State of the Arts
Lofty aspirations
Pop chamber music three-piece NZ Trio are returning in 2016 with new commissions and collaborations in their three-concert 2016 Loft Series – Zoom (June), Glow (September), and Flare (November) at Q Theatre’s Loft in Auckland. ‘‘We do have a lot of collaborations in the pipeline,’’ NZ Trio’s Ashley Brown says. ‘‘In August, we get together with hot-shot English clarinettist Julian Bliss for a nationwide tour with Chamber Music New Zealand, and in the later concerts in our Loft series we have Glow where we play with Chinese guzheng ace Xia Jing, and Flare where we join forces with New Zealand’s own opera megastar Simon O’Neill. But in Zoom, the first show of our home series, it’s pure, unadulterated NZTrio – no interlopers!’’ Zoom plays June 12 and June 14.
New objective
Auckland gallery Objectspace’s show_sell_ shift, is its first fundraiser show, and for the first time it is selling the pieces on display. One standout artist showing her own exhibition alongside the fundraiser is Wellington-based Chloe Rose Taylor, whose Still Life Forms are installation works constructed for and around her main field of interest – contemporary jewellery. ‘‘I am drawn to the quality and detail of 3D form, in architecture, design, and especially the natural world, Taylor says. ‘‘I am obsessed with the shape of things. I seek out objects and textures that speak to me and combine them in expressive and inventive ways, with silicon mould-making and resin casting. This body of work features casts of a seashell collection from an estate sale . . . – someone had done years of hard work collecting these objects.’’ Both exhibitions opened on Thursday.
Write stuff
This year’s Auckland Writers Festival broke its own record, with 63,000 seats filled. The festival featured more than 150 novelists, playwrights, song writers, scientists, historians, children’s writers, critics, editors, illustrators, and poets from New Zealand and around the world. Auckland Writers Festival director Anne O’Brien says the enthusiasm and increasing attendance is testament to people’s hunger for more substantive conversations and deeper engagement with the world and each other. ‘‘Literate citizens live better lives and build better worlds and we’re delighted to have played our part in cultivating literacy in the country.’’
West End boys
Following a sold-out season on London’s West End and cities across Europe, the UK production of The Simon & Garfunkel Story will play at Auckland’s ASB Theatre on July 12. The production, with Gregory Clarke as Paul Simon and Joe Sterling as Art Garfunkel, tells how two young boys from Queens, New York, went on to become the world’s most successful music duo. Among the fans of the show is author Victoria Kingston who wrote Simon & Garfunkel – The Definitive Story. ‘‘Go on treat yourself to a fantastic evening,’’ she tweeted . The show features 1960s photographs and film footage accompanied by a full band performing hits including Mrs Robinson, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Homeward Bound, and Scarborough Fair. Edited by Mike Alexander; mike.alexander@fairfaxmedia.co.nz