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Published by the Depot Artspace 28 Clarence Street Devonport Auckland 0624 New Zealand 09 963 2331 www.culturalicons.co.nz www.depotartspace.co.nz All content Š Depot Artspace and the respective artists, 2014 No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any electronic or mechanical means without the written permission of the publisher and the relevant contributor(s). Front cover design: Baxter Richardson Layout and publication design: Lia Kent Mackillop Editing and proofing: Linda Blincko / Lia Kent Mackillop Written content: Linda Blincko / Mairi Gunn / Federico Monsalve Denys Trussell / Emma Whitlock
Publication Date: 03/2014 ISBN: 978-0-473-28095-6
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CONTENTS Introductions/Acknowledgements 4 Denys Trussell - Cultural Icons Patron Mairi Gunn - Cultural Icons Videographer Linda Blincko - Depot Artspace Founder and Creative Director Emma Whitlock - Cultural Icons Project Coordinator Federico Monsalve - Cultural Icons Editor Episodes: Geoff Chapple / The Underdogs Shonagh Koea / Vincent O’Sullivan Daughters of ARD Fairburn / David Eggleton Graeme Lay / Ian Wedde Chris Kraus / Kevin Ireland Dean Buchanan / Barry Brickell Barry Brickell / Denys Trussell Margaret Lawlor-Bartlett / Martin Rumsby Bradford Haami / Phillip Clairmont Phillip Clairmont William Keddell / Martin Edmond Nigel Brown / Hamish Keith Graham Beattie / Riemke Ensing Anna Kavan / Alan Pearson Alan Pearson / William Direen Rodney Wilson / Eve de Castro Robinson Stanley Palmer / Alistair Paterson Peter Webb / Geoff Chapple Gordon McLauchlan / John Miller John Miller / Claudia Pond Eyley Peter Smith / James Wallace Greer Twiss / Philip Trusttum Michael Hurst & Jennifer Ward-Lealand / Bob Harvey C.K. Stead / Mary McIntyre Peter Scholes / Tony Watkins Roger Horrocks / Quentin MacFarlane & John Coley Harold Kidd / Alison East Harry Sangl / Helen Pollock Miriam Cameron / Nigel Brown Terry Stringer / Catherine Chappell Robert Ellis Warwick Freeman / Peter Lange Annette Isbey Anthony Wilson / Jacqueline Fahey Gifford Jackson
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
Do you know a Cultural Icon? / The Vernacularist
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Cultural Icons is a series of filmed interviews with a wide range of established New Zealand artists. These artists, some of whom are now in their seventies and eighties, have made major contributions to the collective cultural identity of this country. The particular strength of these interviews lies in the fact that they are unhurried. Artist and interviewer can speak at length and explore aspects of the work in a way not available in normal media. This creates a unique record, detailed, fluent and available to researchers, historians, media arts programmes, galleries, libraries, museums and schools. This archive is of real significance in our cultural history. Denys Trussell Cultural Icons Patron I’ve been recording the Cultural Icon interviews at the Depot in Devonport for over three years. When the studio door is closed and the red light goes on, I am inside and feel privileged to be the fly on the wall as our esteemed icons reveal all to our well researched interviewers, such as the redoubtable Denys Trussell. Having never studied art history, it is hugely exciting and informative to hear the myriad stories and personal views of our country’s artists. Often times, the stories are moving and hilarious by turns. Our practice is to record full length interviews that are barely trimmed, let alone edited into sound bites. The interviewer and the interviewee are in charge of the timing. They call “cut” and determine the content of the interview. Sometimes the artists bring work in, maybe books and sculptures. The walls of the studio are plain black and our technical gear is minimal, but the scope and depth of the discussion is awe inspiring. This is one of my all-time favourite jobs, because we are recording the stories of a group of individuals who must strive to find support in our contemporary society and who might altogether slip into obscurity or even oblivion if we don’t take the opportunity to capture them. When we hear of the family of our subjects treasuring our recordings of a lost life partner we are reassured that this is valuable and important work, though it takes place in a humble way. Mairi Gunn Cultural Icons Videographer 31st October 2013
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“If we want to remain New Zealanders, to feel like New Zealanders, to act like New Zealanders, to present ourselves to the wider world as New Zealanders – then we must be able to listen to our own voices and trace our own footsteps; we must have our own heroes and heroines to inspire us, our own epics to both uplift and caution us; we must persist in building our own culture with our own ingredients to hand, and not import those ingredients ready-made from abroad. We can never shut out the rest of the world, but we must try to greet it as an equal partner – not as a land culturally bereft …” Being Pakeha Now: the Reflections and Recollections of a White Native 1999 Penguin The Cultural Icons project was initiated in 2010 by the Depot Artspace. It began as a series of recorded interviews for their web-based radio station Jam Radio. The catalyst for the project was New Zealand author and editor Graeme Lay who conducted the initial interviews with established New Zealand writers and publishers, a number of them local to Devonport and others undertaking residencies at the Michael King Writers’ Centre, also domiciled in Devonport. As interest in the project grew and further interviews were planned the Depot’s Media and Promotions Coordinator, Emma Whitlock, established an independent Cultural Icons website with the support from Gideon Keith’s Seven Design team, and cinematographer Mairi Gunn was enlisted to film the series. The Depot’s Cultural Icons project celebrates people who have contributed significantly to New Zealand’s creative landscape. It is an inspirational series of recorded interviews and programmes whose aim is to share the histories, stories and experiences of some of our most significant visual artists, architects, publishers, entrepreneurs, writers, musicians, arts commentators and philanthropists. The interviews are between friends and contemporaries and form a detailed cultural genealogy. Warm, informed and often intimate, the dialogues are a rare insight into these iconic people’s creative journeys, their youthful ambitions, their hurdles, successes and their contributions to New Zealand’s arts and culture scene. The patron of Cultural Icons is one of its most consummate interviewers, environmentalist, pianist, teacher, biographer and poet, Denys Trussell. Denys is well-networked and immensely knowledgeable and has both initiated and conducted more than a dozen interviews with long-time friends, colleagues and collaborators. We were also fortunate to have Rodney Wilson’s support on the series. Rodney, inimitably gracious and inquiring, conducted many insightful Cultural Icons interviews. We were deeply saddened by his passing in June, 2013. A tribute to Rodney, who died of cancer, was held by the Depot in 2012 and celebrated his rich creative life which included Directorships of Auckland Art Gallery and Auckland Museum and of the Maritime Museum which he also founded. The Cultural Icons interviews take place in the Depot Sound Recording Studio www.depotsound.co.nz Linda Blincko Depot Artspace Founder and Creative Director 5
“You learn something every day if you’re open to being a pupil, a pupil of the universe” - Dean Buchanan. Part of my role as the Cultural Icons Project Coordinator was to listen to the interviews being recorded live in the Depot’s sound studio. Each time I entered the dark, muffled room, to sit behind glass and hear the crystal clear thoughts of some of our most significant creatives was a privilege and a revelation. Here were the people who wrote about, painted, composed and created a large part of the New Zealand identity. And interviewing these people were other Cultural Icons, insightful, knowledgeable peers and friends, brought together in an environment conductive to this delicate task. The project is of national significance and unprecedented, there is, and can never be, another pairing of person, place and philosophy like it. The nature of the interviews are handled with great care. There is no slick sound-bite, media direction here. A cup of tea, some chat and then time - lots of time - to talk, in comfy armchairs, with no interfering gestures from the studio. Sometimes two hours was not enough (Alan Pearson) and sometimes a second, third, fourth interview must be scheduled (Barry Brickell). There is too much to talk about! Time allows philosophy, exploration, discourse, discovery. Time allows glorious things to happen, and they do, most regularly, in the rolling of a Cultural Icons recording. There are moments in every interview, when the interviewee stills, mid-recollection, hands frame something mid-air, mind transported and something would happen… some galvanizing, wild, wise epiphany shared or experienced, right there. From every single interview, whether poet, writer, artist, musician or outstanding arts administrator something always astounded me; these people all speak unapologetically about their spirituality. These people live spiritual lives, climbing mountains, riding motorbikes, walking the length and breadth of the country, building railways, creating, DOING things. Living, feeling, making, DOING. It is a privilege to listen to the tales of their childhood, their recollections of early adulthood, the experiences which shaped them, and in turn, shaped New Zealand’s own creative landscape. “It’s all mystery, you’re in it, you have to discover it, give it reason and if you don’t give it reason, there’s no reason for you to be here. Life needs consciousness” - Alan Pearson. Emma Whitlock Cultural Icons Project Coordinator
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My involvement with the Cultural Icons series has included operating the camera, minor video editing, and writing introductions for some of its 70 episodes. All three tasks have, in a way, relied on me being a “fly on the wall” witness to discussions between passionate, and driven creatives and intellectuals on what makes them tick, who their co-conspirators are, and how they went about their tasks and the rich poetry of their living. Being “forced” to listen has offered some incredible insight into what “New Zealand” means and how that identity filters into the work of its cultural icons. Local and national history, Maori narratives, liberal politics in its various hues and activisms, discussions of craft and influences, talks of the overseas cultural output that washes onto this shores.... They are but a few of the large themes I’ve been lucky enough to encounter during my work for this series. But, perhaps as it is crucial for an honest dialogue and any attempt at nation building, not all talk has been of the philosophical and idealised variety. This series is also full of soul-searching about the difficulties of being boundary-pushing thinkers in a relatively conservative nation that (by en large, and for historical reasons) favours practicality. Cultural Icons has allowed open discussions about the hurdles and tribulations that local creatives endure in their quest for “standing up right here,” and doing so in a manner that inspires and makes their audience better in the process. As a foreign born New Zealander this experience has been an invaluable education about my adoptive homeland, for any local, it should be required watching! Here is to another 70. Federico Monsalve Cultural Icons Editor
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Episode One: Geoff Chappell (Activist, Environmentalist, Writer) Geoff Chapple is an author, journalist, biographer of Rewi Alley, creator of the New Zealand-long walking track Te Araroa, and script writer, notably of The Navigator by Vincent Ward. Graeme Lay converses with Geoff about his first stage play, Hatch, the Plight of the Penguins, based on Joseph Hatch, a New Zealander who invented a way to extract batching oil by rendering down penguins.
Episode Two: The Underdogs - Louis Rawnsley and Archie Bowie (Musicians) Louis Rawnsley and Archie Bowie from New Zealand’s legendary sixties blues band, the Underdogs, talk with Neil Parker about the NZ music scene in the 1960’s, the band’s various line-up changes and what it was like to be regarded as ‘rebels’, playing blues in a predominantly rock/folk environment. 8
Episode Three: Shonagh Koea (Writer) Shonagh is the author of seven novels and three short story collections. Graeme Lay interviews Shonagh about her life in Devonport, New Plymouth and Auckland, her return to writing at 36 after previously feeling as though she was “banging her head against a brick wall”, winning the Air New Zealand short story competition and her experiences once she committed herself to her craft. Image credit: Glenda Randerson
Episode Four: Vincent O’Sullivan (Editor, Writer) Vincent O’Sullivan is a novelist, poet, anthologist, playwright, short story writer, biographer, critic and editor. Born and brought up in Auckland but having moved away in 1963, Vincent shares with Graeme Lay his nostalgia and impressions of the North Shore and Auckland from when he completed eight weeks of his residency at the Michael King Writer’s Centre. Image credit: Reg Graham 9
Episode Five: Daughters of ARD Fairburn (Artist, Critic, Poet) From his contribution to many aspects of the arts scene in Auckland, to his stance on gender equality and the organic movement, Fairburn was a larger than life character who charmed and infuriated both the critics and those who knew him. Graeme Lay interviews two of ARD Fairburn’s children, Dinah Holman and Janis Fairburn about their father.
Episode Six: David Eggleton (Poet, Writer) Here, performance poet, cultural historian, book reviewer and film editor David Eggleton talks with Graeme Lay. The two discuss his progress as he works on three different publications of poetry, his influences and his experiences as ‘The Mad Kiwi Ranter’ (David’s successful performance poet mantle from the mid 80’s). Image credit: Liz March 10
Episode Seven: Graeme Lay (Editor, Writer) In this wonderful interview, Kevin Ireland talks to Graeme about his life and his love of writing. Graeme relates some invaluable advice Frank Sargeson gave him as a young writer, his interest in writing local history especially the history of settlements and his experiences as an anthologist. He has been the secretary of the Sargeson Trust since 1986.
Episode Eight: Ian Wedde (Critic, Poet, Writer) In this programme Ian is interviewed by Kevin Ireland. Along with poetry readings by Ian, the two discuss the structural and abstract qualities of writing good poetry, Wedde’s experiences travelling through Bangladesh and working at the Museum of New Zealand, his thoughts on critiquing art and much more. 11
Episode Nine: Chris Kraus (Film-maker, Writer) New York born Chris Kraus talks with Martin Rumsby on her experiences growing up and studying in New Zealand and how those experiences shaped her work. Chris worked as a journalist on the Sunday Times and the Evening Post at a very young age (17) before she moved back to New York to become an artist. Thanks to Martin Rumsby and Floating Cinemas for donating this interview to the Cultural Icons project.
Episode Ten: Kevin Ireland (Poet, Writer, Librettist) In this episode Kevin Ireland is interviewed by Graeme Lay. He reads from his collection of poetry ‘How to Survive the Mourning’ and discusses his most recent novel ‘The Jigsaw Chronicles’, outlining the challenges and opportunities the science fiction genre presented the author. 12
Episode Eleven: Dean Buchanan (Artist, Mountaineer) Prolific landscape painter and mountaineer Dean Buchanan is interviewed by his friend Denys Trussell, poet, biographer, musician, and ecologist. During the past thirty years Dean has become one of New Zealand’s most prolific (and also most affordable) painters, as well as one of the most instantly recognisable.
Episode Twelve: Barry Brickell Part One (Artist, Environmentalist, Writer) Barry Brickell is interview by Hamish Keith. As long-time friends, the interview brims with warmth, humour, and priceless stories about the arts scene in Auckland, Barry’s pottery techniques, the development of the two men as artists, Barry’s childhood on the North Shore and feeling “highly nostalgic” on his return to Devonport as a Michael King Writers Centre resident (at the time of the interview). 13
Episode Thirteen: Barry Brickell Part Two (Artist, Environmentalist, Writer) In Part Two of Barry’s interview – this time with Graeme Lay, we learn more about Barry’s pottery, life, writing and his incredible Driving Creek Railway; brick works, potteries, railway and 22 hectare block of regenerated native forest in Coromandel Town.
Episode Fourteen: Denys Trussell (Ecologist, Musician, Poet) This Cultural lcons programme celebrates Denys Trussell, one of New Zealand’s most culturally ambidextrous icons; a poet, musician, biographer, essayist, ecologist and as discovered in this interview - ex-truck driver and gangster. Denys is interviewed by fellow wordsmith Kevin Ireland. 14
Episode Fifteen: Margaret Lawlor-Bartlett (Activist, Artist) Riemke Ensing interviews Margaret Lawlor-Bartlett QSM. The conversation takes in Margaret’s early life and her discovery of painting, her experiences studying at Elam, attending art schools in Paris, the ideas that inform her work and her role as a founding member of Visual Artists Against Nuclear Arms of which she is still greatly involved.
Episode Sixteen: Martin Rumsby (Curator, Film-maker, Writer) Julian McCarthy interviews pioneering filmmaker, writer, curator and exhibitor, Martin Rumsby. Martin is renowned for extensive and tireless contribution to alternative and experimental film in New Zealand. In 1980 he began working out of Alternative Cinema, the Auckland Filmmakers’ Co-operative. He went on to establish an independent film distribution service and annually toured film programmes around the country. 15
Episode Seventeen: Bradford Haami (Producer, Writer) Bradford Haami, author, journalist, producer, researcher, editor and TV director, is interview by Graham Lay. He worked at TVNZ for a number of years producing shows with Maori content. He is the author of several books including TRUE RED: The Life of an ex-Mongrel Mob Gang Leader. Bradford Haami is the first Maori writer to receive a residency at the Michael King Writers Centre.
Episode Eighteen: Philip Clairmont Part One by Martin Edmond & Hamish Keith Martin Edmond is interviewed twice for the Cultural Icons project; the first interview is about his writing, research and reflections on the vivid and short life of New Zealand artist Philip Clairmont. In 1999 Martin published the biography, ‘The Resurrection of Philip Clairmont’, which continues to receive critical acclaim. Martin is interviewed by prominent arts commentator Hamish Keith. Image: Scarred Couch by Philip Clairmont 16
Episodes Nineteen & Twenty: Philip Clairmont Part Two by Rachel Power & Martin Edmond The Cultural Icons two-part Clairmont programme presents part two with Rachel Power, activist, artist, partner of the late Philip Clairmont and mother of Orlando Clairmont. Rachel is interviewed by Martin Edmond, noted New Zealand novelist, essayist and author of ‘The Resurrection of Philip Clairmont’ (1999).
With eloquence and warmth the two converse for a total of two hours (split into two programmes), discussing Philip Clairmont’s work, his life, the stigma of suicide, and a great deal more. Image: Our Lady of the Flowers by Philip Clairmont
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Episode Twenty One: William Keddell (Artist, Film-maker) William Keddell is interviewed by fellow film-maker and friend Martin Rumsby. William and Martin discuss music videos, playing the stock market to fund films, the Muldoon era, the erosion of civil rights, alternative film and the changes he has seen leaving and returning to New Zealand over the last four decades.
Episode Twenty Two: Martin Edmond (Writer) While part one of Martin Edmond’s interview with Hamish Keith dealt with Martin’s biography on Philip Clairmont ‘Resurrecting Philip Clairmont’, part two looks at the author’s own life and career. Martin Edmond is a writer of non-fiction, poetry, biography and screenplays and has been the recipient of many awards and fellowships. Image credit: Liz March 18
Episode Twenty Three: Nigel Brown (Artist) Nigel Brown is interviewed by Denys Trussell. They’re friends and collaborators; in 2004 Nigel exhibited a series of work inspired by ‘The Dance of the Origin’, a poem by Denys. The two talk about the future of painting, the relationship between poetic words and visuals in Nigel’s work and his use of recurring symbols, such as the axe man, driveways and the little dog.
Episode Twenty Four: Hamish Keith (Critic, Curator, Editor) Graeme Lay interviews Hamish on his remarkable journey which has helped to shape New Zealand’s arts and cultural landscape. From graduating with a Diploma in Fine Arts at the Canterbury School of Fine Art in 1956 to becoming an assistant at Auckland Art Gallery, to hosting the Big Picture arts TV series, publishing 12 books on the arts and enjoying “the ability to be able to comment” with his columns, twitter and blogs. 19
Episode Twenty Five: Graham Beattie (Publisher, Writer) This interview between Graham Beattie and Graeme Lay takes the form of a journey through Graham’s career; from his early love of books to his becoming one of New Zealand’s most reputable children’s booksellers, as well as book reviewer, the Managing Director/Publisher at both Penguin and Scholastic, a book awards judge and most recently a prolific, reputable and extensively-read blog writer.
Episode Twenty Six: Riemke Ensing (Poet) Born in the Netherlands, Riemke Ensing has distinctively synthesised European and New Zealand influences. Riemke is interviewed by Denys Trussell. The two converse on Riemke’s journey as an immigrant, an English teacher and a poet. After arriving here in 1951, Ensing came to attention as editor of the first New Zealand anthology of women poets, Private Gardens. 20
Episode Twenty Seven: Anna Kavan by Jennifer Sturm (Writer) Dr.. Jennifer Sturm and friend Debbie Knowles discuss the life and work of Anna Kavan, an ‘unconventional’ and enigmatic personality whose experiences in NZ over 18 months in the 1940’s were written about in Sturm’s insightful book ‘Anna Kavan’s New Zealand’. Sturm’s research and her discovery of previously unpublished short stories by Anna Kavan has contributed significantly to renewed interest in the work of a woman whose writing has been compared to that of Virginia Woolf, Djuna Barnes and Jean Rhys.
Episode Twenty Eight: Alan Pearson Part One (Artist) Alan Pearson is one of New Zealand’s foremost expressionist artists. His is an imagery born of the attempt to understand life, the world, and his place in it, working with energy and passion towards conveying the turbulent emotions that such an undertaking brings forth. 21
Episode Twenty Nine: Alan Pearon Part Two (Artist) Here Alan and his good friend Denys Trussell discuss Alan’s life as a train driver, adventurer and ultimately an artist. The biographical tales weave together alongside Alan’s philosophy on the nature of the world, humanity, the senses and the “theatre of life”.
Episode Thirty: William Direen (Musician, Poet, Writer) In this Cultural Icons programme William and good friend Scott Hamilton discuss William’s early life growing up in Christchurch (where he set up the small alternative theatre-gallery; Blue Ladder Theatre); his literary and musical influences including the languages he has learnt, French, German and Latin; his experiences as a ‘intermediary citizen’ moving between New Zealand, Germany and France, where he now lives. 22
Episode Thirty One: Rodney Wilson (Administrator, Curator, Writer) In this interview Hamish Keith talks to Rodney about his remarkable career as past director of the Auckland War Memorial Museum and the Auckland Art Gallery, founding director of the New Zealand Maritime Museum and an outstanding arts administrator and activist. Rodney Wilson passed away on the 27th of April 2013. Image credit: Krzysztof Pfeiffer
Episode Thirty Two: Eve de Castro Robinson (Musician) Denys Trussell interviews Eve de Castro Robinson on her love of music and her vocation as a musician and composer. She has been commissioned and performed by a wide variety of performers, including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, NZ Symphony Orchestra, the Auckland Philharmonia, Chamber Music New Zealand and many more. 23
Episode Thirty Three: Stanley Palmer (Artist) Stanley Palmer, print maker and painter, is interviewed by Riemke Ensing, poet, about his lifetime of ‘reassembling landscapes’. Well-known for his bamboo engravings of the 1960’s and the signature fractured pictorial space of his early work, Palmer has always been experimental with his production techniques, driven by an abiding interest in the internal logic and process of art-making.
Episode Thirty Four: Alistair Paterson (Editor, Poet, Writer) Alistair Paterson is a poet, editor, anthologist, fiction writer and critic, associated with the rise in awareness in this country of American poetics, including aspects of post modernism and the concept of the ‘open form’. (www.bookcouncil.co.nz) Here Alistair talks with fellow poet Riemke Ensing about his life in poetry, his family, his service in the navy and much more. 24
Episode Thirty Five: Peter Webb (Auction House/Gallery Founder) Rodney Wilson interviews his friend and contemporary Peter Webb. Among his many outstanding achievements, Peter was the founding director of auction house John Cordy Limited in 1963, Exhibitions Officer at the Auckland Art Gallery from 1970 to 1974, and, with the late Ross Fraser as editor, he launched, Art New Zealand. In 1980 he met Ann Webb with whom he built the country’s foremost specialist auction house.
Episode Thirty Six: Geoff Chapple Part Two (Activist, Environmentalist, Writer) Here Geoff talks with Graeme Lay about the process of gaining national support, land access permissions (including from Canadian singer Shania Twain), funding and volunteer assistance to make Te Araroa a reality. His article in a Sunday newspaper began the volunteer movement to put in place Te Araroa - The Long Pathway - a continuous off-road track from Cape Reinga to Bluff. 25
Episode Thirty Seven: Gordon McLauchlan (Critic, Editor, Historian) Gordon McLauchlan and Hamish Keith hold a fascinating discussion across a spectrum of topical subjects, among them the lack of rebellion in NZ art and literature today, the often obstructive nature of committees, and the influence of diverse cultures on NZ. The interview also brings to light Gordon’s early career as a journalist, his boxing past and what he is discovering as he revisits his best seller, The Passionless People.
Episode Thirty Eight: John Miller Part One (Activist, Film-maker, Photographer) In this two part interview photographer John Miller talks with Denys Trussell about his long career photographing and filming protests, political conferences, demonstrations and art events, many of which have been pivotal in New Zealand’s contemporary history. 26
Episode Thirty Nine: John Miller (Activist, Film-maker, Photographer) In the second part of the interview John talks about the people who have supported and inspired him; his mother and family; Dame Joan Metge, who he boarded with while finishing secondary school; and the many activists, film-makers and protesters he has met and worked with over the last forty years.
Episode Forty: Claudia Pond Eyley (Activist, Artist, Film-maker) Claudia shares her childhood experiences with Denys Trussell and they discuss the development of her ideas over 40 years as an artist. Claudia talks about leaving the Waikato to live in Canada, her mother’s homeland, and returning to NZ to attend art school where she was taught by Colin McCahon. They also talk about her involvement in Feminist Art Network (FAN) and Visual Artists Against Nuclear Arms (VAANA). 27
Episode Forty One: Peter Smith (Administrator, Art Educator) Peter Smith is arguably the single most influential figure in art education in New Zealand since the 1950’s, shaping the national arts curriculum as well as training generations of art teachers. Here he is interviewed by Rodney Wilson. Peter Smith passed away on May 8, 2012.
Episode Forty Two: Sir James Wallace (Collector, Curator, Patron. Philanthropist) This conversation between arts patron and collector Sir James Wallace and Rodney Wilson, provides a rare insight into the character, philosophy and motivation of one of New Zealand’s most significant arts philanthropists. There are discussions on the changes that have occurred over the last 40 years and Sir James’ own concerns and hopes for the future of arts patronage, collecting and art institutions in New Zealand. 28
Episode Forty Three: Greer Twiss (Artist) Rodney Wilson interviews Greer Twiss, ‘the godfather of contemporary sculpture in New Zealand’, and the two friends traverse his remarkable career, from puppetry to art school, teaching and the development of his inventive and vigorous sculptural practice which spans more than 50 years.
Episode Forty Four: Philip Trusttum (Artist) Philip Trusttum, one of New Zealand’s most recognised contemporary painters, talks with Rodney Wilson. The ex-Christchurch students reminisce (Philip and Rodney studied art together in the 60’s) and discuss Philip’s early influences and experiences at art school, his ties to Christchurch; the effects the earthquake has had on him; and the long-time collector/artist relationship between Philip and Sir James Wallace. 29
Episode Forty Five: Michael Hurst & Jennifer Ward-Lealand (Actor, Director) This is a wonderfully candid programme with two icons of New Zealand film and theatre, Michael Hurst and Jennifer Ward-Lealand. Having taken part in scores of interviews, both together and individually, this is the first time the husband and wife thespians have interviewed each other.
Episode Forty Six: Bob Harvey (Activist, Administrator, Environmentalist) In this interview, dynamic entrepreneur and environmentalist Bob Harvey talks with David Slack about his “ripper life so far”, from his newspaper beginnings to founding his ‘Mad Men’ style Auckland advertising agency in the early 1960’s; from his significant involvement in the political campaigns of two New Zealand prime ministers (Norman Kirk and David Lange) to becoming the mayor of Waitakare City. 30
Episode Forty Seven: C.K. Stead (Poet, Novelist, Literary Critic, emeritus professor of English of the University of Auckland.) C.K. Stead is one of New Zealand’s foremost literary figures. Here he is interviewed by arts curator, presenter, social commentator and writer, Hamish Keith. Commencing the conversation with a discussion on ‘place’ within language and literature, they shift easily into sharing vivid memories of discovering the New Zealand vernacular in literature.
Episode Forty Eight: Mary McIntyre (Artist) Mary McIntyre, one of New Zealand’s foremost realist figurative painters, is interviewed by poet Riemke Ensing. Mary notes the influence of her grandmother; her Irish heritage, of which she finds and Colin McCahon, who taught her painting and drawing at a summer school. The conversation takes in Mary’s enjoyment of ambiguity, both in art and in life, and her practice, inspired by Rembrandt. 31
Episode Forty Nine: Peter Scholes (Composer, Musician) Peter Scholes is interviewed by Denys Trussell on his remarkable dual career performing - both as conductor and clarinetist - and composing. Peter was Founder and is currently Musical Director of the Auckland Chamber Orchestra. He studied conducting with Juan Matteucci and has conducted all the professional New Zealand Orchestras as well as the London Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras and the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
Episode Fifty: Tony Watkins (Activist, Architect, Environmentalist) Tony Watkins is interviewed by John Walsh (author and Communications Manager for the NZ Institute of Architects) on his multifaceted career which includes architect, author, educator, activist among others. He also chats candidly about some of the globetrotting adventures that have helped shape his life, art and philosophy. 32
Episode Fifty One: Roger Horrocks (Activist, Curator, Film maker, Biographer) From an early age Roger Horrocks found in art and astronomy solace from the conservatism of 1950’s Auckland suburbia. That early act of escapism has enriched the cultural fabric of New Zealand. This interview is peppered with accolades to film history, jazz, continental philosophy, and the mind-bending language of American poetry: all of these within the context of a New Zealand experiencing intellectual growing pains.
Episode Fifty Two: Quentin MacFarlane and John Coley (Administrator, Art Educator, Artist) This programme is a rich reminiscence of the years Quentin MacFarlane and John Coley spent at the School of Fine Arts at the University of Christchurch from 1954 – 1957 and Armagh St’s ‘little Bohemia’ – a community of artists who were ‘experimenting and forcing changes’. Image: Hamish Keith, John Coley, Quentin MacFarlane 33
Episode Fifty Three: Harold Kidd (Historian, Boat Restorer, Lawyer, Author) Rodney Wilson talks to Harold Kidd about New Zealand’s rich maritime tradition. Imbued with a passion for sailing from an early age, Harold has come to promote, and massively influence the maritime history of this island nation. By recognising the importance of boats in our nation’s cultural and social history, Harold continues to advocate for smart policy-making around heritage conservation.
Episode Fifty Four: Alison East (Art Educator, Choreographer, Dancer) Alison East is a Senior Teaching fellow in Dance Studies at the University of Otago, and a dancer, choreographer and educator of more than 39 years’ experience. She talks with her friend Denys Trussell about her practice, research and teaching, all of which reflect her interest in cross-disciplinary collaborative process and eco-political themes. 34
Episode Fifty Five: Harry Sangl (Artist) Interviewed by his daughter Michaela, Prague-born German artist, Harry Sangl describes how on migrating to New Zealand in 1969, he was completely taken by the works of artists Goldie and Lindauer and the moko on their portraits of Maori women. It inspired a journey around the North Island of New Zealand, and a series of 34 portraits, of the last remaining Kuia with moko.
Episode Fifty Six: Helen Pollock (Artist, Sculptor) Rodney Wilson speaks to sculptor Helen Pollock. They discuss everything from her early years as an artist through to the epiphany which led to the creation of “Falls the Shadow� a powerful sculptural installation made to commemorate the massacre at Passchendaele (Belgium) where 900 New Zealand soldiers lost their lives. 35
Episode Fifty Seven: Miriam Cameron (Activist, Artist) Denys Trussell speaks to artist and political activist Miriam Cameron about the many philosophies, people, and images that have surrounded her life and eventually influenced her work. We take a glimpse into her formative years as a regular visitor to the Onehunga Public Library with her father - a looming presence throughout Cameron’s life- and her mother’s fascination with classical Chinese painting.
Episode Fifty Eight: Nigel Brown Part Two Nigel Brown’s second interview is with author/curator Richard Wolfe where he discusses his fascination with kiwi iconography and a parallel, if somewhat humorous, admiration for local souvenir shops. He talks about his early encounter with the force -both physical and psychological- of the atomic bomb, and his constant observation of the dualities at play in the New Zealand psyche. 36
Episode Fifty Nine: Terry Stringer (Sculptor) Doctor Mark Stocker, Associate Professor in Art History at the University of Otago, interviews sculptor Terry Stringer. They discuss Terry’s work via three pieces which represent very distinct veins in the sculptor’s oeuvre. Through these very different sculptures and explanations of Terry’s practice we discover an artist concerned with ideas and wishing to solve them through what he calls “the four dimensions” of sculpture.
Episode Sixty: Catherine Chappell (Art Educator, Choreographer, Dancer) Catherine Chappell is interviewed by Raewyn White. We are given an insight into a career spanning more than 25 years and marked by tenacity, vision, and informed by inclusiveness and heart. Catherine’s passion for her art form has seen her work as a full time dancer in New Zealand, Italy and Germany. Catherine has taught widely and has also produced multiple, successful performances around New Zealand and Europe. 37
Episode Sixty One: Robert Ellis Part One (Art Educator, Artist) Robert Ellis discusses with Claudia Pond-Eyley his adolescence in Northampton, England. It was there that he experimented with etching and found a long lasting romance with oil painting. Ellis talks about his arrival at the Royal College of Art in London where his painting thrived and his social nous brought him in contact with some of the great names of his generation (John Minton, Albert Herbert, among others).
Episode Sixty Two: Robert Ellis Part Two (Art Educator, Artist) In this second part of the interview they discuss his early years in New Zealand, ranging from his realisation that the country could become an adoptive home, through to his wholehearted immersion in Maori culture. 38
Episode Sixty Three: Warwick Freeman (Jeweller) Warwick Freeman is interviewed by historian and curator Damian Skinner about his seminal role in the history of object-making in New Zealand. Their discussion ranges from defining the art-form through to locating it within the larger context of sociopolitical history.
Episode Sixty Four: Peter Lange (Artist, Sculptor) Richard Fahey interviews Peter Lange who reflects on a career suffused by curiosity and constant experimentation. Peter discusses the varied work history that preceded his becoming a production potter in the seventies. He explores the real-life repercussions of trade policy changes and how they shifted the entire playing field for local crafts people trying to compete with inexpensive, often poorly-made imports. 39
Episode Sixty Five: Annette Isbey Part One (Artist/Painter) Denys Trussell interviews Annette Isbey. She speaks of growing up in rural New Zealand as the worst of the Depression in the 1930’s and the spectre of World War II unfolded around her. Full of anecdotes of war, rural life, and an early fascination with art and literature we follow Annette from the Waikato, to Hokianga to Wellington’s Stokes Valley to Auckland’s Elam, through to Australia and her eventual return to the homeland.
Episode Sixty Six: Annette Isbey Part Two (Artist/Painter) In this second instalment we look at some of Isbey’s work as she explores the influences, processes and memories behind them. We discover the childhood that inspired her respect and later inclusion of animals in her work. She talks about the influence of a trip to Latin America, and some other remembrances from her life and the art theories (such as post modernism) that have shaped her as an artist. 40
Episode Sixty Seven: Anthony Wilson (Artist, Sculptor) Curator of Maori art, Ngahiraka Mason speaks to Anthony Wilson about the life and works of his late father Arnold Manaaki Wilson. This discussion covers a range of topics including: a brief exploration of Arnold’s often difficult childhood, his arrival at Elam where he became the first Maori to graduate with a Diploma in Fine Arts with first class honours in sculpture, and his work to establish a marae on Auckland’s North Shore.
Episode Sixty Eight: Jacqueline Fahey (Art Educator, Artist, Writer) In this interview with Denys Trussell, Jacqueline Fahey talks about her life and times and delves into some of the stories and geographies that form part of her recent and acclaimed memoirs Before I Forget. This interview transports the listener to the many places she’s lived in - Catholic school, Timaru, Elam, New York, and various mental institutions (due to the work of her late husband - psychiatrist Fraser McDonald). 41
Episode Sixty Nine: Gifford Jackson Part One (Designer) This interview brings together Michael Smythe (Author of New Zealand by Design) and seminal designer Gifford Jackson for a colourful conversation about graphic, maritime, industrial, interior and architectural design. Supported by a wealth of images, Jackson recalls with astounding visual memory, many of the experiences which formed his career.
Episode Seventy: Gifford Jackson Part Two (Designer) In the second half of the interview we explore the Gifford’s life in New York, and his eventual return to New Zealand. We hear anecdotes of Jackson living in the Big Apple during some exciting times for the advertising and design industries.
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DO YOU KNOW A CULTURAL ICON? Is somebody you know a Cultural Icon? Depot Artspace invites you to nominate individuals who have significantly contributed to Aotearoa, New Zealand’s cultural landscape to be considered for the Cultural Icons programme. Cultural Icons is a way to celebrate these people and their lives. If somebody you know has made a significant contribution to Aotearoa, New Zealand’s cultural development, please get in touch and tell us about them. Nominees are considered for their services, achievements in and contribution to the arts. Before making contact please consider any sources/reference material that will support your nomination. References may include websites, books, periodicals etc. When making a nomination please ensure that you include their full name and current contact information along with any reference material you are able to supply. Send your nominations via email to: linda.blincko@depotartspace.co.nz Or, by post to: Depot Artspace, 28 Clarence St, Devonport, Auckland, 0624 If you have any questions, feedback or ideas or would like to discuss a potential candidate please phone Linda Blincko on (09)963-2331
THE VERNACULARIST
The Vernacularist is a new evocative publication featuring thought provoking articles, artwork, poetry and more. The Vernacularist takes its title from contemporary use of the word ‘vernacular’, meaning culture relative to, or characteristic of, a period, place or group. The publication is inspired by Cultural Icons interviews where a quiet vernacular is being discovered; quiet in the sense that it is not bold nationalism or gratuitous colloquialism, but spoken and rising softly out of the way in which New Zealanders relate to one another; our particular environment and how we respond to that creatively. Issue one ‘Vernacular Perspectives’ is out now and available in print from Depot Artspace and online at: www.issuu.com/depotartspace For more information please email: erin.forsyth@depotartspace.co.nz
Pala Tavake Flag, Benjamin Work, aerosol and acrylic mural, Glen Innes, 2013. 43
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