Arts and Public Funding

An interesting thread has developed in the comments on a post of a few days ago but I thought I’d raise it again here (as blogs are not always the easiest platform for a ‘forum’ discussion).

I suggested that under previous governments I thought there had been tax incentives for corporate art collections and alibi had an idea that “there was a percent for art kind of scheme attached to new building projects in the eighties, where spending 1% of the project budget on art attracted tax benefits.”  and asked “anyone got any examples of quality artwork being produced via percent for art schemes in nz? a corporate collection that wasn’t interior decorating oriented?”

Well I know of the “BIG” collections (BNZ, Rutherford, Fletcher) of which my understanding is that they developed during this time as corporate tax write-offs but I did work in a building on The Terrace in Wellington for a long time that had some scary ’80s neon going on in the floor of the foyer which I hope wasn’t an ‘artwork’.

On a brief internet search I found this from a Christchurch Art Gallery exhibition in 2005 “Boom: Banking on Art in the 80s“. “The idea of art as investment exploded in the 1980s as bull markets and swift economic growth encouraged the century’s greatest corporate spending spree. It was a timely moment for the Bank of New Zealand to establish its collection” . I do wonder if this is only part of the story but at least some of these works are ‘getting around’ these days e.g. the Southland Museum and Art Galleryin Invercargill.

[and here I would insert an image of Billy Apple's "From the BNZ Art Collection"]

And this “Whipping the Wind,a neon sculpture by Paul Hartigan…fills 10 windows in a turret topping the podium of the Sybase Building on the corner of Lambton Quay and Ballance Street. The sculpture was originally installed in 1988…The building developer funded and installed  Whipping the Wind under the City Council’s Art Bonus scheme – in return the Council allowed the height of the building to be increased by two floors.”  Well that’s an interesting trade-off, but I gather quite a common one.

As you can see from this. “For most people, the phrase corporate art summons up images of permanently installed minimalist sculptures, such as the huge generic ball that was toppled from its perch in the movie Fight Club. Much of this kind of work is the result of “art percent” schemes, which were popular around the world in the mid to late 20th century and resulted in indifferent artworks being plonked into large marble voids begrudgingly set aside by architects so a developer could stretch planning regulations. Streamlined and solid enough to resist the most stringent of OSH requirements, these monolithic abstracts are hardly likely to disrupt the monolithic structures they occupy.“

Now I know there are one or two people who read this that may have some insights - so I hope they’ll share. In the meantime I will be checking out “Privatising culture : corporate art intervention since the 1980s” by Chin-Tao Wu tomorrow.

BTW - today someone suggested I get this shirt. I can think of a few situations where it might be useful :-)

 

BTW - wordpress has started adding stuff to the bottom of my posts (related blogs) I hate it

Sinfonia Antarctica

I had a little spare time today so I stopped by The Dowse in the Hutt Valley to see ‘Sinfonia Antartica’. I haven’t been to the “New Dowse” (since the upgrade) and I am sorry to say I’m not overly impressed. Firstly I hate the pink and really what’s with the entrance way - that isn’t? You have to check out what Over the Net had to say about it starting with “someone once said that the sign of a great building was a lack of signs”  Well the Dowse is not only over-run with signs but I still had to ask someone where Sinfonia Antartcia was AND I had a floor plan as well. Maybe I have limited spacial abilities or was still trying to get my bearings relative to how the gallery USED to be. Oh and the Dowse is NOT the really the place for the gallerina attitude ok (or whatever the male version is).

The Old Dowse

The New Dowse (ok it IS more stylish)

Enough grumbling - after I found it, I was very impressed with the exhibition. “Sprinkled with snippets of poetry, hung with gargantuan prints of ice caps and filled with an atmospheric soundtrack, Sinfonia Antarctica, showcases this great white continent as seen through the eyes of painters Dick Frizzell, Nigel Brown and Grahame Sydney, ceramist Raewyn Atkinson, writers Bill Manhire and Chris Orsman, jeweller Kirsten Haydon, textile artist Clare Plug and photographers Anne Noble, Andris Apse and Joyce Campbell”

I have to say firstly that I am a bit of a Nigel Brown ‘fan’ so I enjoyed his paintings, special because he tried to actually paint ‘on the ice’ and has stories to tell about that! I was particularly impressed with a textile work by Clare Plug, a medium that you might not think lends itself to the subject but it was great. Apse’s photograhs were quite amazing and caught an unexpected granduer but Joyce Campbell’s long prints of the Barne Glacier were quite amazing. The photos of white ice on the white gallery really worked better than you’d think and they were so cleverly hung. “Her intention in full scale exhibition display is to induce a sense of human insignificance”.  It was not over-curated either but to the point when I asked for accompanying literature - there wasn’t any (’well not that we can just hand out”). When I got home I had a good look on the web and found that this exhibition is part of the NZSO ‘Exploring Antartica’ programme and there are a whole lot of related events, artists talks etc and further information at that site, including the Artists to Antarctica scheme

At the Dowse they were selling the book I am reading “The Wide White Page” in association with the exhibition, but here’s a tip - I got mine for $5 at a remainder sale at Whitcoulls.

However the highlight of the trip was “Assume Nothing” ‘portrait photographs by Rebecca Swan, and award-winning documentary footage by Kirsty McDonald, reveals both the extraordinary, and often very ordinary worlds of New Zealand’s transgender community.‘ I was stunned by the photos - not because of the content (in fact I know more than one of the subjects personally) but because of the essence Swan has managed to capture on film.

Merge - Rebecca Swan

I wish I’d had more time to look about. Definitely worth going to see and there are a lot of events on related to both these exhibitions.

Afternoons and coffeespoons

I was at my favourite cafe today when I noticed that a painting I really liked that had been there for an age (and I was quietly thinking of saving up for) had gone. I didn’t think so much of the replacement. Anyway the painting I liked was called “Motu Motu” and by the artist Jon Stevenson
Jon in front of Motu Motu

The thing that is good about a regular cafe is that they almost have your long black waiting as you walk in the door - or a Romano in the weekends! Casa Java also serves fair trade coffee which totally blew my cutting down plan by drinking only fair trade. Now if only they had fair trade Ethiopian Yirgacheffe my life would be complete.

I’ve been reading some design books this week. Firstly “Crown Lynn: New Zealand Icon” by Valerie Ringer Monk. I just keep thinking that I grew up with this stuff and some of it is gross. My mother would be amazed that it is now so collectible. She got a set of ‘Autumn Splendour’ as wedding gift I believe or maybe a little later - anyway it was slowing disappearing when I came on the scene and replaced with Fleurette.

Fleurette

The other book is 40 Legends of New Zealand Design by Douglas Lloyd Jenkins and its a bit of a revelation. Again its very familiar territory but the significance of some of these people had been a bit lost on me. Another book to add to the “must buy one day” list. I might have to start another page here for that - or at least a link to an Amazon wishlist. Actually forget Amazon - I’m trying to buy books via Goodbooks if possible now but to be honest, I don’t buy very many books at all. Thankfully my library has accepted another list of recommendations from me recently (including the new Angus one).

Speaking of books I picked up two good 2nd hand ones today Below the Surface: words and images in protest at French testing on Moruroa  and Landfall 208. Both have inscriptions, which is something I love. I suppose unless its from the author they devalue a book, but don’t you ever wonder who “Ethel, Christmas 1947″ was? Anyway the copy of Landfall had an inscription on the cover from Fiona Kidman which is funny considering the contents.

My recent obsession with Plischke houses (still haven’t located Eve Page’s) led someone to point out to me the latest “Home New Zealand” magazine which features two quite amazing mid century houses - worth a look!

 

Isn’t it iconic?

I just want to say that I am heartily sick of the term “iconic”. It seems sometimes that every little bit of pop culture, kitsch or kiwiana is some sort of cultural icon. Are we that desperate for identity? It leads to the country being littered with gigantic fish, fruit and vege, L&P bottles (actually I don’t mind that one), gumboots and stuff like this.

I guess it taps into nostalgia, our childhoods, a simpler time, and makes us smile but after a while it just gets on my nerves. ‘Iconic’ begins to make as much sense as that song by Alanis Morrisette which is only any good when interpreted by Ed Byrne. It becomes about as appealing as a paua shell ashtray set in black resin and makes me wonder what was so threatening about giant rabbits in Cathedral Square? That said, I am the owner of a disconcerting amount of kitsch items.

Now I’m done with that rant, I made a great find at the library book sale today. ARD Fairburn biography “Walking on my Feet” - 25cents (!!!) One wonders why they were getting rid of it. It had quite a section about his fabric prints of Maori rock art designs (after T Schoon). I was ‘debating’ over at Ashbash today about the symbolism of Schoon and Walters and cultural theft etc (I really need to just lurk there and keep my mouth shut) and I wish I’d mentioned Fairburn’s money making off the back of these images - even though he did badly because he gave so much away. I have seen a framed panel in the current “Art of the Nation” exhibit at Te Papa and I understand they hold more of Fairburn’s fabrics. I wonder if they are a conservation nightmare considering how he ‘aged’ them by letting the fabric go mouldy under his house?

My library really has been getting better and better and it made the past year when I didn’t have access to a University library (which is SO NICE to have back) bearable. They have bought the last few books I have suggested including “The $12 Million Stuffed Shark“, the author of which, Don Thompson, will be on the Kim Hill programme this weekend. OK so they had the artist of a Nigel Brown limited edition print that hangs in the library down as Gordon Brown but they were happy to correct that. And I’m saying all this without the prospect of being employed there either :-) The building even has award winning architecture by Warren and Mahoney. Apparently it is a ”carefully layered and elegantly composed building that engages the human spirit” which is a bit of a stretch but I do like the modernist influence.

On the subject of books, the New Zealand Post Writers and Readers week starts tomorrow. I doubt I will get to anything but will attempt to see “The Camera is a Small Room“. If you are looking for icons, “Art & Text” might do the trick as McCahon’s I AM could truly be considered iconic.

As a footnote, isn’t it weird when you come across something that could have been written from your own life. This has happened a few times recently which maybe is just a reflection of New Zealand literature and the commonality of experience of NZ life with the country being so small and all. But “Chemical evolution: Drugs and Art Production 1970-1980″ by Martin Edmond was scarily close to home - so many familiar people and places. Also just as a social history document it was prescient with all the talk of “Muldoonism” in the current election scare mongering and also recent cases bringing up historic police corruption. All I can say is that I don’t think ANYONE wants to go back to those times politically. Anyone remember the Knobz and the song Culture? Which brings me to “Tea Towel of the week” - a la Richard Till.