Nelson Arts Festival chance to ‘step away from the everyday’
From the chance to perform with up to 100 dancers on Tāhunanui Beach, to using a giant swing on Upper Trafalgar St, the Nelson Arts Festival aims to bring joy in chaotic times.
The festival programme was launched on Thursday morning with over 50 events spanning genres including theatre, music, comedy, literature and visual arts.
However, organisers said the much-loved Mask Parade would not be part of this year’s festival because of “mounting pressure on the resources required to participate in the event”.
Photo: Supplied
Local talent takes centre stage at the festival from October 22 to November 1, with audiences invited to “step away from the everyday and experience the magic of gathering together“, including through free community events.
One such offering, The Gathering Tide, invites up to 100 local performers to join in a sunset dance performance on Tāhunanui Beach, created by internationally acclaimed Nelson choreographer, Chloe Loftus – whose experiences include directing Olympic Games opening moments.
A nine-metre high bright yellow swing arrives in New Zealand for the first time from Australia, available for public use in Nelson’s Upper Trafalgar St, and taking centre stage at the free Big Swing Street Party on October 24, featuring live music, cultural performances, dance, art and participation.
Acclaimed national and international artists also feature, including a world-class circus act from Canada.
The festival opens with a theatrical journey through Aotearoa’s history in Tiri: Te Araroa Woman Far Walking, an Auckland Theatre Company production directed by Katie Wolfe and adapted from the landmark work of Witi Ihimaera Smiler, who joins the opening-night post-show kōrero.
Local content includes Echoes, a new immersive production by Golden Bay theatre-maker Martine Baanvinger, delving into the history of Fairfield House, and Tāhae: Stolen From the Museum, an exhibition curated by local artist, carver and city councillor, Kahu Paki Paki, celebrating the reclamation of taonga through the work of Te Tauihu artists.
The Phoenix Foundation will perform new music at Neudorf Vineyards, while comedy fans can catch the feminist cult-cabaret Chooks.
The popular Pukapuka Talks this year includes former politician Kiritapu Allan, 2022 Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka, novelist Charlotte Grimshaw, Ockham book award-winners Tina Makereti and Ingrid Horrocks and comedian Pax Assadi.
The festival’s artistic director Janelle Bish said it was important for locals to connect and be reminded that joy was something people created together.
“Globally, we’re in such chaotic, and for many people quite concerning and stressful times, so the impetus for me was to consider how we might use … celebrating each other and our communities as a means of resistance to that.”
Bish sought to leverage the voices of Te Waipounamu/the South Island, and Te Tauihu/the top of the South in particular, as the arts sector faced funding struggles.
Te Waipounamu received less than 10% of national funding in the first round of the Creative New Zealand outcomes, she said.
“These artists that live locally can sit side by side on a stage with international artists and domestic artists of the highest reputations.”
On the decision to drop the Mask Parade, organisers said that following consultation with core funder Nelson City Council, stakeholders and the community, they would consult with the community about where the event could go next.
By Katy Jones | Nelson Mail
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