Fringe in the Park: 15 Feb – 10 Mar

The leafy environs of inner city oasis, Myers Park, will again play host to Auckland Fringe Festival.  In fact, the park is the venue of choice for a preview of the myriad of performances, installations, screenings and workshops scheduled for the 2013 event which kicks off on 16 February.  With the festival providing a platform for artists with a bent toward innovation and freedom of expression, audiences can expect to be simultaneously stimulated, challenged and awed by an eclectic agenda of events.

Watch out for newcomers Three Queen’s later in the programme with their production of ‘Darling Today We’re Going to Die’. A bold mix of theatre, dance and song, it explores the strains of personal relationships juxtaposed against the looming catastrophe of the end of the world. The work is a combined effort from trio Lewis Gregory, Lana Mackintosh and Lucia Farron-Diamantis (pictured below) who each bring to their newly-formed company interchangeable skills of acting, directing, playwriting and producing.

Other performances festival goers can look forward to range from cabaret to opera, and interactive exhibition to kinetic sculpture. www.aucklandfringe.org.nz

‘Tis the Season for Skaters

Christmas celebrations kick off at skatestore, Arcade, in Cross St on 12 December.  The store’s ’12 Days of Christmas” will see different events happening daily until 24 December.  Art print sales, music performances and skateboarding demos are all on the agenda, as is the opportunity to just kick back and relax in this colourful community hub.

Bargain skate clothing and accessories are also up for grabs with deals such as New York City’s 5BORO cruiser decks for $100, NZ-made Morepork five-panel caps with pigskin suede peaks at $85 and Arcade Tees at $59 on offer.

Happy Birthday First Thursdays

 (Images Laura Forest Photography)

You’re invited to a party!  K’ Road’s late night art event, First Thursdays, is turning three on 6 December and you’re invited to help celebrate the occasion.  Having begun as a single venue arts event in St Kevin’s Arcade in December 2009, the multi-media music, arts and performance evening now delivers a programme of 30 events spread across a total of 22 venues throughout the length of K’ Road.

Sustainability is the theme this year which means events where art meets recycling will feature.  
An example, says co-ordinator Cleo Barnett, is a children’s Christmas workshop scheduled to take place in Cross St Arcade at 214 K’ Road.  The workshop will guide children through the process of creating their own personalised cards and decorations using a range of recycled materials.


Foxes craft market is returning to St Kevin’s Arcade, participating galleries will be open late and and there’ll be a short film screening at The Film Archive.  Portrait sketches while you wait, funky bands in Ironbank, breakdancing competitions and street installations all promise to make First Thursday's third birthday party a night to remember.  And you can keep up to date with new additions to FT's programme by checking them out on Facebook . 

What:    First Thursdays
Where: K' Road
When:  THursday 6 December 2012
Time:    6-9pm

Alternative Music Venue - The Wine Cellar

Owned and managed by connoisseur of independent and experimental music, Rohan Evans, The Wine Cellar,is located in the basement of St Kevin’s Arcade.  Having been variously described as a Berlin-style bunker, or ‘a dive with heart’, the eight year old venue provides a performance space for music genres bearing titles such as noise/experimental and improvised/alternative folk and blues. Offering an intimate setting and an expert pair of hands on the sound desk, its menu of mainly local music is certainly one worth checking out.

Look Exhibition

The colour white is a common thread in the Artweek exhibit currently showing in the window of Buana Satu on K’ Road.  It is woven through a range of mediums used by the artist’s collaborative Jersey in their work in paper, nylon wire, wool and ribbon which combines to create an intriguing tableau featuring a central rocking horse and floating farmyard companions.  The exhibit is part of the Look exhibition on show during Auckland Artweek from 26 October – 4 November 2012.

Corner

Image: Holly Davies (NZ) and Zainab Hikmet (NZ)

Ever wondered about the comings and goings in the window on the corner of K' Road and Edinburgh St?  Well, yes those objects which seem to just arrive unannounced are part of a programme of contemporary art and exhibitions.   Now into its eight month, the not-for-profit project space, entitiled, Corner Window Gallery, dedicates itself to featuring the work of emerging local and overseas artists, designers and architects.  Corner Window Gallery is curated by Rob Garrett and hosted by Glamuzina Paterson Architects and Kevin Soh.

Artweek: Oct 26 – Nov 4, 2012

Auckland will be celebrating Artweek again this month, with the event now into its third year.  And with an extensive programme of arts festivities scheduled to take place between October 26 and November 4 across the city, K’ Road has more than its fair share of creative happenings planned.  Kicking off in St Kevin’s Arcade will be speed dating where a panel of arts luminaries including art critics, artists, curators and gallery owners will be available to answer questions from emerging artists and art lovers.

A total of nine galleries will be exhibiting throughout the length of the street with visitors being offered the option of two-hour guided walking tours taking in both the exhibitions and a series of art installations called Look being displayed in local shop windows.  Art by cycle tour is a further option with 15 free bikes available for a 30-bike guided tour of the street’s events.

Look, which sees 10 emerging artists pairing up with 10 businesses to showcase contemporary art, will bring art to businesses as diverse as banks and menswear stores helping fulfill Artweek’s aim of growing Auckland’s visual arts audience. (Image below: Marlaina Key, Tent Collective.)