A traditional gallery space at the Auckland Art Gallery has been transformed into a river-regeneration think-tank focusing on West Auckland’s Whau River. University of Auckland architecture lecturer Kathy Waghorn, 10 architecture students and American architect Teddy Cruz have created the Muddy Urbanism concept. It consists of the students’ projects that examine how the river and surrounding [...]

One afternoon, after playing live in Radio New Zealand’s Auckland studio, Don McGlashan was handed a phone. On the other end, calling from the other end of the country, was Otago-based luthier Ian Davie who’d been listening to the radio in his workshop. He said: “I like your music. I’ve never heard of you before [...]

Rising costs, falling visitor numbers and inflexible spaces are forcing central city art galleries to move or close, according to one of the founders of the Auckland Art Precinct gallery group. Jennifer Buckley says her own gallery Orexart is just the latest to move to the suburbs. The Heart of the City business association’s Big [...]

Artist Justene Williams’ exhibition, Turnstile Heaped on Pour Down, aims to amplify the excesses and wastefulness of society. Imagine being in a mildly terrifying dream with the volume turned all the way up. Dreams are usually quiet, but not this living nightmare. Three black beanbags in the gallery invite you to sink into them. But [...]

If you want to be transported to a frozen world, a new exhibition by the members of the Dust Art Collective, which opened its doors at a North Shore gallery this week, could be just for you. Curator of the Northcote gallery Wendy Harsant says the 12 Auckland-based artists have been together for around five [...]

Kiwi supergroup Fly My Pretties released their fourth album yesterday at a launch party tailor-made for their art-focused brand. Barnaby Weir, who has the unofficial role of band front man, was proud of the fusion between art exhibition and album launch that the organisers achieved. “There are lots of treats with this, both musically and [...]

First Thursdays, a collaborative art, craft and dance event on Auckland’s K’Rd recently had its most popular event to date, with more than 4,000 people in attendance. The not-for-profit event was given a grant from the government for the Rugby World Cup 2011 to get more people involved and increase publicity. Last Thursday night the [...]

On a cold, blustery September night a crowd forms in the foyer of Auckland Theatre Company’s headquarters in Dominion Rd. They’ve come to listen to the reading of a new play by Dave Armstrong, one of New Zealand’s most famous playwrights, which is being tested on an audience in a workshop setting for the first [...]

People love fire. Roger Thompson proved it. He’s the man who brought the art of fire sculpture to Wellington’s Petone foreshore. The concept is simple: Team members fashion a 3-4m high structure from flammable materials like wood, and when it’s done, set it alight and watch it burn. The Rotary Club, in conjunction with the [...]