SCANZ 2015 water and peace map

December 20, 2014/in 2015 Locations, Featured /by Ian Clothier

Clicking on the photograph below will take you to a map and folder of images of the Huatoki stream walkway from the sea to Redcoat Lane. This is the path of the locations of SCANZ2015 water*peace artworks, presentations and installations.

The map shows the locations for art works, performances and activities that occur on the final weekend of SCANZ2015 – Saturday 31st of January in Huatoki Plaza (11am – 4pm), and Sunday 1st of February (11am – 4pm) along the Huatoki from the sea to Redcoat Lane. There are also night time projections in Pukekura Park on Friday 30th of January, 9pm to 11pm.

SCANZ2015 sites

Below are the photographs in a slideshow.

Water, food and resources at SCANZ

December 7, 2014/in Uncategorised /by Ian Clothier

Lemon verbena in October 2014 (left) and December (right). This kind of growth based on solar energy and water is one of the most outstanding characteristics of nature.

As SCANZ 2015 is about water and peace, we need to consider our resource usage. At this page on Waterfootprint.org, you can scroll though products to find the calculated water footprint of that product. The global average of water required for one cup of coffee is 132 litres of water. Clearly we need to work on this and related issues in regard to our diet.

At the same time, at SCANZ we are not interested in being policemen in regard to the environment and environmental issues. We just want people to think about their consumption and make adjustments. At Intercreate we are seeking a space where we can all connect in regard to the environment.

As organisers of the SCANZ residency, we are working on ways to reduce our water footprint. We usually supply tea, coffee beans and a coffee grinder because our largely artist group loves coffee. However, for 2015 water*peace we are considering not supplying coffee on Fridays, and only providing locally grown herbal tea: lemon verbena. This is because the best way to reduce water footprint is to consume locally grown products. The verbena will be fresh and available through the week, and we can also access a small amount of fresh bergamot, the herbal leaf form which is similar to the flavour of Earl Grey.

In addition, rather than purchasing the coffee solely on the basis of taste, we will be purchasing Fair Trade Organic. This is because we do want to support those growers in the Fair Trade scheme, who often are local people rather than multinational companies.

We are very lucky to be having WITT involved in the residency as we have negotiated being able to pick from the communal garden in return for watering and tending. Anyone who is picking or gardening will be asked to treat resources carefully, and to never pick an entire crop. We are also intent on getting food from local suppliers as much as possible.

Huatoki Walkway announced as site for SCANZ water*peace art works

November 11, 2014/in 2015 Locations /by Trudy Lane

Huatoki walkway announced as site for SCANZ water*peace art works

The Huatoki walkway and Plaza are now reserved for SCANZ 2015:water*peace events. We are particularly pleased the New Plymouth District Council has supported our project in this way, as it means we will be able to locate creative works along the Huatoki walkway, for temporary exhibition on Sunday February 2nd 2015.

The Huatoki River is site of many stories, dating from pre-European times to industrial usages, through to the current walkway/recreational purpose. A range of site types can be offered to successful artists.

This is where the Huatoki meets the sea. This view is looking downstream. The The walkway crosses above

This is where the Huatoki meets the sea. This view is looking downstream. The walkway crosses above

This image captures a little better, the atmosphere of the area with the road going over the top

Looking upstream from the previous photo. This part of the Huatoki runs in front of Puke Ariki museum and Library

A slightly better view of the lower part of the landing area, which is landscaped back up to the right, until Puke Ariki Museum is reached

Looking upstream from the landing, the Huatoki again passes under a road. Beyond the pipe and through the other side you can see where the stream drops 30-60cm (1-2 feet)

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Call for water*peace presentations

October 30, 2014/in 2015 Walking Symposium /by Ian Clothier

Photo by Jo Tito

Intercreate.org is seeking submissions for a walking symposium to be held on Sunday 1st of February 2015 in Nga Motu New Plymouth as part of SCANZ2015.

We seek presentations based on water and/or peace along the following thematic threads: indigenous awareness, beyond the physical, states of flow, bodies of water, science and measurement, commentaries on peace.

Presentations will be given in the open air along the Huatoki stream walkway. As will be apparent from the discussion threads, a diverse and inclusive hui/symposium is sought. Presenters will be grouped into panels with each person speaking for 10 minutes followed by discussion.

To apply please go to http://tinyurl.com/scanz2015. Submissions are open until December 1^st.

Images of the Huatoki walkway can be found here.

SCANZ is a partnership between Intercreate, Creative New Zealand and the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki.

SCANZ2015:water*peace

July 14, 2014/in Wai /by Ian Clothier

Artists, tangata whenua and locals in the environment of Taranaki, with the Waiwhakaiho River and Taranaki Maunga (mountain) in the background. This photo is from the recent Intercreate event “Ko Tatou te Tangata.”

What

Water is essential to survival, revered and respected worldwide for its power, creative and curative abilities.

Wai, water or flow is central to the worldviews of many indigenous cultures of Earth, and is of special significance to tangata whenua (the people of the land) of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The scientific study of water and the onset of turbulence was central to the development of Chaos Theory.

Today water monitoring in the environment has become important to sustainable approaches to water management.

Water as a resource has become intensely politicised and monetised, in contrast to the view that access to fresh water is a fundamental human right.

Peace is also essential to the sustainability of humans on Earth.

SCANZ2015:water*peace brings together people from diverse backgrounds,connecting everyone in a positive expression of our relationship with water and the power of peace.

Where

Water*peace begins on the with noho marae (overnight stay) at Parihaka in Taranaki, Aotearoa New Zealand. The 18th and 19th of each month are special days of the celebration of Te Whiti and Tohu, prophets of peace in colonial times. They were leaders during an infamous episode of New Zealand’s history, and Parihaka is today world renowned for the stance on peaceful protest in the face armed constabulary.

On the afternoon of the 19th, SCANZ participants will return to Nga Motu New Plymouth where they will stay and work on the campus of the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki. Over a two week period they will collaborate, work with visit and be visited by locals, conduct workshops and create works and projects to be exhibited on the banks of the Huatoki River walkway.

There will be a public activity day, viewing of the installations and night time projections in Huatoki Plaza. A walking symposium on the final day will follow the path of the works along the Huatoki up to Pukekura Park.

When

Saturday January 17th – participants arrive in Nga Motu New Plymouth. There is a welcoming on to the WITT campus.

Sunday January 18th – travel to Parihaka (depart 8am). Overnight stay at Parihaka. Group discussion in the evening with residents of Parihaka.

Monday January 19th – mid to late afternoon return to New Plymouth.

Tuesday January 20th – morning – first presentation by invited guests (likely to be a tangata whenua group).

Wednesday January 21st – morning – second presentation ( local electronics specialist Andrew Hornblow).

Thursday January 22nd – morning – third local presentation (environmental group).

Friday January 23rd – morning – fourth local presentation (likely to be a raranga/weaving session, may involve travel).

Saturday January 24th – day is open to explore Taranaki, do project work, take part in spontaneous collaboration or take a beach, coastal or mountain walk.

Sunday January 25th – day is open to explore Taranaki, do project work, take part in spontaneous collaboration or take a beach, coastal or mountain walk.

Monday January 26th to Friday January 30th – working on projects / collaboration / testing / installation / preparation for weekend presentation.

Saturday January 31st – Day of installation of projects along Huatoki walkway and or Pukekura Park. This is also the public activity day in Huatoki Plaza. All applicable projects presented in the Plaza. Night time projections either in Huatoki Plaza or Pukekura Park.

Sunday February 1st – commence hui / walking symposium at 9am along the Huatoki walkway. Poroporoaki / reflections on the residency in the late afternoon.

Monday February 2nd – participants depart accommodation for outward bound travel.

Please note the above schedule may change and is subject to confirmation by appropriate organisations and individuals.

Future of electronic arts survey

March 16, 2014/in News /by Ian Clothier

Intercreate.org survey: the future of electronic and digital arts

The survey has now closed, thank you for your participation and interest.

Please direct any comments or questions to ian dot clothier at intercreate dot org.

Digitsed salmon from a model by Claire Brunet and collaborators

Digitized 3D Objects and Audio Signal Convergence by Claire Brunet, Susan Fryberg and Toby Gifford

March 3, 2014/in 2015 Projects /by Ian Clothier

Digitsed salmon from a model by Claire Brunet and collaborators

Recordings of water, specifically chosen to make audible water’s numinous quality, are modified through signal processing mechanisms that are derived from digitised 3D objects. These will be played back along a public waterway, through solar powered speakers, as part of the SCANZ temporary public art works section. Projections of 3D forms data using a portable power generator are linked to the concept of water and its sustainability, and supported by sound. A stretched white net will be used as a projection screen.

Through exploring the ways in which the data from the digitized objects and forms are transformed and translated from nature to code to signal processing mechanisms, we investigate the plural condition of the digital medium. The work explores both interactions with digital data impact on ar1ists’ perception and interaction with the natural environment and foster a plurality of creative approaches. From a research/creation experiential mode of inquiry we investigate the ways in which the digitalisation of spatial, temporal and sonic modalities, impacts on interdisciplinary artistic concepts.

The Project team comprises the following artists: Claire Brunet, sculptor working with 3D digital technology who is completing a PhD on the impact of 3d digital technology and technological environment on sculpture installation art; Susan Frykberg, a composer of electro/acoustic music who often combines feminist, spiritual and social ideas in her work, and Toby Gifford, a music technologist sound designer and acoustic musician who has completed his PhD in interactive music systems, will offer technical support. The project we propose for Water and/or Peace residency and temporary public work (residency with public exhibition project) presents a multidisciplinary approach to the ways in which artists and the audience adapt to a creative experience.

The project combines music and sculptural forms data inside a digital context where sound, space, time and materiality are explored through a digital medium. It addresses an ecological and trans-national discourse, referencing water as an essential element of life. Original recordings, images and 3D objects are sourced from the physical space and location of the three artists – Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Sonic material from recordings of waters will be modified through granular synthesis and digital signal processing, through data obtained from a digital representation of manipulated data forms.

A number of software platforms will be used for this including Max and Ableton Live. Water sounds, changed by the data obtained through scanned elements from nature, parallel the interrelationship of the fish and water. Solar powered speakers will be used to make audible the sonic material.

Image projection will include a digital representation of manipulated data of a salmon form. The fish is an iconic figure of Canadian marine life and is also present in New Zealand and Australia. It is a visual metaphor for the complexity of the living condition. As a way to express the paradoxical aspect of life, the fish species selected also symbolizes the strength of nature’s instinct for survival. On site access to a portable power generator will supply energy for the data projector, allowing projections of 3D forms in nature. A stretched white net will be used as a projection screen.

This sound/projection multimedia installation project will enable us to explore new ways of looking, inventing, imagining and expressing past, present and future perceptions and interactions witl1 tl1e world in which we live. The main focus of our work is nature, transformation and change, through which we address ecological issues via the theme of water.

Ko Tatou te Tangata: talk

February 7, 2014/in Media Art Projects /by Ian Clothier

Glen Skipper (wearing leather hat) talks about the history, spirit and energies of Te Rewa Rewa pa.

As part of Intercreate’s Media Art Project Ko Tatou te Tangata a series of meetings and discussions with local iwi Ngati Tawhirikura were held, co-ordinated by Kura Puke and Stu Foster. One of the consequences of these discussion was that local historian and Puke Ariki Poutiaki Taonga Glen Skipper gave a talk about Te Rewa Rewa pa, at the pa site. One aim of the Media Art Project is to direct a laser from Katere Ki Te Moana marae to Te Rewa Rewa pa. The laser will carry audio contributed by local tangata whenua (people of the land, as Maori refer to themselves). The pa, now uninhabited, is a large site on the New Plymouth foreshore.

The two sites are connected by whakapapa (genealogy) people and history. Where once there was large settlement at Te Rewa Rewa, now the closest marae is Katere, which is several kilometres away. To direct laser light across the whenua (land), through the night sky carrying traditional knowledge and awareness is to re-awaken connection to place, and the project has facilitated this process greatly.

When standing on Te Rewa Rewa, the look and feel is that of farmed land, with a large open flat space at a good height for local visibility and indeed the land is leased to a farmer presently. Pieces of history are everywhere, with small entrances to mid 20th century structures, and pits in the flat plateau. The story of this land, its people, events, the politics, intrigue, comings and goings rise from hidden earth as Skipper takes us further into this place and it’s surrounds. Here, buried from everyday consciousness and awakened by the project are the many energies that constitute the living past, the veil having been lifted in the most delicate way by the efforts of Puke and Foster.

huatoki-walkway3

November 12, 2013/in 2015 Locations /by Ian Clothier

Huatoki walkway: history unveiled

It is interesting that following a river cuts across the urban city landscape and the corresponding histories of place. Nature and heritage are often obscured when the experience of place is dominated by being in buildings, and walking, taking a bus or driving the streets. To follow a river is to connect them all.

This is across the street from the car parks and the entrance to the Huatoki walkway proper

This is the under pass to which the sign is adjacent

The track is quite wide at points, with the banks off to the left. Once again looking upstream

This looks like a collection of boulders, but once was a large marker rock used by local iwi (tribes). It was dynamited in the colonial era

On the opposite bank of the river are the footings of an old water powered flour mill

Another pile of boulders, another dynamited marker rock

The area of the stream bank around the second rock

Looking back downstream toward the area of the second rock

Grinding stones from the several mills that once were located here

The view looking upward toward the end of the town centre part of the walkway. If needed further sites are located beyond

Signpost marking the end of this passage of the walkway

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huatoki-walkway2

November 12, 2013/in 2015 Locations /by Ian Clothier

Journey of a river/stream walkway: the Huatoki

The Huatoki runs under the main street of New Plymouth, then emerges in a mix of rustic walkway with hybrid plants and trees.

This small park is the continuation of the walkway, heading upstream

Looking downstream, back toward the main street of New Plymouth. The two trees on the left are marked historic by the Council and must be preserved.

This small area above the banks of the previous photo could be a site for a work or perhaps one of the stop points on the walking symposium

This photo is taken from a small bridge - too small for art works, but there is a car park next to it. The banks are quite steep though. This car park has a market on the weekends

This photo is taken from a small bridge – too small for art works, but there is a car park next to it (next photo). The banks are quite steep though. This car park has a market on the weekends

The car park on the left bank looking down stream. There is a car park on the right as well

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