Arts bites: Arts, culture and entertainment updates from The Press

Wednesday, 5 June 2024

Ans Westra, Cuba Street, Wellington, 1974. A new book about the late photographer’s life and work is being marked with a launch in Christchurch.

Chch book launch focuses on acclaimed photographer

Important figures in the life of acclaimed Dutch-born photographer Ans Westra will gather in Christchurch on Tuesday, June 11 for the launch of a book about her life and work.

Paul Moon - who has written the new book, Ans Westra: A Life in Photography - will be joined at Scorpio books in the BNZ Centre by Westra’s daughter Lisa van Hulst, National Library curator of photographs Louise Garrett, and the late photographer’s business partner David Alsop.

Children in Ruatoria,1963. Part of Ans Westra’s Washday at the Pā collection.

Westra died in 2023 and left a legacy of photographs documenting life in Aotearoa, including Māori communities in remote areas in the 1960s, rugby, street scenes in Wellington and the Porirua Mongrel Mob.

She was in her 20s when she produced her book Washday at the Pā in 1964, after spending five months with a family in Ruatoria.

The book was recalled by the Ministry of Education (which had distributed it) following criticism from the Māori Women’s Welfare League that it had unfairly stereotyped Māori people.

The Dutch-born photographer Ans Westra documented life in New Zealand over many decades.

It was republished in 2011.

Writing in The Guardian after her death, Māori documentary maker Cornell Tukiri described his delight at discovering the Washday book.

“It’s an absolutely amazing collection of images of Māori people with chapters called Childhood, A New Family, Hui, Tangi and Te Atatu Hou (The New Dawn) among others.” he said.

Speaking to The Press ahead of the book launch in Christchurch, Alsop praised his business partner’s output.

“Ans didn’t set out to be controversial,” he said, “but her honest and direct images were hard for some people to accept as being representative of what was happening at the time.

“It’s just as well she made so many photos because it allows us now, an opportunity to look back and see what it might have been like to be a New Zealander at a particular time and place.”

Infamous rapper Wiz Khalifa will be playing at Rolling Meadows this year.

Alsop said Westra’s legacy was hugely important to Aotearoa.

“Ans was single-minded, determined, curious and had a love of NZ.

“Photography was her calling - she travelled extensively, wanted her images published and managed to create what I now regard as a photo album of NZ.”

All are welcome to attend the book launch for Ans Westra: A Life in Photography, at Scorpio Books in Christchurch, 5.30pm on Tuesday, June 11.

Canterbury festival locks in Wiz Khalifa, forecasts 10,000 attendees

Tens of thousands of dollars has been raised by the Court Theatre’s recent garage sale. A giant rocking horse (pictured) was sold for $650.

A North Canterbury music festival has announced a “major upgrade” to its next event, with two Grammy nominated artists organisers say will attract a sell-out crowd.

The unfinished line-up for this year’s Rolling Meadow festival includes rapper Wiz Khalifa and singer Natasha Bedingfield, alongside drum and bass legends Bou, Hybrid Minds, Alix Perez, and Mefijus.

“We have seen rapid growth of the festival, last year was a real breakthrough for us reaching 7000 guests,” Sub 180 founders Ashleigh Rangi and Jamie Moir said.

“This year, with a line-up like this, it’s going to be a complete sell-out at 10,000.”

Titus Andronicus’s fake pie was sold for $60.

Rolling Meadows is held on December 30 and 31 in the Waipara River Valley. It made its debut appearance in 2021.

Huge crowd makes for prop sale success

The Court Theatre’s recent props garage sale saw unprecedented crowds queuing in the cold in Addington to buy some theatrical memorabilia, a theatre representative told The Press.

The fundraising clear out, ahead of company’s 2025 move back to the CBD, raised nearly $40,000, with 1500 people arriving its temporary home, The Shed, on Saturday, May 25.

One buyer spent “about $800 on a stage light”, production manager Alex Wilson said, while an adult-sized rocking horse was purchased for $650.

Industry professionals take part in The Forum, one of the Doc Edge Festival’s high anticipated public sessions. (File photo)

“A family bought it for their daughter who was in one of our plays, which was really nice. That play also featured a horse, but not this particular horse,” Wilson said.

A giant fake pie, used during a production of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, went for $60.

“For the first hour, it was like a traffic jam, people couldn’t move until a person had actually taken their goods and left,” Wilson added.

A total of $38,500 was raised, which will go towards future productions.

“The crowd size was more than we were anticipating that early. We really appreciated the support we had from the community, it was amazing,” Wilson said.

Big industry names at Doc Edge

An award-winning American film producer will lead a forum for movie industry professionals during Christchurch’s inaugural hosting year of the Doc Edge Festival.

New Zealand's Academy Award-qualifying international documentary film festival starts on June 19 and will include film screenings, exhibitions, a schools programme and industry events.

Details of the industry-focused sessions have just been released, with Ted Hope, a producer who has won awards at the Cannes Film Festival and worked with celebrated directors such as Ang Lee, heading up the Doc Edge Forum 2024.

Doc Edge general manager and festival producer Rachael Penman said: “These industry-focused activations are designed for screen professionals from Aotearoa and abroad to come together to meet, share ideas, network, problem solve, and ultimately to produce vital and incredible content.”

All Doc Edge industry events will be held at Christchurch Town Hall, with passes available from the docedge.nz website, alongside information and tickets for screenings.