Living Room 2011 - Metropolis Dreaming

Living Room, Auckland's annual 10-day public art event, kicks off again in April. It will present a mix of installations, performances, sound art, video projections and a poster project by international and New Zealand-based artists.

Curator Andrew Clifford says: "In 2011 Living Room is titled Metropolis Dreaming. The planned artworks will will encourage us to re-imagine our day-to-day urban surroundings, rediscovering ordinary, overlooked and hidden details of the city. Metropolis Dreaming spotlights the actual mechanics of a city's systems, transforming its functional everyday structures from a routine backdrop into imaginative possibilities. It is a celebration of post-industrial life and takes its inspiration from the excitement of the Italian Futurist movement felt at the start of the 20th century for the clamour and bustle of the new, kinetic environment of the machine age. 100 years later, Living Room announces that the city is both a cultural and technological hub, so will include projects that highlight the human dynamics of urban life."

Metropolis Dreaming runs from 8 - 17 April 2011 and you can see the lineup of artists here.

Living Room 2011: Metropolis Dreaming

Andrew Clifford will curate the next Living Room project, which will take place in Auckland's CBD from 8 - 17 April 2011. 

Taking a lead from the Futurists, METROPOLIS DREAMING will explore the imaginative possibilities of the city. Clifford says: "The dynamism of sound and light were important phenomena for the futurists and it is in this audio-visual terrain that METROPOLIS DREAMING will predominantly take place - a perfect genre for temporary and ephemeral projects. This will be a mix of installations, performances, video projects, activities and a poster project. Acknowledging that the city is both a cultural and technological hub, there will also be social projects that bring a new, contemporary angle to these ideas."

Artists confirmed so far for Living Room 2011 are: Ujino Muneteru (Japan), Young Hae Chang Heavy Industries (Korea/USA) Sam Hamilton (NZ) with John Reynolds (NZ), Gregory Bennett (NZ) with Mike Hodgson (NZ) and Ani O'Neill (NZ/Rarotonga). Contributing to the poster project are Sara Hughes (NZ), Peter Madden (NZ), Ruban Nielson (NZ/USA) and David Shrigley (UK).

Andrew Clifford is the curator at the Gus Fisher Gallery, which is part of Auckland University's National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries.

Image: John Reynolds, Small Magnetic Cloud (2001) , vinyl on aluminium

Urban Divas

Living Room 2010 will be launched on Friday 9 April at 6.15pm at the Auckland waterfront (Pier 3 Quay Street) with programmed performances including Urban Divas, a collaborative work by artist Phil Dadson and choreographer Carol Brown. In this piece a roving chorus inhabits a series of civic spaces within the central business district of Auckland through body movement, voice and sonic props. Arriving unannounced at pre-determined times and places, they will perform short choreographic interventions and loud, sonic interjections that resonate through the public sites.

  

Urban Diva places/times:

Friday 9 April, Living Room launch 6.15pm, from Pier 3, Quay Street

Saturday 10 April, 2.00pm from Pier 3, Quay Street

Tuesday 13 April, 12.30 from Freyberg Place

Thursday 15 April, 2.00pm, from Pier 3, Quay Street

Saturday 17 April, 12.30pm, from Freyberg Place

And on Saturday 10 April at 11.00am Phil Dadson presents an artist's talk at Art Station on Ponsonby Road.

This link takes you to the full Living Room 2010 programme.

Image: courtesy Phil Dadson

Living Room 2010: A Week of Goodness

This year's edition of Living Room runs on the streets of Auckland's CBD from Friday 9 - Saturday 17 April 2010. The programme of live performance art and moving image that brings together local and international artists and choreographers has been curated by Pontus Kyander around the theme "A Week of Goodness". 

This year's lineup includes artist Phil Dadson working with choreographer Carol Brown and artists et al. working with choreographer Sean Curham. We'll post further information on event times and locations later in the week.

Image: Living Room 2010: A Week of Goodness, Auckland City Council website.