Artist ears open for tall tales
A Hamilton artist is giving people the opportunity to tell their favourite yarn, the story that never gets old, or a chilling historical tale.
Susan St Lawrence, one half of the artistic collaboration ‘‘Small Stories’’ is inviting people to come and record their favourite story for inclusion in the exhibition ‘‘Library of Legends’’.
Dust off the book, scrub up on the punchline, all in time to tell the tale this August.
‘‘The Waikato is awash with wonderful narratives, from compelling cultural legends to around-the-fire family-sized Uncle-Harry-did-this-tales,’’ St Lawrence said.
She wants to record people telling or reading stories that are close to their heart. Whether they be stories of heroes, myths, or family incidents, her ears are open.
The recordings will then be made into a video which will play throughout the exhibition in two minute segments.
‘‘I know of one person who will be reading ‘The Man from Snowy River’ and another who is going to tell a story of their dad in the war.’’ The options are endless. For those a touch camera-shy, a friend or family member can read the story on their behalf.
St Lawrence’s aim is to capture the stories, and their heroes and characters, that have been so important to people.
‘‘It’s important to have stories recorded,’’ she said.
Library of Legends is a story in itself, centred around the character Mary Brownlee-Smithsonian, who has the grand title of Protector of Stories.
She is the creation of St Lawrence, who said she enjoys the ‘‘meatiness’’ of an art show.
‘‘I’m an artist orientated to shows rather than product,’’ she said.
However, St Lawrence admitted she was scared of stories when she was little. She grew up on Winnie the Pooh and The Secret Garden. Now, she’s all about exploration. A ‘‘nostalgic romantic’’, St Lawrence favours historic novels and some of her sculptures depict famous heroines such as Jean Batten and Jane Goodall.