Va Tapuia (Sacred Spaces) is the first short film, shot in the village of Manunu and Fagaloa Bay in Upolu,

Samoa and written and directed by Samoan-born and raised Tusi Tamasese, that has been selected to be screened in the 2010 New Zealand International Film Festival in Auckland and Wellington.

Va Tapuia refers to the sacred space which connects people with one another and the world around them.

Tusi Tamasese describes his inspiration for writing Va Tapuia. “Growing up in Samoa, I was fascinated by the bond between our deceased relatives usually buried in our front yards.”

With award-winning producer Catherine Fitzgerald (Rain of the Children; Two Cars, One Night) at the helm, Va Tapuia premieres the arrival of a courageous Pacific voice. “We would like as many Samoans to support this film, crafted by a fellow Samoan.”

It will screen as part of the short film programme: Homegrown: Dramatic Digital Shorts

Auckland
Friday 16 July | 6:00pm | Academy Cinema | Tickets $15.00 / Seniors $9.00
Saturday 17 July | 11:15am | Academy Cinema | Tickets $15.00 / Seniors $9.00
Monday 19 July | 11:15am | Academy Cinema | Tickets $11.50 / Seniors $9.00

Wellington
Thursday 22 July | 6:15pm | Film Archive Tickets $15.00 / Seniors $9.00
Sunday 25 July | 4.00 pm | Film Archive Tickets $15.00 / Seniors $9.00
It will also screen before the Mexican film Alamar at SKYCITY Theatre and Soundings Theatre, Te Papa.

Auckland
Wednesday 21 July | 1.45pm | SKYCITY Theatre Tickets $11.50 / Seniors $9.00
Wednesday 21 July | 6.30pm | SKYCITY Theatre Tickets $15.00 / Seniors $9.00

Wellington
Thursday 29 July | 6.30pm | Soundings Theatre, Te Papa Tickets $15.00 / Seniors $9.00
Saturday 31 July | 11.45am | Soundings Theatre, Te Papa Tickets $15.00 / Seniors $9.00

PLEASE NOTE: Every ticket incurs a booking fee, ranging from 50 cents per ticket to $8.00 per transaction. The amount depends on the booking method and when the ticket has been purchased.

The Aesthetica Creative Works Competition is now open for entries! Aesthetica Magazine is inviting all artists, writers and poets to submit their work into the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition 2010. Now in its third year, the Creative Works Competition is a highly regarded competition that celebrates and champions creative talent across three disciplines, identifying new artists and writers and bringing them to international attention. 

The Competition has three categories, Artwork, Poetry and Fiction. 
Winners and finalists are published in the Aesthetica Creative Works Annual.
Winners of each category receive £500 prize money (apx. $1,080) plus other prizes.
Entry to the Creative Works Competition is £10 (apx. $21).
The entry fee allows the submission of 2 images, 2 poems or 2 short stories. 
The deadline for submissions is the 31st August 2010.
More guidelines on how to submit can be found online at http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/submission_guide.htm

Pacific Dance New Zealand is proud to announce that Justin Haiu has been selected as the Manukau Pacific Dance Artist in Residence for 2010.

The residency will be carried out in Manukau for eight weeks starting 31 July.

This exciting new residency is presented by Pacific Dance New Zealand in partnership with Manukau City Council and DANZ (Dance Aotearoa New Zealand).

Applications were sought from established New Zealand based dancers, dance choreographers and directors of Pacific Island descent with a proven track record of working in a community and/or professional theatre context.

Mr Haiu, from the islands of Wallis and Futuna and now based in Mangere Bridge, is an established Pacific Island dancer with significant performance, instruction and choreographic experience.

Mr Haiu has appeared as a performer in a number of professional theatrical and television productions including the Australian stage production of Lion King (Melbourne and Shanghai), The Arrival (Red Leap Theatre, presented at the NZ International Arts Festival as well as in Hong Kong and Sydney) and Tent by esteemed choreographer Michael Parmenter. 

He was a finalist in ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, a nominee for Best New Work at the Tempo NZ Festival of Dance in 2009, and chosen as one of four choreographers who created a new dance work for the Pacific Dance Fono at the 2009 Manukau Festival of Arts.

Mr Haiu is currently choreographing the upcoming Pacific dance theatre production My Penina at The Edge showing from 2-7 August.

Pacific Dance New Zealand director Iosefa Enari is thrilled with the selection of this year’s artist. “Justin will bring to this residency a clear sense of community involvement and the youth of Manukau will benefit significantly from his residency. We are proud to be involved in Justin’s development as a choreographer and dance artist.” 

During the residency Mr Haiu will be given the opportunity to create a dance work with youth participants from the community culminating in a public showing at the new Mangere Arts Centre – Nga Tohu o Uenuku in September.

ENDS

For more information, please contact: Aaron Taouma on 021 284 0150 or email at marketing@pacificdance.co.nz or visit the following websites:

www.pacificdance.co.nz , www.manukau.govt.nz/arts , www.danz.org.nz

This is an exciting opportunity to be associated with the provision of community arts in Manukau. The successful candidate will be working with local Pacific Art communities extracting creative ideas and translating them to relevant art experiences. The role exists to promote and provide advice to the Manukau Pacific Arts community for planning, management and co-ordination of programmes, exhibitions and local events ensuring strategic, high quality results are achieved within deadlines and funding budgets. The position holder will also be responsible for the management of Fresh Gallery Otara and associated staff.

The successful candidate will combine management experience and a commitment to the arts, with leadership and communication skills to work effectively in a diverse and co-operative environment. A sound financial management capability and understanding is also important, as is a creative but disciplined approach and the ability to build and manage relationships with key stakeholders.

The successful candidate will have a degree level arts related qualification, three to fives years working in the creative industries with a focus on events co-ordination and delivery, and demonstrated knowledge of the unique social context of Pacific people in Manukau and the wider Auckland region.

Deadline for applications is: Friday 2 July

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Cerisse Palalagi: Motunei
19 June – 12 September 2010 in the Deane Gallery
Art historian Nicholas Thomas writes in the catalogue notes for the exhibition Savage Island Hiapo (1998) that while Niuean hiapo (bark cloth) painting shares stylistic features with other painted or printed forms of tapa from the Pacific, it is distinctive in its use of freehand painting, the diversity of the motifs, and the irregularity of the patterning – painterly practices which Auckland based artist Cerisse Palalagi (Niuean, Maori), like John Pule before her, refers to as the cultural foundation for her art practice.

Characterised by an impressive mastery of a wide array of print and mark making processes such as silk screening, photographic emulsions, hand painting and drawing, embroidery and photography, Palalagi’s art merges hiapo practices with contemporary printing and portraiture.

Her works respond to her experience of current social trends and developments in Pacific cultures and community. Palalagi explains, “The patterns I use are a reflection of my identity. I like the juxtaposition of cultural symbols and people combined in my portraits. They are usually of people in my family, including myself. This is my way of reviving the culture, and showing people that our culture and language is not dead.”

Motunai, a Niuean word referring to ‘people of the land’, can also be translated as Motu nei meaning ‘this land or island’ in Maori language. However Motunei is more than just a reference to Palalagi’s Niuean and Maori heritage. Recognising the historical significance of landscape in Pacific cultures, Motunei acknowledges Pacific communities who now look beyond their home shores seeking a sense of belonging within a global community. Referring to the advent of fibre-optic telecommunications as a recent catalyst for this shift in social and cultural behaviours, Palalagi explores the influence of mainstream media and online cultures of communication on Pacific youth. Of particular interest to Palalagi is the influences of pop culture and the age of ‘digital devices’ on Pacific youth.

Reuben Friend

Curator Maori and Pacific Art

Biography
Cerisse Palalagi is of Niuean and Maori (Ngati Pikiao) descent. She was born in 1977 and lives in Auckland. She works predominantly in the mediums of printing, painting and drawing and more recently photography. Palalagi graduated from Auckland University’s Elam School of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2000, and is currently studying towards a Masters of Visual Arts and Design at Auckland University of Technology. Palalagi has recently completing a lithography print residency (2010) at the Auckland Print Studio, Unitec New Zealand, Auckland, and in 2008 attended the Tenth annual Pacific Arts Festival, Pago Pago, America Samoa.

Palalagi is an active member of Toi Whakataa Press, the Maori Print Collective and exhibits regularly in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad. Recent exhibitions include Native Coconut (2010), Fresh Gallery Otara, Auckland, Taa Moemoea (2009), Solander Gallery, Wellington, Strengthening Sennit (2008), St Paul St Gallery, Auckland, Red Thread (2008), Okaioceanikart Gallery, Auckland, Ranea (2008), Fresh Gallery Otara, Auckland, Pocahontas meets Hello Kitty (2007), Richard F Brush Art Gallery, St Lawrence University, New York, and Squeak Toy Animals (2006), Wisconsin, USA.

Creative New Zealand in association with Pasifika Festival presents ARTSpeak Pasifika – a two-day national fono for the Pacific arts industry.

Open to Pacific artists working in visual arts, performing arts, film and television, music, literature and heritage arts, the fono is an opportunity to share ideas and participate in panel discussions designed to provide inspiration and practical advice on making a successful career in the arts.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact Anton Carter anton.carter@creativenz.co.nz or Makerita Urale pacific.arts.2010@gmail.com

Cost: a flat rate of $30 includes both days as well as lunch and morning and afternoon teas. A limited number of travel subsidies are available to assist participants from outside the Auckland region to attend.

SCAPE 2010 Christchurch Biennial of art in public space is providing scholarships for two emerging writers, interested in contemporary art writing to participate in a one day writing workshop alongside other established, early career contemporary art writers. The workshop will provide an opportunity for each participant to develop his/her writing practice, and gain further insight into the field of contemporary art writing.

The workshop will be facilitated by Vanessa Joan Mueller, Director of Düsseldorf Kunstverein and well-known curator of many contemporary art events and exhibitions, on Thursday 23 September 2010.  The workshop will be an intensive day long event and only serious applicants should apply.  Scholarship recipients will be expected to attend all events associated with the opening weekend of SCAPE, 24-26 September.  Scholarships will cover workshop related costs and the cost of travel and accommodation where recipients live outside ofChristchurch.  Scholarships are available to New Zealandresidents only.<!–[endif]–>

Application Process
Writers interested in applying are asked to submit two published (relevant) pieces of writing, of no more than 2,000 words, together with a CV and covering letter of no more than 100 words, outlining what they hope to gain from participating in the workshop.

Please note: as we are not able to return any material we recommend originals are not included.

Closing date: 5pm 9 July 2010 Late applications will not be accepted. Successful applicants will be notified by email no later than 23 July.

Letters of application, with attached documents, should be sent to:
Caraline Douglas, Critical Writing Workshop Co-ordinator
SCAPE 2010 Christchurch Biennial
C/- Art & Industry Biennial Trust
PO Box 763 , Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
or email to caraline@scapebiennial.org.nz

SCAPE 2010 is the 6th biennial organised by the Art & Industry Biennial Trust, New Zealand’s premier biennial for art in public space.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: ART & INDUSTRY BIENNIAL TRUST, PO BOX 763 | CHRISTCHURCH 8140 | NEW ZEALAND | +64 (03) 365 7990 |info@scapebiennial.org.nz | www.scapebiennial.org.nz

PRESENTED BY:

WITH SUPPORT FROM:
MAJOR FUNDERS: Perry Foundation, Lion Foundation. MAJOR SPONSORS: Adrienne, Lady Stewart, Christchurch City Council, Creative New Zealand – The Arts Council of New Zealand. SPONSORS: Anderson Lloyd Lawyers, Asia NZ, Australia Council for the Arts, Beca, Blueprint, Boffa Miskell, Canterbury Community Trust, Chambers PR, Chartwell Trust, Ernst & Young, Fletcher Construction, Goethe Instuit, Grant Thornton, Heritage Management Services, New Zealand Charitable Foundation, Shannon’s Way, SIFT, Solid Energy, Wrightmann Collection. SUPPORT SPONSORS: Artspace, Sydney; Arts Centre of Christchurch, Vbase, Website Results.