ARTISTIC SNAILS
Blazing a trail
There is a circle of women standing in a very large room and they all look slightly stunned.
It’s a dream space for them, an ‘‘imagine if’’ come to life, and it has left them momentarily speechless.
These women are artists, musicians, serious doers in the arts community and, it would appear, conjurers of epic things.
Kirsty Porter and Sarah Bingle started Snails: Artist Run Spaces in a series of disused rooms on Taonui St three years ago, while fellow creative Mirjam De Oude joined the pair a short time later.
The building was destined for the wrecking ball so it was initially a temporary situation that saw the women transmute a nothing space into a bright and eclectic something.
Snails gained momentum with exhibitions of local artists and a sprinkling of gigs that turned into a landslide of local, national and international musicians.
The space became an essential part of the Palmerston North arts community and as each year passed, they all joked about their ‘‘short-term space’’ dodging demolition.
When the news finally came that their time was up, the trio decided they weren’t quite ready to let it go just yet.
The three women at its heart knew Snails could exist elsewhere and losing their space was the elbow that got them dreaming of a bigger space.
They didn’t have to look very far. Mr Cue Bar, right next door, a legendary late night Palmerston North haunt, that, way-back-when, was the Cosmopolitan Club, stood empty. The trio thought ‘‘what if?’’.
Now they’re in, standing gazing around thinking ‘‘woah, it’s huge’’.
Bingle’s daughter, Alice, is hooning about as her mum ponders the possibility of reinstating the roller skates she once used when she lived in a huge space above the Regent Theatre many moons ago.
The women are momentarily overwhelmed, but they are not daunted, Porter says. ‘‘There are no limitations and there is so much we can do.’’
The ideas are rolling.
The ginormous main room will be the permanent home for the sound system and where gigs and ‘‘happenings’’ will take place. This will also be where the Snails collection will find a home.
Porter laughs at this, ‘‘it sounds grand doesn’t it? Having a collection. Basically, it’s works from people who have had shows here and it has grown over time’’.
There is a rabbit-warren of rooms that will become artist’s studios and so far, a collection of painters, makers and photographers have claimed their turf.
The bright, white landing of the grand staircase will become an exhibition space and there is talk of a sculptural piece floating down the void.
Down below, there is more. A hidden door leads down to the basement. It is suitably painted black and has had many possibilities tagged to it. The energy is high as the trio overflow with ideas.
Among all the excitement is the clear grounding that they want to bring the original Snails ethos into the new building.
Porter says what is really important is ‘‘holding on to our philosophy, the thing we had right at the start and being responsive to the community’’.
‘‘It’s our kaupapa,’’ says De Oude. ‘‘It’s who we are and a big space won’t change that.’’
A space that is inclusive, open to ideas and experimentation, sound, colour and ‘‘welcoming’’. Bingle says the last space was a place where ‘‘people came in and just sort of breathed and didn’t want to leave. And that’s what we want to carry on here’’.
The opening show will give the trio a chance to let people have ‘‘a good nosey at the space’’ and dream a little too. The space is there for the taking, says Porter and they want people to bring ideas.
The show has been curated by Jill Bainger and the ethos rides on the esteemed ‘‘collection’’, says Porter, with raised eyebrows.
‘‘Basically, people that have been involved with Snails before and have a piece in the collection will be showing a new work.’’
It’s called Jump, says Bingle, because, well, ‘‘this place sure is a leap’’.
Jump is a 21-artist lineup of people who rub shoulders locally, with the list of exhibitors that reads like a who’s who of the Palmerston North art scene.
Porter starts to reel off all the mediums, ‘‘paintings, photography, installation,’’ she stops, ‘‘there will be all sorts actually, art of all descriptions’’.
They are getting a new sign for the side of the building that ‘‘is just so flash’’, says Porter, and as the words start to run out, the hugeness of the space and the imaginings of things that could fill it crowds in again.
The three women drift to the centre of the titanic room and once more, they fall silent, as a circle of whirling possibilities gains invisible momentum above their heads.
Jumps: The Grand Opening exhibition will be held on December 8 at 103 Taonui St.
‘‘There are no limitations and there is so much we can do.’’
Kirsty Porter