's residents time spent working for
'Habitat for Humanity' in Ethiopia 
21 January 2010 - 16 February 2010

Kate MacPherson - photographs taken by children of Ethiopia, with Evan McBride's photographs taken in Ethiopia while working for 'Habitat for Humanity' and a multi media presentation from Ethiopia by Peter Van Der Burg.

Kate MacPherson 
In November 2008, sixteen children from Mercy Home in Addis Ababa were introduced to photography. All had come either directly from living on the streets or from extremely poor and underprivileged backgrounds. Their enthusiasm and delight in photography have culminated in some incredibly unique and inspired imagery that will be showcased in this exhibition as well as on the website www.eyesfromethiopia.com.
All profits from the sale of prints are donated back to the children’s home to fund their education and living expenses.

Peter van der Burg
Peter van der Burg travelled to Ethiopia in 2007 and 2008 with  teams of New Zealanders for Habitat for Humanity as part of their Global Village program. While there, the teams worked alongside locals to build their houses using the "chika method" building style. Spending four weeks at a time there, Peter shares his impressions of this very important time in his life as he experienced the country, it's people, the culture, work and religions.
 
The documentary "Chucking Chika" follows the method of this cost effective building technique, while the video wall (a matrix of 4 by 6 computer screens) becomes a dynamic photo display of images that capture the essence of the Ethiopian life as witnessed by the teams.
 
Peter is a Porirua resident of seven years (otherwise a Mainlander hailing from Nelson), and works in Information Technology for the Porirua City Council.

Evan McBride
Evan McBride - Faces of Ethiopia - a collection of photographic images  of the people of Ethiopia. Taken whilst in Ethiopia for a Habitat for  Humanity project.
       
           

   PORT NICHOLSON HANDWEAVERS
   16 January - 14 February 2010

      

LIGHT & SHADOW drawings by Catherine O'Donnell 20 February - 14 March  Large scale charcoal drawings by award winning artist Catherine O'Donnell, a resident of Blacktown, Porirua's Sister City in Australia.

Peter Adsett has taken one of the most arresting events in Tairawhiti history and declined to talk about it. Instead, through his decades-long experimentation with abstraction, the Melbourne-based artist invites the viewer to “seek out the edges”, to try to make their own sense out of the 1868 Matawhero Massacre.

Not that his exhibition, Matawhero: Bullet Holes & Bandages, is about the massacre per se. What it’s about, he says, is the process of painting – about the language of abstraction, the responses of Western artists to “spaces” in indigenous art and, most importantly, how black and white are never actually black and white. In the past Adsett has, in exploring his craft, dealt with issues from decay (in the 2005 exhibition More Rot) to the potential vitriol of colour (Polychrome Poison, 2002).

Fittingly, though, there is a sense of violence in the Matawhero series. Or rather, as the artist puts it, there is “violation” in the damaged surfaces of the 25 canvases. The thick bristles that are torn from his brush as he paints are incorporated into the works. As are other pock-like contaminants that, to a wondering eye, might be interpreted as bullet holes. “What first occurs to me when I think about Matawhero is that it was a violation,” the Gisborne-born artist said. “These paintings, too, have in a way been violated. Their surfaces have been destroyed.” He says his relationship with Matawhero, and with people who live there, was the reason why it took him 30 years to offer his visual response to its history.

NOTE: The 'Matawhero Massacre' refers to the 1868 incident when Maori prophet Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki and his followers killed around 60 people - roughly equal numbers of Maori and Pakeha. The attack was said to be vengeance for Te Kooti’s treatment after his capture at Waerenga-a-hika three years earlier (SOURCE: NZ History). 

  

 
   Click below for Peter Adsett's talk about his exhibition Matawhero: Bullet Holes and Bandages

  

    NOTE: PCC staff and some organisations may not be able to view this video if their organisations do not allow video streaming.

You are invited to chat to, or just observe, our PRINT AND PAPER MAKERS FROM THE SOLOMON ISLANDS as they demonstrate their skills in the Blue Pacific gallery
26 March- 7 April

Four internationally acclaimed print and paper makers from the Solomon Islands will demonstrate their skills throughout their exhibition from 24 March to 7 April. The days they will be conducting public workshops and demonstrations are Friday 26 March, Sunday 28 March, Wednesday 31 March, Thursday 1 April, Sunday 4 April through to Wednesday 7 April. Their public workshops will also include demonstrations for all levels - school groups, Whitireia Polytech trainees and other New Zealand print and paper makers.

Michel Tuffery (now among New Zealand's foremost artists) visited the Solomons in 1994 to help teach the villagers how to make woodblocks and how to print. Solomon Island artist Joe Lindsay also helped with the introduction to the islands of screen printing.

In 1996, Michel Tuffery returned with others to assist and upskill local artists, many of whom were already highly skilled wood carvers. The shift from three dimensional carving to paper and print making soon revealed some outstanding artists. One art style that is now famous far beyond the Solomon Islands is the use of a montage of traditional totem-like fish, bird and animal designs, now known as 'Spirit of the Solomons'.

The Solomon Island artists at Pataka Museum have been sponsored through a travel grant from Creative New Zealand, while the accommodation and local expenses are to be provided independently through various friends of the Solomon Islands in Porirua. Pictured: Ralph Ako

A brief bachground on the aid of these artists working in the Solomon Islands.

In 1994 New Zealand official assistance (NZODA) launched a pilot project in Balai in Malaita province. Working with the volunteer Solomon Island Development Trust, the project sought to provide villagers with alternative revenue generating projects as alternatives to the selling of their prime forests to Asian logging companies.

CAUSE AND EFFECT
Nestor Opetaia 
10 April - 9 May

This is an exploration of the bond and relationship between two allied arts - painting and music.  The exhibition is based on the idea of cause and effect where a response or reason is a product of an action or event. I wanted to take the concept of cause and effect and consciously apply it to a series of painting and music, creating works spontaneously and intuitively.

Working with my two collaborators, music and painting, I structured the compositions in an organic fashion. Pieces evolved by liberating chance and the constant act of randomly applying and uniting colour, markings, musical notes and sounds.

This method created ongoing opportunities and freedom of choice to rearrange, harmonise and complete a body of contrasted works.

Themes and emotions emerge at different moments and diverge through the use of colour, tonal values, light and layers.

With the music, the layering of sounds, dynamic arrangements, and the enhancement of moods and chord structures create journeys and stories.

Nestor Opetaia

BAMIYAN – the heart of Afghanistan.
  6 February - 23 May 2010
 
This exhibition explores the history and culture of this strife-ridden region through local crafts, photographic images and audio visuals. Bamiyan - the heart of Afghanistan also brings to life the stories and experiences of the people living in Bamiyan. It is presented through the eyes of the locals together with interviews and images of New Zealanders working with the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamiyan Provence.  


 Why Bamiyan?

Since the defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan at the end of 2001, the New Zealand Government has provided a Provincial Reconstruction Team in the province of Bamiyan comprising Defence Force personnel, N.Z. Police and NZAID development programmes.

Dr Habiba Sorabi, Governor of Bamiyan Province (including Bamiyan township), visited New Zealand in February 2008 to thank the government for their support. At that time Dr Sorabi visited Porirua and invited the city to form a Sister City relationship with Bamiyan. 

Widespread debate within the City Council and the community led to a Friendly City relationship being established in October 2008.

This exhibition celebrates the Friendly City relationship between Porirua City and Bamiyan. The exhibition gives an insight to the history of Bamiyan, the landscape, the people and their culture. It also showcases the work of New Zealand's Provincial Reconstruction Team in the province of Bamiyan. 

Pataka gratefully acknowledges the support of the following:

DAC
NZAID
New Zealand Defence Force
New Zealand Police
Pedram Pirnia



 A short description about Bamiyan

Bamiyan is the main town in the namesake Bamiyan Province. It was the home of the giant Buddha's of Bamiyan which were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. 

An isolated city, Bamiyan is located about 240 km west of Kabul. A calm and serene city, Bamiyan lies in the lap of nature depicting the extraordinary cultural diversity of Afghanistan. The Bamiyan valley is said to be the most picturesque area in the region.