Art encourages the halo effect

Paul Forrest has a fitting last name for the cause he strongly stands behind.

The Wellington artist is in Nelson until Monday with the interactive art installation The Halo Project, a collaboration with the Nelson Provincial Museum.

With bird songs sounding from speakers in the background Forrest is standing outside the museum in an effort to engage the Nelson community about the benefits of creating an environment in which native birds can thrive.

Back at home in Wellington Forrest plants 500 native trees a year in a man-made inner city forest.

During The Halo Project he is giving away 200 native tree seedlings that the Nelson City Council has provided.

He said the proceeds from his posters and postcards will be donated to the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust to support the reintroduction programme for rare native birds.

‘‘The Brook has been getting such a hard time in the last three months over the poisonings.

‘‘I’ve come down to encourage people to get behind supporting the Brook Sanctuary and plant native tree seedlings and do trapping in the area around the sanctuary.

‘‘There is so much breeding that’s going to be happening in the sanctuary, and when the birds fly out, they need native trees for food and nesting.

‘‘They’re not going to spread out unless the community really gets behind it.’’

His installation of artworks of native bird photographs by Auckland photographer Derek Tearne, which he has painted patterns over, has been to four other New Zealand cities before Nelson.

‘‘What I do is I make these photographs pop.

‘‘Because there’s hundred of thousands of great photographers of birds out there and we really want to grab people’s attention with these works because they are the vehicle for the conversation around being eco-active.’’

There is one artwork with a rifleman bird in it, which was taken by Nelson photographer Grant Stirling.

‘‘I thought it would be a wonderful thing to work with a local photographer and that artwork is going to be gifted to the Brook.’’

Nelson Provincial Museum chief executive Lucinda BlackleyJimson said as a museum it had many examples of extinct birds in their collection.

‘‘We want to celebrate the importance of continuing to protect native birdlife in our city.’’

An exhibition of Forrest’s will be on display at the museum until February.