The Season 1.

...and we're back!

"Creative New Zealand will host the official presence at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009, the world's oldest and most prestigious international forum for contemporary visual art."

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Wine with your art?

Tis the season of frequent drinking, and to mark this occasion, One Moment Caller is publishing the results of its brief and informal ongoing survey into the drinking culture of our art institutions, particularly at opening time.

• City Gallery: White and Red wine, withheld until after speeches, limited to foyer.
• Adam Art Gallery: White, red, freely available, some space limits.
• Te Manawa: White, red, beer, freely available, limited to foyer and one gallery space.
• Sarjeant Gallery: White, red, beer, withheld until after speeches, no space limits.
• Govett-Brewster Art Gallery: White, beer, freely available, no space limits.

It would seem that if you're after a good time, head to the provinces.

Pic: Hannes Broecker, Drink away the art.

Discovered on Swiss Miss, via Visual Streak, via Coolhunter... There should really be a one-step-removed links policy applied to the interweb - it's just getting silly, but then I suppose it is the season.

And the winner is...

So the competition below was just judged. Seems I'll be getting a spanky new custom built Cotic Roadrat some time in the new year. I'd like to thank...

You'll be able to follow the complete build online on Vorb, should you be into that sort of thing.

And I really would like to thank Paul, Tama, Cy, and Mrs Ogle, formerly of Hawera High School, now of Tawhiti Museum. Stay in school, kids.

Did I mention it's $5,500 worth?

12.5%

A couple of months ago I entered a competition run by Vorb and Essence to win a custom specced Cotic bike, up to the value of $5,500. Yes. $5,500.

The contest required an explanation of how you'd build the bike up and why. I had a bit of fun, wrote a few different builds, and a few different stories to justify them, submitted the one I liked best at the time, and promptly forgot all about it.

Until this morning, when I was gently informed my entry has been short listed to the top 8, which is a little exciting, and potentially somewhat useful considering I've just this week sold 2 of my 3 bikes.

High school English. Who would have thought?

Surface tension

As much as it pains me to pimp Microsoft products, the Surface takes the iPod Touch 'the screen is your destiny' approach to a whole new level.

MIA

It's not been a particularly good year for art and cultural objects - a truck load of works went up in smoke, a number of works walked out of Auckland University's care, a Hammond leapt off the wall to a disputed death, and that's just what's made it to the media's otherwise eagle-like attention.

But the worst, I think, is the tragic theft of 9 Victoria Cross and a handful of other medals from Waiouru Army Museum - a building that looks like a fortress, but it would seem doesn't act like one.

At a time when there are fewer and fewer veterans remaining, bigger and bigger turnouts at ANZAC ceremonies every year, and a growing search for national identity, this comes across as particularly shameful.

Pic: Corporal Leslie Wilton Andrew, awarded the VC for attacks on two machine gun posts at La Basses-Ville, France, 1917.