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Winter’s here, and so is the Lōemis Festival

The 8th Lōemis arts festival will run from June 10 to 21. Creative director Andrew Laking selects some of his favourites.

I’ve always liked mid-winter. As the darkness descends, it’s a great time for people to come together, lean into the mystery and discover new events – of which there are a lot of in this year’s programme!

Greathall

Greathall expands on our earlier market ideas with this largescale experiential market at Shed 6; featuring artists selling their artworks, multiple sound zones, shadow-projected light arrays, rat-portraiture (it’s a thing), improvised theatre, food, craft beer tasters, and great coffee. The space is lit from light to dark, and as you walk through from one end to the other, visitors pass through multiple zones with location-specific sound and music, and an everdarkening aesthetic.

Lemons [Prelude]

When old structures collapse, what remains? In this week-long, nightly outdoor performance, created by Miranda Manasiadis, Tāmaki Makaurau-based performance artist Arlo Gibson drags a giant statue head through Wellington’s city centre. It’s a great concept and sprawling presentation of ideas that will open many doors.

Betsy Balloon

We’ve turned our attention to younger audiences with this new work, in development, that tells the story of Betsy, a young girl who lives in a world that never stops raining. The show was first conceived two years ago with support from the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts and is based on a story by Bill Manhire, with music by Moniker (a trio of composers making waves in the film world, and more widely known for their work with the Phoenix Foundation). Manhire’s script has been transformed into a narrative poem by Nick Ascroft and is being presented in the form of a live radio show, with live illustrations by Stephen Templer.

Circle

The term left-field couldn’t be more apt for this new, largely improvised, immersive comedy event, which hones in on the often baffling nature of sport. Born from the wit of Duncan Sarkies, the show covers the 57th Annual World Circle Drawing Championship, in which audience members are invited to compete for the Circle Cup. The beauty of this event is that nobody has any idea how it will turn out, but we feel comfortable in the safe hands of MC Stephen Templer (as Lance McMahon, an uber-positive entrepreneur); improvised comedy supremo Ian Harcourt (as Graeme Powell, former competitor turned comments person); and Binge

Culture regular Stevie HancoxMonk (Head Judge).

Callum Allardice’s Cinematic Light Orchestra

Apra multi-award-winning composer, Callum Allardice, has been writing cinematic music for some time, and has recently finished recording an album of new works for his jazz orchestra. To celebrate the release, we invited Callum and his orchestra to perform at The Roxy Cinema, complete with a spectacular array of big-screen imagery created specially to complement his music. This show continues a series of music/film collaborations we have put on at the Roxy, dating back to 2017.

Firefly x NZSQ

This pairing of Justin Firefly Clarke with the New Zealand String Quartet promises to be a spectacular mash-up, both acoustically and stylistically. Clarke, perhaps best known for his work with Congress of Animals and Bret McKenzie, brings his well travelled, electric guitar powered compositions head-on into the acoustic, technical and artistic brilliance of the NZSQ. I’ve always enjoyed the melding of electric and acoustic worlds, especially when it’s done well . . . it’s hard to think of a better matchup than this.

Atonement :: Metamorphosis

We close out this year’s festival at Freyberg Beach on the night of the winter solstice, with new readings from poets Hannah Mettner, Tim Grgec and Arihia Latham; accompanied by live music and a ceramic baking ceremony over open fires. People have been observing the winter solstice since neolithic times – we’re a bit late to the party, this is only our eighth go at it – but you can certainly get a sense of deep connection to ancient history during these events.

1. A bobsled runs on a track covered in what? Bananas; dishwashing liquid; or ice.

2. 125-75= ?

50; 20; or 75.

3. How many strings does a standard violin have? Eight; four; or six.

4. Eliminate a native plant species of New Zealand. Kōwhai; agapanthus; or silver birch.

5. What does the L in laser stand for?

Lines; lamp; or light.

6. In skeet shooting, what are the skeet made of?

Clay; glass; or cotton.

7. Complete the sentence with the correctly spelt word. He wasn’t joking, he was being Litteral; literal; or literle.

8. What word is used for both the longest and shortest day? Solstice; equinox; or quincunx.

9. The kōtuku, or white heron, is on which New Zealand coin?

50c; $1; or $2.

10. Arrange these words in order of their first recorded use: Dance/locomotive/supersonic; locomotive/dance/supersonic; or supersonic/locomotive/ dance?

Creative Capitatle

en-nz

2023-06-08T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-08T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281711209045301

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