Culture Bites

Kiwi contingent joins Vivid Sydney

Award-winning Kiwi experience design studio Unlabelled Studios will be joining forces with fellow creatives and engineers under the collective pseudonym FOLLY to present a lighting installation, The Mechanics of Spring, at this year’s edition of Vivid Sydney, running to June 17. Women-led Unlabelled Studios specialises in creating extraordinary bespoke,

multidimensional experiences for commercial, public and private events across Aotearoa and abroad. The Mechanics of Spring is a public art installation inspired by a mysterious aerodynamic phenomenon in nature employed by helicopter seeds, hummingbirds, cicadas and bumblebees. The installation comprises seven identical units suspended from a grid, with each unit containing specially designed motors and release systems that operate 12 illuminated wings per unit, which float, spin and dance. Unlabelled was co-founded by Jessica Mentis and Rebecca Paul.

Calling all Hutt artists

The ninth Muriel Hopper Art

Awards is calling for Hutt artists. This is an opportunity for local artists to include their work in a Hutt Art Awards and an exhibition. The prizes are $1000 for the overall winner, two highly commended awards of $400 each, and two people’s choice awards of $100 each. Muriel Hopper was a member of Hutt Art, and was instrumental in giving Hutt Art a yearly donation from her estate. Hutt Art has recognised her contribution by holding the Muriel Hopper Art Awards to benefit Hutt artists and support the local art community. Full conditions of entry and an entry form can be found on the Hutt Art website, hutt.co.nz. Entries must be in by June 9. There is a $30 entry fee per artist.

Kia Mau festival begins

Fierce theatre, string bands representing 15 of the Cook Islands, a hip-hop musical set in the city streets of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, customary indigenous dance made contemporary, an indigenous arts market, and more than a few wāhine Māori telling it like it is – these are among the 20-plus events bringing Pōneke to life in the most vibrant and powerful way for the seventh iteration of the trailblazing, biennial indigenous contemporary arts festival Kia Mau. The festival uplifts mana whenua artists while also welcoming performers and companies from Auckland, Dunedin, the Pacific and Canada to the Wellington region from June 2 to 17.