Whakarongo Whakaraupo Sound Festival is the latest show to be hosted by the Stoddart Cottage Gallery, continuing its reputation for unique and interesting art encounters.
The show is coming to the end of its run, but it’s still not too late to enjoy this sonic experience.
Curated by Dr Jo Burzynska, Whakarongo Whakaraupo showcases some of the country’s best sound artists and the sounds and music sources they use to create their aural atmospheres and engaging emotional soundscapes.
“You know, a lot of people are unused to encountering sound as art, but It's just coming to art through the ears. It might be the first time that they've ever encountered anything like this, but I think once people just start engaging their senses, they get it.” says Burzynska.
The exhibition showcases the work of four different artists, each with their own individual approach.
Jake Kiano Skinner's immersive sound installation uses traditional Maori instruments to connect the listener to the essence of Maori culture and the natural world.
Nicolas Woollaston’s interactive sound sculpture creates rhythms and patterns that evoke the waves and generational memories of Whakaraupo.
Connecting with local history, a work by Lyttelton sound artist Helen Greenfield and musician Blair Parkes reflects the flux of women incarcerated in Lyttelton Gaol.
This Saturday evening, the Whakarongo Whakaraupo Sound Festival will round off with a live music concert called “Improvisations on Margaret”.
In this unique event at the historic birthplace of the respected Impressionist painter, some of Whakaraupō’s most avantgarde musicians and exhibiting artists will use Stoddart’s paintings as their score.
What might a Margaret Stoddart painting sound like? Be prepared to have your eyes and ears opened as the musicians improvise in response to Stoddart’s paintings.
- By John Spurdle
