One Moment Caller

Keeping it real.

2011-10-21T09:11:00.000+13:00

Untitled (gas loop) No 1 by Ariel Schlesinger.
Via Today Tomorrow.

Etch-A-Sketch

2011-06-15T21:51:00.001+12:00

Quite possibly the first memory I have of visiting an art gallery was attending the opening of an international photography show at the Govett-Brewster as an emerging and awkward teenager ca. 1985. We’d purloined tickets through my father’s business being stockists of the sponsors – Kodak, from memory. I don’t remember a lot – wearing a black and white shirt, lots of people and stairs, a glimpse into a world that equally awed and terrified me.

Somewhere along the line it must have impacted though, subsequently acquiring, as I did, a degree in art history, a job at the Govett-Brewster for a fashion, quite a few pieces of and books about art, and an insight into a world that still equally awes and terrifies me.

I was reminded of all this on Saturday, when we took Jasper to the Cafe Govett-Brewster for a celebratory birthday fluffy (him) and to check out the new exhibitions (us). He went in armed with his new modern take on an Etch-a-Sketch (birthday present), with which we drew a bunny rabbit in honour of Peter Peryer’s Hare, and an upside down ship which was still installed from the previous show.

We bravely ventured into Gallery 4, which previously held the ‘bouncy castle’ – much feared because of its loud noise – to see Fiona Pardington’s new works The Pressure of Sunlight Falling, and nervously and hastily looked beyond the barrier ropes and into the darkened spaces that were still in changeover, before retreating to the safety of the main gallery via a lift ride.

On leaving, the half-dozen or so gallery staff present in and around the foyer delivered a stunning rendition of Happy Birthday to a very chuffed, if slightly shy, birthday boy.

One day I hope to look back and be able to think to myself “that was when it all began.”

Image: http://www.itstrulyrandom.com/

Training

2011-04-14T16:59:00.000+12:00

Yes it was an April 1 product launch from ThinkGeek, but as a former Playmobil and current Apple users, I've got to admit that a Playmobil Apple Store holds quite a lot of appeal.

Particularly so given Taranaki recently lost its only real-ish Apple store and my kids (still getting used to saying that) are likely going to be spending quite a bit of time in Apple Stores in the future.

Hope.

2011-01-21T13:36:00.000+13:00

Good news.

2011-01-21T13:33:00.001+13:00

I recall a comment once made by an art dealer as to where contemporary New Zealand art sits in the purchasing priority list your average non-addicted customer - generally somewhere just behind upgrading your fully functioning washing machine. So in the darker economic times we live in, where washing machines are both heavily discounted and available on 40 months interest free terms, you could be forgiven for thinking that the primary art market would be toughing things out at the moment.

But not so, judging by the latest Big Idea jobs + opportunities newsletter. No less than four dealer galleries - Bartley & Co, Page Blackie, Masterworks and Milford Galleries are all recruiting, pointing to either a positive end to the Old Year or a pretty credible prediction of growth in 2011.

Further underscoring this possible buoyancy, I've even heard of one dealer who ducks out to the stock room for a private yoga session each week.

The art world: awash with milk and honey.

Beyond the grave

2010-09-08T14:51:00.000+12:00

Doll

2010-05-11T09:02:00.000+12:00

This year's V48Hours Furious Filmmaking effort. We ran a considerably tighter team than last year (only 4 people in total), which meant a whole lot more V per person. We made it through to the Taranaki regional finals, picking up overall Runner Up, best emerging team, best actress, and best score (music, not twin sex).

All shot on a Canon 5DII and a 7D, proving that still cameras have really come a long way. Cheers to Mark for having such cool toys to play with!

2010-05-09T20:47:00.002+12:00

(To clarify: by two I mean second birthday party)

Developing a larger body

2010-04-21T14:34:00.000+12:00

For years I've been toying with the idea of doing an online Daily Show for the NZ art world. After reading the following, that appeared in my inbox this morning, you'll see why:

"This exhibition brings together work by four Wellington-based artists, work which is forward looking, part of a larger body that is still developing. These are all new works; predominantly unexhibited, they have been created for this exhibition or within the last year."

Now I'm no Jon Stewart by any stretch, but to clarify:

An "exhibition" that "brings together" art works.
Forward looking and still developing.
New works created in the last year. If a week is a long time in politics, how long is a year in the art world?

Still, at least it didn't begin with Oftentimes, and on one level, it actually makes me want to go see the show, if only to compare it to the press release. Which I guess means it's effective PR, dammit.

Image: Curious George spinning top, recalled by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission

Life is short, but filled with stuff

2010-03-23T22:09:00.000+13:00

In memory of TC. Not a stunning video, but there is surprisingly little Cramps online, and in a way I think he would have liked it.

Dear Santa

2009-12-14T17:43:00.001+13:00

Buying a house and having a baby have mercifully conspired to deter me from whipping out my credit card whenever I get madly inspired by things online. In the last 18 months there have been no Amazon, international bicycle store (or even domestic for that matter), obscure toy shop, gallery or other online trader packages brighten our door while simultaneously darkening the Visa bill.

But all that came very very close to crashing down today when I stumbled across this via Coolhunting.

It's artists. On bicycles.

A new one every month for a WHOLE YEAR!

As you can imagine it ticks a couple of pretty big boxes at OneMomentCaller. I'm thinking of sending a copy to everyone I know who recently broke themselves on their new bikes (would seem to be the season), but they already have new bikes to console them, and a calendar with artists riding bikes would seem rather crap in comparison.

You can pick up a copy at the Swiss Institute of Contempoary Art New York here.

Pic: Lukas Wassmann shoots Cindy Sherman and David Byrne in December.

Art by bicycle

2009-11-10T12:30:00.002+13:00

Four favourite things collide: art, Portland Oregon, bicycles, doing stuff.

Papergirl Portland from abraham ingle on Vimeo. Via f-letter,

Take that, public art!

2009-11-10T11:23:00.001+13:00

Len Lye's Wind Wand. Off for some 'spit and polish' as the local council put it.

Hi, I'm Zach

2009-11-09T11:00:00.004+13:00

I've been mulling over a post investigating the art collection habits of the in-house toddler for a few months now, but just haven't quite got round to it.

The aim was to counter the endless mass-media articles about 3-year-olds painting expressionist works (ah, but can they do realism?) that invariably get taken to art dealers who are nervous to dispel the work in case the media are trickign them into dissing a long-lost Monet.

Surely we need to look into where the next generation are vesting their interest from a collector and not just artist perspective if we're to keep the art industry afloat.

Observations based on the domestic subject over the last few weeks since we shifted house would indicate that current hot buttons are:

Anything with an animal in it, unless it's a fish.
Current favourite is Matt Couper's Healthy Specimen, but that might be prompted by its location near the dining table.

Small bright abstracts.
Showing his Taranaki roots it's not uncommon to find him standing under Peter Peryer's Mandala, pointing and chanting "uuh, uuh, uuh." I know exactly how he feels.

Eyes.
Peter Stitchbury for the win, though how could you not fall deeply into those big eyes, with their infinite stories. On that, I was browsing through Vimeo co-founder and general cool-guy Zach Klein's Flickr channel, as you do, and came across this compelling tale of stardom, portraiture, small town connections and big-town art fairs.

Pic: Peter Stitchbury, Zach Klein

Welcome back.

2009-09-07T22:44:00.002+12:00

BBQs on decks watching the sun go down. What summer is all about.

Sale of the Century

2009-07-20T19:35:00.003+12:00

I've lost count of the number of times I've seen an exhibition at a public gallery and developed a burning desire to have one, some or even all of the works on exhibit. Apart from a curious 'emerging artist showcase' in the foyer of City's last Prospect, following up tends to be a bit laborious, with the delay in being able to get to the right dealer usually dowsing any sense of urgency to acquire work that the show may have created.

In most cases even the book of the exhibition is still months off, and a postcard just doesn't seem to cut it. The ability to walk out with more than a mental picture or stolen out-of-focus camera-phone shot is limited to the programme or invitation, and even then I've noted a worrying trend away from images.

Not so with one of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery's current exhibitions. Ever the innovators, the GBAG has DVD copies of Mieke Gerritzen's A Beautiful World on sale at the front counter for the low low price of $25.00. Join the Friends of the Gallery while you're there, and it's even cheaper.

Who said contemporary art was exclusive.

Thinly veiled excuse

2009-06-15T18:50:00.002+12:00

Puddle Finishing School, Part IV Church Protocol from Momentum Studios on Vimeo.

One of the many 'projects' that have conspired to keep me from the blog of late, this year's 48Hours effort has made it to the Interweb. As you'll see, a slightly greater role this year than last, when I just lined up the location. A fun way to spend a weekend, good excuse to drink way too much V and hang out in a stunning old church, and fantastic to work with people who actually knew what they were doing. And we even made the regional finals.

Benefit of doubt

2009-06-02T11:40:00.004+12:00

This billboard has recently appeared on the New Plymouth Fire Station, part of their nationwide campaign to cut back on the number of cooking-related fires. I'm at odds as to whether it's a shocking indictment on the state of spelling and grammar in current-day New Zealand or quite brilliant advertising creativity.

Of all the billboards and signs in and around town at the moment (and as anyone who has driven into New Plymouth from the airport recently can attest, there a an awful lot of them), it's the only one that anyone can remember, and certainly the only one that I've had cause to discuss with more than a few people (even if most of those discussions start for the wrong reasons).

I'm keen to run the 'thing of brilliance' line, as I'd imagine the Fire Service has a fairly limited advertising budget, and redoing signs is an expense they don't need.

Will be interesting to see if it gets amended any time soon.

Photos out of aircraft windows 5

2009-05-21T21:40:00.002+12:00

Lego does Wright!

2009-05-20T22:56:00.005+12:00

In what might just be the coolest news of the year so far the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation have licensed Lego to recreate classic Wright buildings, namely the Guggenheim and Fallingwater in those loveable bumpy little plastic blocks.

I have a horrible suspicion though that they'll go the way of a lot of recent Lego products and pre-create more parts than they challenge kids to make out of square blocks. I mean little Lego drinking cups? Honestly. The initial packaging pics look like there are plenty of imagination fostering blocks though. Here's hoping.

Interestingly, the Architecture series ups Lego's standard age rating of 7+ to 10+. Maybe the extra 3 years fosters a level of appreciation of the medium that means these sets won't be bastardised and turned into multicolour random houses, or the ends chewed when bricks are stuck too tightly together.

According to the press release: Builders of all ages can now collect and construct their favorite worldwide architectural sites through these artistic replicas.

Well, maybe not all ages. Either way Jasper's going to have a long wait before he gets to enjoy his Christmas present this year.

Having children: proving crap for collecting art, but a brilliant excuse to buy cool toys.

Via Notcot

On fire

2009-05-14T10:05:00.004+12:00

In the spirit of NZ Music month, I present the inimitable Head Like A Hole.

Shot in downtown Wellington on a sunny morning back in the day, by a band whose bassist I used to play bike tag in deserted carpark buildings with, shot atop a building across the road from a school I spent years trying to get into, and would later live around the corner from.

A whole new take on Springsteen while beautifully mocking both U2's then recent LA rooftop video and a record industry intent on handing them a bunch of cash to make a music video.

Rock and roll? Quite.

Auckland

2009-05-02T22:33:00.003+12:00

The return of Dorothy Vallens

2009-05-02T22:04:00.003+12:00

Like most small town boys, I grew up totally enamored with David Lynch's brilliantly surreal film Blue Velvet. On my daily walks across a field to school I could almost have been Jeffrey Beaumont. I never did find that severed ear, though not for lack of trying.

I must also thank Isabella Rossellini for introducing me to the alluring notion of the femme fatale through her creepily cool character of Dorothy Vallens.

I've just discovered Rossellini revisiting that shimmering role as a praying mantis, amongst others, in a fantastic series on the mating and other rituals of insects: Green Porno which I had to share. Running on the Sundance Channel, it fuses Lynchian theatrics with scientific accuracy using education as the excuse. So brilliant it's almost worth getting Sky for.

And to come back full circle, there's a scene early on in Blue Velvet where a pristine small town lawn is put under the microscope, revealing a grotesque world crawling with insects. Nice.

Hat tip: Cakehead Loves Evil

2009-04-21T22:02:00.002+12:00

A little tiny death

2009-04-20T22:40:00.003+12:00

The iBook recently took up stagediving in its spare time, resulting in this almost lovely screen grab. Sadly the prognosis is terminal, and I now have to figure out how to transfer 6 years worth of data without the use of a screen. So long little friend.

Wellington

2009-04-20T22:36:00.001+12:00

Sigh. The weather's always like this, the locals assured me.

Pop quiz

2009-04-05T18:47:00.002+12:00

James Earl Jones does the alphabet, from vintage Sesame Street (via SwissMiss).

Do you think if I were to loop this on a monitor in Jasper's bedroom he'd grow up being able to jump and/or dance in a way that his father can't?

The Secret.

2009-03-30T09:22:00.000+13:00

"Water is just a collection of 1960s patterns and different sections of swirls. Once I found that out, painting it was easy."

From Sculptor works on the edge, Daily News 28 March.

Regionalism?

2009-03-24T09:20:00.000+13:00

An ongoing subtext to the merry dance of the open homes is an insight into people's art collecting habits.

In Wellington it was a rarity to see much more than mass wedding photos in the homes in our price range, though we did chance upon the occasional Tom Kreisler print (twice in Thorndon), a handful of aged City Gallery exibition posters (go Brodsky and Utkin), and a terrifying number of faded impressionist prints, usually above the toilet.

Taranaki fares slightly better. There's a common theme of either a Michael Smither or Peter Lambert edition in almost every lounge in the province it would seem, but still a terrifying level of what would appear to be DIY decorative art, usually in houses freshly painted 'contemporary beige' (gotta love those quick and cheap home improvement shows).

And then we chanced upon this homage to Peter Peryer and went weak at the knees:

Walk the Lion

2009-03-23T10:27:00.006+13:00

While the rest of Taranaki were standing in line to see a lion in Opunake Jasper and I went on a 150 minute time-killing adventure in Stratford. By the time we joined the queue it was worthy of a one-day sculpture project in its own right, though perhaps more anthropoligical than artistic

The camera on the phone inexplicably added a sort of faded blue filter to all shots taken in Stratford. Go figure.

(Title stolen from Wanda Harland)

Worse than first thought...

2009-02-27T12:47:00.002+13:00

The worst of the global financial situation was felt today when the Herald launched it's graphic and tagline for the occasion.

On one hand I'm pleased to see the media are cutting costs - in this case on design and copywriting. On the other I'm thinking 'self fulfilling prophecy' and that things are eveidently going to get a whole lot uglier.

Somewhere near Te Kuiti

2009-02-22T20:42:00.007+13:00

An aspect of parenthood I'd not considered until Sunday is the sudden need to break lengthy car trips for reasons other than espresso, galleries, the occasional studio visit, or bike trails.

Not saying it's a bad thing - just one I've got out of the habit of.

Multipass

2009-02-17T10:50:00.004+13:00

In the burgeoning market sector of animal art, it's good to know that the lower budget collector is catered for, with this new series of editions at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.

Pic: Chester Carlson, xerography inventor.

Song about Ping Pong

2009-01-28T13:43:00.005+13:00

In what can only be considered an obviously deliberate omission, contemporary art on the whole tends to avoid sports as a subject matter. Sure there's the occasional Koons basketball, Gordon/Parreno epic, or Artspace multiple but beyond that not an awful lot.

Except, it would seem, when it comes to ping pong. Over_the_net has shown a commitment, as has the Goethe Institute, and at least one Wellington dealer is a fan. But now it has gone global: this from Artinfo.com:

"On Wednesday January 28, the New York exhibition space Nyehaus will present its first-ever invitational table-tennis tournament in conjunction with its current exhibition, Rirkrit Tiravanija: Reflection, on view through February 21.

Celebrities of the ping-pong world, including Marty Reisman, the U.S. men’s singles champion in 1958 and ’60, and the identical twins Brad & Brandon Belle, will play matches against one other and with spectators on Tiravanija’s mirrored, regulation-sized table, Untitled (The Future will be Chrome) (2008).

Should you choose to come and see the match, you'll be joined by art-worlders Phillipe Parreno, Pierre Huyghe, Liam Gillick, and Hans Ulrich Obrist — puppet versions of whom appear on a grandstand installation surrounding the table.

In addition to Wednesday night's event, Filipino table tennis star Ernesto Ebuen will be available for private or group lessons for the duration of the exhibit.

If ever a touring exhibition had City Gallery written all over it...

Pic: Rirkrit Tiravanija, "Untitled (The Future will be Chrome)" (2008)

Open home

2009-01-14T09:52:00.003+13:00

We went to an open home where we had to take our shoes off, and the back lawn left prickles in my feet.

We put in an offer to save the soles of others, but we didn't want to negotiate as much as the vendor did, and it was rejected.

Part tragedy, part comedy, part prophecy?

2008-12-28T21:06:00.003+13:00

Damien Hirst trips over a diamond the size of his head and dies.

Edition by Piek artgroup.

Christmas Cheer (2)

2008-12-23T13:23:00.001+13:00

Gimme shelter

2008-12-18T13:29:00.004+13:00

I had a lengthy debate with a prominent curator once about the similarities between public art galleries and sheltered workshops. From distant memory it went something along the lines of:

Galleries operate, by and large, beyond the realm of public opinion, producing occasionally irrelevant outcomes in an often unconventional and irrational manner, and are often misunderstood by their communities.

Sheltered workshops, on the other hand, operate beyond the realm of public opinion, producing occasionally irrelevant products in an often unconventional and irrational manner, and are often misunderstood by their communities.

I also recently discovered that the support programme for disabled people integrating in the community is Intellectual Disability Empowerment in Action (IDEA), galleries trade in the currency of ideas... You get the picture.

It's nice to see this idea taking off in a work in the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery's summer show Break: Towards a Public Realm.

Louise Menzies (b 1982, lives and works in Auckland) collaborates with Kate Newby (b 1979, lives and works in Auckland) to recreate in the front display space of the Govett-Brewster the front display space of the nearby Expressions IDEA daybase in the work Thinking/willing.

The switch isn't immediately obvious. With the way a lot of recent art borrows heavily from the burgeoning craft movement, you could be easily forgiven for thinking you were looking at 'leading contemporary art', which I guess is the point.

The lack of any signage or wall label doesn't exactly aid the digestion of the idea (though does the IDEA) and nor does the exhibition room brochure. I wonder if the current economic recession is behind the brochure's 5-point font and single-sided print.

Either that or the Gallery has something to hide...

Break: Towards a public realm. Govett-Brewster Art Gallery until 1 February 2009.

Sub brand.

2008-12-18T09:45:00.000+13:00

2008-12-15T21:30:00.007+13:00

Back in the dim dark days before the interconnected series of tubes fed all sorts of random crap into the back of our computers, The Future always seemed so much more distant and, well, seductive.

In a joyous moment of random web trawlage recently I rediscovered The Usborne Book of the Future - A Journey to the Year 2000 and beyond. To say this was the formative book of my youth would be a massive understatement, and it's alarming to note just how far we have come, and how far we haven't, since the book came out in 1979.

But this wee journey into nostalgia doesn't end there. The Singing Blackbird has unearthed the remarkable (or remarkably bad) Street Hawk, to which I raise the stakes in crap 80s 'the future is now' television shows with Automan. Behold the future, as it was elaborately imagined in post-Tron 1983. Crazy times...

Fun Fact #2976: The first (of all 9) episode of Automan screened exactly 25 years ago today.

Christmas wish list #1

2008-12-11T14:15:00.003+13:00

Running shoes that transform into er, Transformers.

Quite possibly the coolest thing in the world right now, and causing me to wonder a) what else could benefit from being transformed into a transformer, and b) whether running might be cooler than I thought.

Nicely done designboom

Celebrity Endorsement

2008-12-05T10:35:00.004+13:00

Woohoo!

Anyone I've discussed the global credit situation with in recent months will have heard my theory that the root of all problems are flat screen televisions - that seemingly innocuous item that has invaded lounges and emptied pay packets for up to 36 months, lured people into hapless Jonesism as their neighbours upsize to 42", shipped a large chunk of the Kiwi economy straight offshore, yet still not really driven those producing the actual Television contents to up their game (TVNZ 6 and 7 aside, but I can't get those, so will overlook).

My theory is catching on - this morning it was loosely endorsed by Russel Brown on Public Address, who pondered:

"I wonder if this will be remembered as the crisis of the flat-screen TV, the somewhat affordable luxury still expected to ship nearly a hundred million units worldwide in 2009, thanks largely to intense price-cutting from manufacturers. We will rationalise our purchases as we scoff our unseasonably cheap vine-ripened tomatoes."

Autograph hound

2008-12-02T11:37:00.003+13:00

On this, the day that Andre Rieu releases Waltzing Matilda (New Zealand Special Edition), I thought it fitting to post a recent find in a Wellington bookshop - an autographed copy of comma dot dogma, the work of the late Tom Kreisler.

Tune in next week when Onemomentcaller reviews the Constitution of the United States of America (New Zealand Special Edition) and gets his chest autographed by Colin McCahon.

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto

2008-11-17T21:23:00.005+13:00

Wanganui, on the occasion of an opening of works by Fiona Amundsen and Frank Breuer at McNamara Gallery Photography.

Absent, friends

2008-11-11T09:27:00.002+13:00

According to the Technorati 2008 State of the Blogosphere, of the 133 million blogs the site tracks only 7.4 million have been updated in the last 120 days.

Hattip: Swissmiss

Under new management

2008-11-06T09:43:00.000+13:00

Room with a view

2008-10-22T10:52:00.005+13:00

"Take part in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend the night in one of the worlds’ most distinguished museums.

From October 25 through January 6, guests can reserve an overnight stay in Revolving Hotel Room, a work of art created by artist Carsten Höller, at the Guggenheim Museum.

Revolving Hotel Room is an art installation comprising three outfitted, superimposed turning glass discs mounted onto a fourth disc that all turn harmoniously at a very slow speed. During the day the hotel room will be on view as part of the Guggenheim’s theanyspacewhatever exhibition, which runs from October 24, 2008–January 7, 2009.

At night, the art installation becomes an operative hotel room outfitted with luxury amenities. Offer is subject to availability. Rates do not include taxes, gratuities, or incidental charges. Stay may only include one night. Limit one night per person. A maximum of two people per night."

http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/exhibition_pages/anyspace/index_hotel.html

Kind of takes the more common art hotel and art in hotel models to a logical conclusion: hotel in art.

Our Place

2008-10-10T09:07:00.004+13:00

"Nothing quite prepares you for the culture shock of Jay Walker's library. You exit the austere parlor of his New England home and pass through a hallway into the bibliographic equivalent of a Disney ride. Stuffed with landmark tomes and eye-grabbing historical objects—on the walls, on tables, standing on the floor—the room occupies about 3,600 square feet on three mazelike levels. Is that a Sputnik? (Yes.)"

We've started the merry dance of open homes again, but now I'm ruined. I want a library with the original Addams Family hand, a Raptor skeleton, Escher-like staircases and Sputnik.

"I said to the architect, 'Think of it as a theater, from a lighting and engineering standpoint,'" Walker says. "But it's not a performance space. It's an engagement space."

Judging by the photos the architect nailed it. So what's so different between this guys library and all of the new museum/gallery spaces that have been built in NZ over the last 10 years? At a quick guess I'd say the number of zeros after the dollar figure. Gotta love that US economy.

Full article at Wired.

They call her Styrene

2008-09-24T09:53:00.003+12:00

Only in New Plymouth do you head along to the launch of a book by a great New Zealand photographer, compare phones with a pioneering gallerist, get embroiled in business development assistance for an ongoing art project, get offered a section of bush-clad land, debate the merits of the latest Audi S6, organise a politically motivated Yum Cha, and end up discussing passive resistance and the development of modern warfare with a top Taiwanese/US contemporary artist, all with an underlying bouquet of polystyrene.

I suspect I really need to out more.

The tyranny of parenthood

2008-09-23T11:45:00.000+12:00

Dear God, we've created a mime!

Live and local

2008-09-22T14:11:00.002+12:00

New Plymouth District has been shortlisted as a finalist in the International Awards for Liveable Communities.

Also on the same shortlist are cities from Canada, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Switzerland, England, Poland and China, with a total of nine cities in the running to receive the Whole City Award 2008.

“Basically this says that out of all the countries in the world, New Plymouth District is one of just nine cities that could receive the ultimate accolade as the best place to live,” says Mayor Peter Tennent.

“The people who live and work here already think this part of New Zealand is pretty special, but now we have an independent panel of international judges who have looked at what we’ve got and noticed that something pretty outstanding is happening here.”

Press release: New Plymouth District Council

Road trip

2008-09-10T10:48:00.004+12:00

So we're braving our first 4.5 hour car trip with the little fella to head to Wellington this weekend, deftly avoiding Peter Robinson's opening at the Govett-Brewster (from what I've seen it looks amazing), a BBC film crew, a chopper flight into Whangamomona with an Australian flim crew, an Arts Foundation event, the screening of Hollow Men as part of the film festival here, and Team Wanda Harland who, in a bizarre twist of timing, is heading to Taranaki.

Short of a 22 hour conference and dinner and 4-minute dash through Rita Angus at Te Papa (the 4-minute exhibition - thoroughly recommended), it'll be my first trip back in 6 months.

On the hit list are Floriditas, Miyabi, Superfino, Page Blackie, Hamish McKay, Peter McLeavey, Parliament, and a million people. Still not sure how we're going to get a baby stroller up the McLeavey staircase, but life without challenges would be dead boring.

Any other recommendations of things to do or see greatly received, as it's been a while.

Exciting times!

Mandatory Cultural Inclusion

2008-09-05T08:39:00.003+12:00

Given that it was Taranaki's first ever hosting of a test match, and work was loosely a sponsor, it would have been downright rude not to head along to the All Blacks game (read: exhibition match/training run) on Wednesday.

Was fun to watch, and made doubly special in that Dad was able to be there as well.

You're it

2008-09-05T08:38:00.002+12:00

A little while back I got informally tagged by Art and My Life (as did all readers) to post an artwork that was rocking my world at the moment. So here it is.

The work:
Julian Dashper, Love, 1993, found objects, dimensions variable.
Courtesy of Hamish McKay.
(corrected)

The story:
We bought this (kind of an early birthday present) a couple of days before we found out we were parents, but it wasn't until a month or so later when the exhibition finished and we picked it up that Hamish revealed that the artist uses concentric circles as a metaphor for his pregnant wife.

Physically, it's 5 different sized metal key rings, interlinked small to big. Idealogically it's an incredibly exciting (and nervous) stage in our lives, both in terms of creating a family, but also in having the guts to move away from buying paint on a canvas or light-sensitive chemicals on a piece of paper and investing in an idea.

It's a great one in that it makes people look at us funny, but I never get tired of explaining it.

Moving into the new place in the provinces, it was the first piece to go up, and it's probably the first thing I'd go for if the house was burning down (just in case the Herald ever asks).

Your turn.

Foam party

2008-08-26T13:01:00.003+12:00

Anyone wanting a sneak peek at Peter Robinson's upcoming and wonderfully ambitious installation at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery should head to the gallery neighbourhood today, where thousands of little polystyrene foam spheres offer some slight indication of what's in store.

We were trying to recall what the only other full-gallery exhibition at the GBAG was, and decided on Leon Narby's opening installation back in 1970, though in an apple against apple world et al.'s abnormal mass delusions occupied the same original gallery space.

I also have a sneaking suspicion that the epic directorial swansong Mediarena covered both the entire old and new gallery spaces.

Either way, exciting times.

Scale models the secret to becoming a great curator

2008-08-20T15:27:00.003+12:00

"How Exhibitions Work

This course will give students a behind-the-scenes insight into the background and setting up of exhibitions and displays. Topics covered will include research and development of an exhibition proposal, building a small scale model project, setting up an exhibition – techniques, problems/challenges – and putting an exhibition together. Students will build a small scale model or a small scale display component or other models appropriate for their display area.

(Approx course material costs: $50 depending on project)

Wed 6pm-8pm

20 Aug – 5 Nov (10wks)
$80 Y2020.025/3

For further information: http://www.witt.ac.nz/"

Drive time

2008-08-17T22:56:00.004+12:00

Tips for gaining maximum enjoyment from a 4 hour drive through torrential rain, most of it in the dark, and in a 1.6l car, on the way to see someone unwell:

Sport mode is a waste of time. All it does is lose 6th gear on the auto box
Don't disengage traction control when going through Awakino gorge. It's fun, but only for a second or two.
Six speed auto is an oxymoron.
Don't think about why you're going where you're going. Think about why they need the car you're delivering to get home.
Sometimes the horrendous price of petrol can be considered an investment.
There are no public toilets open after dark between New Plymouth and Ngaruawahia.

Teenage kicks

2008-08-15T11:47:00.005+12:00

Fun with iMovie and a digicam 1...

Judging a book by its cover

2008-08-14T11:35:00.003+12:00

I've always been a complete sucker for album cover art. So much so that I once bought an album by the Faith Healers solely because it had a great photo of a Renault Dauphine on the cover, and at the time we had one decomposing in the back garden. Turned out the album wasn't so bad either.

The album cover obsession, spurred on by what the 4AD label were doing with Vaughan Oliver (think Pixies, Cocteau Twins, and the Throwing Muses) and the stunningly generic covers the Smiths were putting out in the mid to late 80s, kicked off a penchant for stockpiling retro photographic clip art that still haunts me, and which I really should do something with.

So you can imagine my excitement when I found a smart new site chronicling the entire Smiths cover-art collection in my feeds from Notcot this morning.

Vulgarpicture.com. - the illustrated history of the Smiths and Morrisey. It's good (and I didn't even resort to dropping Smiths song titles into this post).

Nothing so terrifying as a blank piece of paper

2008-07-25T11:59:00.004+12:00

National Party Arts Spokesperson Chris Finlayson to Josie McNaught on Frontseat, early 2007:

JM: So where are your ideas Mr Finlayson, because National's current arts policy is a quick read. It's not a lot.

CF: I think it's fair to say the 2005 policy for the National Party was good in so far as it conveyed a message that we weren't going to be slashers and burners. But ah, you're right, it was…

JM: Short on specifics – one page.

CF: …Short on specifics. I think my best advice to you is put that away and look towards 2008 and you'll see ah, a substantial document.

National Party Arts Policy 2008: 1 page.
(And don't let the bit on the website that says Policy Summary fool you - this is it. I checked.)

Hand Requirement Labeling Standard Sought

2008-07-24T09:19:00.002+12:00

One Moment Caller will today petition the food Safety Authority and countless other government bodies seeking to introduce a mandatory Hand Requirement Labeling Standard for all food items.

The proposed standard, which will apply to all foods, will indicate how many hands are required to open, prepare and consume that food.

The call comes in response to the often precarious balancing act that simple food preparation becomes in a childrearing situation.

"At 4 in the morning, when you have a screaming baby in one hand, it can be really really hard to make even simple food," a spokesman for One Moment Caller said.

"Humble favourites like 2-minute noodles, scrambled eggs on toast, or even buttered toast, can become a logistical challenge when you're carrying your growing, wriggling, and often screaming offspring at the same time."

"It's about the children. Nobody thinks of the children."

Naming rights

2008-07-24T09:08:00.002+12:00

Top 6 names to not call your children if you don't want to get deemed a child abuser by a loval judge (front page news in the provinces today):

1. Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii
2. Number 16 Bus Shelter
3. Violence
4. Midnight Chardonnay
5. Benson and Hedges
6. Fish and Chips

It gets better: Benson and Hedges and Fish and Chips are twins.

Wow, and to think we very nearly had AndyWarhol or Doctor, though only as a middle name. Went with Andrew by the way - strong family links and will be seeking naming right fees from other bloggers.

(Turns out Doctor may have contravened s.18 of the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1995 anyway)

"Art. Ask for More."

2008-07-16T09:04:00.002+12:00

From the associated press release:
89% of Americans believe that the arts are important enough to be taught in schools, and that it fulfills an important role in a well-rounded education. And they are right; studies show far-reaching benefits of an arts education:
• The arts teach kids to be more tolerant and open.
• The arts allow kids to express themselves creatively.
• The arts promote individuality, bolster self-confidence, and improve overall academic performance.
• The arts can help troubled youth, providing an alternative to delinquent behavior and truancy while providing an improved attitude towards school.

Unfortunately, the truth is that the average kid spends more time at their locker than in arts classes. This PSA campaign was created to increase involvement in championing arts education both in and out of school. Parents and other concerned citizens are encouraged to visit www.AmericansForTheArts.org to find out how to take action on the behalf of the arts and arts education. The campaign stresses that some art is not enough and reinforces with the tagline: Art. Ask for More.

More...

This is your inheritance:

2008-07-15T15:06:00.005+12:00

There's a whole lot of (largely self-imposed) pressure when getting your baby their first artwork.

Do you take a chance on something conceptual in the hope they get it in the future or do you play safe and get something clearly representational? Do you get something that reflects them (or rather who you suspect they might be at 4 weeks old) or a reflection of the world they've arrived into? Do you go for a name that might appreciate and might pay their way through art school, or something robust that won't get too trashed during the rigours of the average childhood?

See: Pressure!

Fortunately the guesswork has been taken out of it, thanks to Takahashi Murikami's My First Print series at the Kaikai Kiki gallery which, according to the artist, "is to be the first piece of artwork you will own in your life."

Sorted.

Pic: Takashi Murakami, And then, and then and then and then and then 1994

Song about ping-pong

2008-07-15T09:49:00.004+12:00

I love how every sports manufacturer and advertiser is throwing an Olympics twist on everything at the moment.

Here's one I quite like for those that remember Ping-Pong Country at Mighty Mighty a while back: Nike have released a table tennis range. It's sharp.

Can you tell I'm missing Wellington just a wee bit?

Cheers: notcot.org,

(and in future I'll endeavour to complete posts before posting)

Hit me baby ONE MORE TIME

2008-07-10T14:43:00.003+12:00

"A baby's smile gives a new mother a high like a drug hit and is equally addictive, a study of the female brain shows.

A study involving 28 first-time mothers shows that when a woman looks at a photo of her baby smiling the reward centres of her brain light up. These areas had also been activated in experiments associated with drug addiction.

"It may be that seeing your own baby's face is like a natural high," said Dr Strathearn, who is now based at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.

The study, published in the journal Paediatrics, showed this maternal activation was strongest with smiling faces. Photos of babies crying did not evoke the same brain response..."

Full article here...

Life imitating a really slow news day

2008-07-07T08:49:00.003+12:00

This is awesome: Telecom are being criticized for an advertisement that isn't real.
The story 'broke' as it were on Spare Room last week, who stated that "Corporates just don’t get the web. They just can’t recreate that amateur viral charm with a big ad budget."

Aside from the fact that 'amateur viral charm' was monopolized by corporate chequebooks (think LonelyGirl, 42 Below's mock-offensive virals, Panasonic's pocket series) a long time ago, aren't we being a bit too precious over what is a blatently creative medium?

I must admit I quite like the ad – it tells a good story (shouldn't all ads?) and it creates an office culture that I aspire to work in (again – shouldn't all ads be aspirational?).

One Moment Caller has taken this investigation a step further, and can reveal the dark secrets of an advertising industry intent on misrepresenting everyday life in order to flog you products. The investigation has shockingly revealed (may contain spoilers):

- Ducks do not drive stock cars around your shiny toilet bowl.
- A man does not sit next to intersections with a Wheel of Misfortune that dictates whether you live or die (though I think this presented a golden opportunity for Clemenger).
- The Butter family were not a real family.
- And not only recent advertising is behind this shocking cover up: the Volkswagon depicted in DDB's groundbraking 1960s print ad is in fact a car, and not a lemon, as stated.

Don't believe the hype

2008-06-27T10:02:00.002+12:00

What I've discovered they didn't tell us in all the pre-baby marketing material is that within an hour of bringing them home, the entire house will smell of baby, feeds actually last an hour so the recommended 3-hourly feeds are really every 2 hours which really plays havoc on anything resembling a sleep pattern, and you’ll lose whole hours staring at them.

So it's going pretty good, on the whole, and I'm secretly impressed that he can wee on his own head.

Note: the pic is not my baby

And the winner is...err...winners are...

2008-06-25T09:19:00.001+12:00

Celebrated Auckland and Christchurch Artists Chosen for 2009 Venice Biennale
Press release, Creative New Zealand
25 June 2008 (released under embargo to print and broadcast media only)

Two New Zealand artists - Judy Millar from Auckland and Francis Upritchard from Christchurch - will represent New Zealand in a six month exhibition at the 2009 Venice Biennale - widely recognised as the most significant event on the international visual arts calendar.

Chair of Creative New Zealand's Arts Council Alastair Carruthers says "the decision to send two artists shows a strong commitment to the success of New Zealand visual arts overseas. It will be an important project for arts patrons, the visual arts community and the Arts Council to invest in together."

"A well respected mid-career artist and teacher, Judy Millar is considered one of New Zealand's most experienced abstractionists", said Mr Carruthers. Her concept for Venice is "strong, bold and exciting". Francis Upritchard has also presented a "compelling" project and Mr Carruthers described her as "a young rising star in the art world".

"Both are talented, outstanding artists and will represent the arts sector and New Zealand exceptionally well. This decision is enthusiastically supported by both a selection panel of six visual arts professionals and the Council," he says.

"These two artists offer fresh perspectives on European art traditions."

Full (undated unless you can be bothered trawling through the metadata) release here

Congratulations to all involved!

Catching up

2008-06-25T08:36:00.001+12:00

Having a baby is one of those remarkable things that generates a stunning (and completely overwhelming) outporing of support from pretty much every corner of society. Witness Blackbird Singing's stunningly elaborate analysis of the similarly named , Bestofthree's lovely welcome note, and wife-features winning the 'Room with the most flowers EVER' award at Taranaki Base's maternity ward.

So to all the bloggers, emailers, gift mailers, and well wishers, cheers. One day soon we'll buy you a drink and thrust a (possibly) smiling baby at you.

Pic: Jasper (middle name still under negotiation after both AndyWarhol and Doctor were rejected) Rhodes. Mum and baby doing brilliantly, Dad still in mild shock.

Tangential shift

2008-06-12T21:51:00.000+12:00

As of yesterday there exists a very real threat that this blog will become solely about children.

The madness

2008-05-20T12:39:00.002+12:00

Kerry Post, a perfectionist, must say 'Wait a minute' in an action or adventure film that includes a brush...

As it turned out we used every last minute of the 48 hours, delivering the final tape with a squeal of brakes and cloud of burnt rubber to an anxious JP waiting beside his letterbox at 6.59 on Sunday.

The outcome?

Rather good I think, and I can even say that a little more objectively now I've had some sleep and the coffee has worn off a little bit.

And I got to make it all about art. And we got to film in the White Hart which was a hell of an adventure, though would have lent itself a lot better to horror. And I finally found out what a dolly grip is, and even how to be one.

Regional screening/semis in Hamilton tonight. I was tempted to drive up, but that's a bunch of driving on a school night. Fingers crossed though.

Take that, sleep.

2008-05-16T12:46:00.004+12:00

Here at One Moment Caller we occasionally go to extreme lengths to keep our 2 readers entertained, which is why we'll be teaming up our good friend coffee to participate in the madness that is the 48 hour film festival.

I'm considering it lack of sleep practice for when a screaming wee future person enters our lives in a couple of weeks.

Mystery explained

2008-05-13T13:50:00.006+12:00

"The form of a cardboard box has been chosen because of its associations with the storage of intimate personal items and to invoke the sense of mystery surrounding ideas of what a sealed box might contain."

I can explain the mystery: Boxes 1-37 = art books. Boxes 38-39 = dvd and cd. Boxes 40-46 = kitchen stuff. Box 47 = bike stuff. Box 48-49 = miscellany.

1. My former lounge, poised.

2+quote. Rachel Whiteread, Embankment, 2005, Tate Modern

R.S.V.P.

2008-05-12T08:35:00.002+12:00

One moment caller's response to Andrew Clifford's response to Bill Culbert's response to the Taranaki landscape's response to the sun setting.

Type O

2008-05-02T15:11:00.002+12:00

I guess it rhymes less with Osama.

Creature Comforts on Art

2008-04-23T09:00:00.000+12:00

Guilty secret

2008-04-22T08:49:00.003+12:00

There's something lovely about receiving good old-fashioned postal mail. Particularly when it's art. In this case an edition bought online from an artist-run-space in Los Angeles. Will post an image of it some time.

The internet 1: making life in the provinces that much easier.
The internet 2: making it harder to look real-space dealers in the eye.

Market driven model

2008-04-18T08:29:00.000+12:00

One of the standout works for me in Reboot: the Jim Barr and Mary Barr collection show on at City was Ryan Moore's White Pin. Something about the space afforded to it, the simplicity, the artist's background appeal, as does the fact that a few people I've spoken to about it didn't even see it.

Given the context for the work though, I'm really tempted to discreetly switch it for a red pin.

Champing at the bit

2008-04-17T09:16:00.000+12:00

At the risk of sounding a little too Louis Theroux's Wild Weekends, I've just discovered there's a Horse Ornament Museum in the Taranaki Hinterland. I'd post photos this Monday following a visit this Sunday (10-4 or by arrangement), but you'll have to wait a week.

And now for a 2 wheeled interlude

2008-04-16T13:08:00.002+12:00

I was a huge fan of Q-boats in WWII: boats that looked like small coastal freighters, but were secretly armed and armoured.

Vaguely similar story with The New Bike. While this may look like an old-school steel bike (well, my mum thinks so), it is in reality cutting edge, and on bikes cutting edge = really rather fast.

And rather fast = rather good fun to ride, which may explain the last 10 day's 300km.

Automation has hit the provinces

2008-04-11T08:32:00.000+12:00

Marketing 101 teaches us that every business needs a unique selling proposition in order to differentiate from the competition. I'd never thought of automatic doors as a USP, but good on them for trying.

Despite my love of the new, and the titillating invitation to try them, I didn't. I'm saving the experience for the next rainy day I visit Moturoa.

Teenage kicks

2008-04-10T09:10:00.000+12:00

I've heard rumour of a guy just north of New Plymouth who has an active interest in taxidermy. While this in itself isn't necessarily so interesting, he has a stuffed Polar Bear.

I'm in the process of hunting him down, so to speak. Actual photos to come.

Dream home

2008-04-09T08:14:00.000+12:00

For anyone who hankers for that wonderfully eerie 70's charm of an Yvonne Todd or Anne Noble photograph, you can now live the dream.

I'm seriously tempted.

Back

2008-04-08T08:21:00.000+12:00

Apologies for the lengthy hiatus. It hasn't been wasted, with a new bike, a new job, a new city, two pairs of new pants, and a number of plots to take things over (as you'd expect).

Bullet points:

WOMAD was good, and apparently we have our own ukulele orchestra here which I got invited to join (yes, that thought terrifies me as well).

Jack Johnson was also good, crazy busy, but I didn't go surfing with him in the end.

The world triathlon series race was good, with somewhat inspiring cosequences. More on that later.

The Govett-Brewster's new shows are very good. Two thumbs up, and I'm still a fan of their events - the Monica Brewster Club is a very good thing. It's the round of shows after next I'm really excited about though.

Any free bike is a good bike, but when it's a custom speced Cotic, it is a great bike. We're getting some serious mileage in. Full reports pending...

Work is bloody interesting, and it's nice to have some cool new projects to get stuck into, without the drama (real or imagined) of Parliament. Also nice not to feel compelled to yell at the tv on a regular basis. In fact I haven't watched any TV at all in over a month. Oddly liberating.

The coffee in New Plymouth is stunning. A little on the expensive side, but then for the most part it is fair trade. Believe me, I'm as surprised by this fact as you are.

The Len Lye Centre debate is good and healthy, although a little one-sided at this stage. I've a number of plans to rectify that, of course, so watch this space.

New Macs are brilliant. The iMac even comes with a remote control, for those rare moments that you're using your computer from a distance further away than arms reach. I'll even forgive Apple for blatently cribbing the design notes from 1960s era Braun, it's that good.
We've even gained a handful more works for the collection, which is currently living in two large crates, which is quite sad, but a necessary short-term evil.

So you might say that, on the whole, things are pretty good.

2008-03-06T11:20:00.001+13:00

The new.

2008-03-06T09:31:00.003+13:00

"Soak in the brilliance of some of New Zealand and Australia's finest artists at the new Chaffers Gallery opening on Saturday 8 March. The Home and Away exhibition, co-hosted with Gow Langsford Gallery, will feature works by Dale Franks, Allen Maddox, Colin McCahon, Dibbles, Judy Millar and Gordon Walters to name a few. This exhibition is a must see."

Advertorial from yesterday's DomPost.

Pict: Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961

4 Sleeps: the trails

2008-03-06T09:28:00.001+13:00

Ridgeline at Makara Peak.
More fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Balancing act

2008-03-05T09:13:00.002+13:00

Since the start of the year I've been monitoring arts coverage in the Herald and the Dom Post - namely the editorial column centimetres dedicated to each of visual arts, theatre or performing arts, dance, music, film, and literary arts over the last couple of months.

I suspect it's rather skewed by the Wellington festival and the performing bias there
Visual arts placed a lot higher than I suspected, but then a good tale about a wealthy collector, a stolen McCahon, and stunning customer service will do that
Music wins, thanks to Tom Jones
Surprisingly low was literarature, again I think due to the festival, but Readers and Writers week will likely balance that out a bit
And dancers lose.

It's by no means an exhaustive study - I missed a handful of the weekend papers, and forgot on a couple of days - but remotely interesting to do. You'd almost think I have nothing better to do.

5 Sleeps: the culture

2008-03-05T08:44:00.002+13:00

Ping Pong Country, Mighty Mighty.

6 Sleeps: the landscape

2008-03-04T13:31:00.003+13:00

Round the bays, roughly below the Ataturk Memorial (loosely in the spirit of Patrick Reynolds' Two bodies one car, which is loosely in the spirit of SJD's Two bodies).

A truly modern affliction

2008-02-29T11:59:00.003+13:00

"Art paralysis: It is a widespread and often crippling malady, striking everyone from the new college grad in his or her first apartment to the super-rich banker, lasting anywhere from a few months to a lifetime.

"How many are affected is not known, perhaps because the victims are often too embarrassed to come forth. Who wants to admit that “I’ve had these posters since college, I know that as one of the American Top 10 Orthodontists I should get some real art, but I don’t know what that means”?

"Or that “It’s not that I’m trying to make a minimalist statement with these empty white walls, I just don’t know what to buy”? Or “I walk into those snooty galleries in Chelsea and feel like I just don’t belong”?

The Terrible Toll of Art Anxiety, New York Times

On sale now

2008-02-29T08:56:00.004+13:00

Art World: "... beautifully designed ... jargon free ... news, previews, reviews ... inside information ... hundreds of images of the world's most exciting contemporary art ..."

I've been watching the domestic art magazine market shuffle awkwardly around the long-running institution that is Art New Zealand for years now (even daring to suggest a makeover/takeover at one stage).

I haven't looked at the circulation figures of the art magazine sector recently, but suspect that might tell some interesting stories - one of mass market expansion at entry level, one of shifting balances of advertising to editorial, and one of style over substance.

A story of beautifully designed, jargon free inside information, perhaps.

Art World: for sale now. Pictured: ad from P2 of the Dominion this morning (not mentioned in the Herald).

Why I love student radio

2008-02-28T12:08:00.005+13:00

"...thanks guys.

We're now going to listen to a song by Peaches called Tent in your pants."

4 seconds following an interview with Brett Graham and Rachael Rakena, about their show Ani Wani Wa (ph.), Active, Saturday.

3...2...1...

2008-02-27T16:18:00.004+13:00

The race is on to open New Zealand's first artist-specific museum, with a $9 million Hundertwasser gallery in Whangarei, lining up against New Plymouth's proposed $15m Len Lye Centre.

Interesting that both are seeking to open without an ounce of ratepayer cash, relying on central government, private and corporate investment for development and construction.

Here's hoping Whangarei manages to avoid the letter-to-the-editor bunfight that New Plymouth has gone through in an effort to get this major community asset up and (more to the point) running.

For the record my money's on Lye, literally and otherwise.

Left: Lye's Water Whirler proto

Right: Hundertwasser's Kawakawa toilet

The Superfino Sessions

2008-02-25T14:38:00.002+13:00

Superfino Session 2

The ongoing debate and solution series continues this week, with a focus on artist run spaces. Sure, they're artists, but have you ever seen any of them actually run?

Sunday morning-ish, Superfino, World Trade Centre, Ghuznee St.
(Would have gone Floriditas, but they take bacon sandwiches off the menu on weekends).

For Sale: Secret lair of one moment caller

2008-02-15T12:56:00.001+13:00

The Challenge

2008-02-12T10:52:00.000+13:00

Late last year we got a small work by Julian Dashper which consists of a series of 5 found metal rings in ascending sizes. It's wonderfully relevant to us right now for a whole for a bunch of reasons, but the most fun is the reaction it elicits from visitors. Generally there's a stunned silence, followed by "You paid how much? For that?" and the inevitable "How can you call that art/I just don't get it" accompanied, usually, with a shaking of the head. As you can imagine, it's an intensely rewarding work for precisely that reason.

In unrelated news, there are currently 10 Constable prints available on Trade Me. Just before Christmas, there were 14. (Just think: 4 lucky people received a faded Constable print under the tree on 25 Dec).

This week's OMC Challenge, if you will, is to trot out the tried and true contemporary art reactions in a generally un-contemporary art situation. For example, my Grandparents have had a Constable print (embroidered from memory) on their wall for at least 30 years now, and not once have I questioned it or asked for an explanation. Time for a trip to Taradale, I think.

Photos out of airplane windows 4

2008-02-11T14:38:00.000+13:00

Heading north to convince someone they need shipping-container sized lightboxes to get their message across (top), and again to test-drive fuel-efficient cars on a cloudy start to a sunny day(bottom). More on the shipping containers later, all going to plan...

Board room dramas

2008-02-08T10:39:00.000+13:00

Of the ten or so surfboards I've owned over the years, the most advanced the graphics ever got was a red stripe around the edge of the board, or in the case of a 1960s mal I have sitting in the rafters of a garage in the provinces, red and black stripes.

I'm starting to think about the next board (probably a custom 6'6" rounded square thruster) and thinking it might be a fun project to commission an artist to create a work on the board.

It would ideally require a painter, as the raw foam surface would be too soft for the application of many media, and I'm picking photography is out, though may have to discuss this with my shaper. While solar panels and video screens would be fun, I'm not sure my lack of surf fitness would overcome the weight penalty. And while there are some nice conceptual parallels to walking on water, function still reigns.

No doubt I'll post progress as it, well, progresses, but suggestions for artists warmly received.