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A collective of Dunedin School of Art students and graduates are repurposing a George St site to become a space for art, kōrero, making and connection.
Working in conjunction with Dunedin Dream Brokerage, the “Between Us” project team will take over the retail space at 125 George St (in the Farmers block) for a week from this Saturday.
The collective includes art school students and graduates Kāhu Kaan (Kāi Tahu), Connor Cooper (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu), Lily Frewen, Dillon Scott, Maggie Craig-Pearson, Islay Roddick and Poppy Dove, who have combined diverse artistic practices to create an exhibition rooted firmly in the people and places of Ōtepoti.
Jess Covell, a broker with Dunedin Dream Brokerage (DDB), said it was exciting to be working with the collective of artists from Dunedin School of Art.
“There’s a real freshness and energy in the way emerging artists approach place, material and each other’s practices,” Ms Covell said.
The “Between Us” exhibition reflects on the buildings, beaches, memories and everyday spaces shared by the artists, exploring how individual experiences overlap to create a wider picture of place and community.
The emerging artists share a commitment to continuing their creative practices beyond their art school experiences.
Taking over the space at 125 George St was a chance for the artists to warm up an unused building and help bring life back into the city centre.
"We think creating an open and inviting space is important in the isolated and disorientating times we live
in,” the artists said.
This is in keeping with the DDB ethos of connecting creative projects with vacant spaces throughout the city. Established in 2015, DDB is supported by the Dunedin City Council and Otago Polytechnic.
The “Between Us” exhibition will invite the public to do more than simply view the work.
Visitors will be able to contribute to a collaborative memory-map wall by drawing a place, memory or person in Ōtepoti that is special to them and adding it to the wall. Materials will be provided.
There will also be a walk-in screen-printing workshop on Saturday, October 3, from 10am–4pm, with screens and fabric provided.
The exhibition will open this Saturday, September 26, with with musical performances from Grace Aukett and IVY, from 4pm-6.30pm.
Artists or creatives interested in working with DDB can email jess@dunedindreambrokerage.nz