... but not as you know it
Words and pictures will match your mood, writes Dionne Christian
When poet Hera Lindsay Bird got a call from former university classmate Rosabel Tan asking her to be part of an inventive poetry project, she didn’t think twice before saying yes. “It came totally out of the blue,” says Lindsay Bird, an Ockham NZ Book award winner and recipient of an Arts Foundation New Generation award. “But I think I’d say yes no matter what Rosabel was planning because she has such an innovative and different way of thinking about promoting poetry and always has a fresh take on how to bring art to a younger audience.” Along with fellow writer Emma Ng, Lindsay Bird has found herself “programming” — sort of — The Mood Machine. It sounds like something that might have featured in Lost in Space, a device that will listen to the way you’re feeling and then give you a piece of art and some writing to match your mood. She and Ng have recruited a who’s who of emerging poets and artists to provide the words and pictures. Vanessa Crofskey, Gregory Kan and Chris Tse, among many others, are contributors.
The Mood Machine is part of Satellites, an Auckland Councilfunded series of “unexpected encounters” launched across Auckland from our leading contemporary Asian artists. An editor, writer and researcher who works with galleries and performing arts venues on audience development, Tan is the programme curator.
As Lindsay Bird says, Tan an interesting approach to deciding what to include in Satellites.
It starts with her younger brother. With obvious sisterly affection, Tan describes him as a car enthusiast working in an automotive factory that supplies parts to mechanics.
“He’s a real suburban boy,” Tan says. “My brother’s never been to a theatre or a gallery so we never programme into institutions but places where people congregate as part of their daily lives. I like to go to suburbs that are, perhaps, under-catered for in terms of the arts and I like to ask myself, what would appeal to my brother?’” And that seems to be a lot. Along with The Mood Machine, this year’s programme includes:
The Fortune Cookie Cart — exactly as the name suggests, it’s a travelling cookie cart that will appear at markets and festivals across Auckland offering not a prediction about the future but a reflection on the past. There’s a catch; to receive a “fortune”, you have to share some wisdom of your own. (Throughout May.)
The Claw — as winter arrives, a sea of plush creatures will appear in Northcote Town Centre looking for new homes. They come courtesy of artist/creators Hanna Shim, Michael McCabe and Adam Ben-Dror and one could be yours — if you can retrieve it from a giant claw machine. (May-June.) There’s also a fabric art workshop, taken by Indonesian artist Rozana Lee, and K-pop Kids dance classes lead by Rina Chae. Originally from Korea, Chae arrived in New Zealand as a 10-year-old and was somewhat surprised to find her new Kiwi friends had never head of Korean pop music. Fast-forward a few years, Chae completed dance training and worked as a dancer/ choreographer in the US performing with the likes of Beyonce and Justin Bieber as the K-Pop scene started to go global.
When she returned to NZ in 2015, K-Pop was finally here. Since then, Chae has formed her own dance crew, Street Candee, and now teaches K-Pop dance classes. “I can’t believe how many people are into it now.”
Her classes run as part of Satellites but also in Auckland Live’s Pick & Mix, free familyfriendly performances and workshops. With Satellites in its third year, Tan says one of the best things is seeing its projects take off. She cites Ruby White (aka Miss Changy) as an example; White makes Malaysian inspired food and serves it to customers at her Small Fry cafe at Te Tuhi in Pakuranga on her own handmade bespoke ceramics.
“The idea is to create a platform so artists can turn up the volume on their work with the support of a project team,” says Tan. “Our city is evolving at such a rapid pace. The arts play a crucial role in helping us understand who we are as a community — and who we’re becoming. I feel invigorated, challenged and boosted by the conversations our artists are trying to have with the world around them.”