Te Papa's May Exhibitions And Events Update

Te Papa's May Exhibitions And Events Update

Kia Ora and welcome to Te Papa's email update service for May 2004 This service provides up to the minute information on our new exhibitions, events, and other news, as well as a monthly summary of what is currently on. For GENERAL ENQUIRIES CONTACT (04) 381 7000 or for possible copies of images please contact Bernie Hanratty on bernieh@tepapa.govt.nz or 04 381 7021 If you would prefer not to receive this service from Te Papa, please send an email message to the above eddress.

May highlights @Te Papa This month three exciting new exhibitions open. Celebrate the heroic era of Antarctic exploration with Antarctic Heroes - the race to the South Pole. This fascinating exhibition tells the epic stories of three of the Antarctica's greatest heroes - Captain Robert Scott, Roald Amundsen, and Ernest Shackleton.

Find out why these men were so passionate about reaching the South Pole, how their extraordinary feats of endurance and bravery were achieved, and what factors contributed to the tragedies that befell them. Before then, two very different art exhibitions open. Judy Darragh: So... You Made It? showcases the work of one of New Zealand's most exciting contemporary artists, while John Kinder's New Zealand explores watercolours and photographs by renowned nineteenth century artist John Kinder.

The end of May heralds the beginning of Matariki, the Mäori New Year. Te Papa is celebrating with four weeks of free shows, lectures, and events, so come and join in! You're invited to a free concert from the brilliant Anika Moa, as one of the first attractions. Also at Te Papa this month you can experience Sri Lankan and Indonesian dance, latin jazz, a choir performance for the Dutch Queen's birthday, lectures, floortalks, and much more. And of course Te Papa is always a great place to bring kids, with Discovery Centre craft activities running every weekend, and the monthly Discovery Hour! Read on and see ...

EVENTS:

Saturday 8 11am-12 noon: Make a sunflower picture frame. NatureSpace, Level 2. Cost $2. 1pm-1.45pm: Signs and Wonders exhibition floortalk. Anne Noble, photographer and Senior Lecturer at the School of Fine Arts, Massey University will speak about works in the exhibition. Meet by the floortalk poster at the entrance to The Boulevard Gallery, Level 5. Free entry.

Sunday 9 11am-12 noon: Make a feathered fishing lure. Te Huka ä Tai, Level 4. Cost $2. 1pm-2pm: Gamelan orchestra concert and demonstration. Enjoy the Javanese-style Gamelan Padhang Moncar of Victoria University, and Gareth Farr's Balinese Gamelan Gong Kebyar. Soundings Theatre, Level 2. Free entry. 8pm-9.50pm: 'A Night to Remember'. Celebrated Indonesian dancer and choreographer Didik Nini Thowak is one of a select group of artists who maintains the ancient art of crossgender representation in dance. He is accompanied by the Gamelan Padhang Moncar of Victoria University and Gareth Farr's Balinese Gamelan Gong Kebyar. Soundings Theatre, Level 2. Admission charges apply. Advance tickets available from the School of Music office, Victoria University, 94 Fairlie Tce, Kelburn. Ph: (04) 463 5369.

Saturday 15 Judy Darragh: So... you made it? exhibition opens! 11am-12 noon: Make a mini manutukutuku (kite). Inspiration Station, Level 4. Cost $2. The Nutralife Capital Body Building Championships, 2004. Presented by the NZFBB, see the finest Physiques Wellington has to offer. Pre-judging starts from 9.30am; $15. Finals judging starts from 6pm; $25. Soundings Theatre, Level 2. Admission charges apply. To book phone Ticketek on (04) 384 3840. 1pm-2pm: 'Daye Charika'. Join the Sri Lankan Dance Academy for a journey through the history of Sri Lanka in dance. The Marae, Level 4. Free entry.

Sunday 16 11am-12 noon: Weave a PNG basket. PlaNet Pasifika, Level 4. Cost $2. 1pm-2pm: Soul Paua featuring Mo'Reece. Polynesian Acoustic SoulFolk. A special performance by 2003 New Zealand Music Award nominees (Mana Mäori category), Soul Paua, featuring recording artist Mo'Reece. Supporting New Zealand Music Month 2004. The Marae, Level 4. Free entry. 2pm-3pm: Discovery Hour: A Passion for Puppets. Kids! Explore the wonderful world of puppets with Te Papa's History Curator, Lynette Townsend. Then make your own shadow dragon puppet! Inspiration Station, Level 4. Free entry.

Thursday 20 6.30pm-7.30pm: 'John Kinder's New Zealand - Nature, Science and Art'. A panel of distinguished scholars presents a range of fresh perspectives on John Kinder's paintings, drawings and photographs of colonial Victorian New Zealand. Soundings Theatre, Level 2. Free entry. John Kinder's New Zealand exhibition will be open from 5pm for a special preview before the panel discussion. The Boulevard West, Level 5. Free entry.

Friday 21 John Kinder's New Zealand exhibition opens!

Saturday 22 11am-12 noon: Make a leaping frog on a lily pad. NatureSpace, Level 2. Cost $2. 12.20pm-1pm & 2.30pm-3pm: Whanganui Iwi Parikino kapa haka. Wellington Foyer, Level 2. Free entry.

Sunday 23 11am-12 noon: Wicked waka (canoe) making. Te Huka ä Tai, Level 4. Cost $2. 1.30pm-1pm & 2.15pm-2.45pm: Wellington Regional Youth Chorus. A newly formed chorus of young men, including the current National College Champion Quartet. Wellington Foyer, Level 2 & The Marae, Level 4. Free entry.

Monday 24 12.10pm-1pm: Lunchtime Concert: Reiko Suzuki and Yüji Takahashi. Outstanding Japanese musicians, violinist Reiko Suzuki and pianist and composer Yuji Takahashi, present a programme of contemporary works for violin and piano and violin solo, including the première of works especially written for them by four of the most talented New Zealand composers of the young generation: Ross Carey, Chris Watson, Philip Brownlee and Dylan Lardelli. Soundings Theatre, Level 2. Free entry.

Thursday 27 1pm-2pm: Ngä Toko Rima exhibition floortalk. A floortalk by Ngä Toko Rima clay artist Colleen Waata Urlich. Meet by the floortalk poster at the entrance to The Terrace, Level 6. Free entry. 6.30pm-7.30pm: Lecture: 'A Reclamation of Ancient Knowledge and Forms'. In association with the exhibition Ngä Toko Rima, clay artist Colleen Waata Urlich examines Maori notions of Space and its relationship to the genealogy of the Matariki; the roles of the Mareikura and Whatukura and the Lapita Peoples complex and personal perception of their role as founders of aesthetics among Polynesian Peoples. Soundings Theatre, Level 2. Free entry.

Saturday 29 Antarctic Heroes - the race to the South Pole exhibition opens! Opening Weekend of Te Papa's Matariki Festival! 11am-12 noon: Make a friendship/buddy bracelet. Inspiration Station, Level 4. Cost $2. 12 noon-12.30pm: Te Reanga Morehu O Ratana (Morehu Youth Movement). This 40 strong membered group from our resident Iwi Whanganui will perform Kapa Haka to celebrate the opening of Matariki at Te Papa. The group is made up of Rangatahi and Pakeke who have focused their learning and development on Aroha, Whakapono, Rangimarie me Whakaiti. Membership has extended from Ratana, Whanganui, Rotorua and Gisborne, as each individual has made a commitment to uphold the teachings of our Maramatanga and to strengthen the passion of their culture through song and dance. Wellington Foyer, Level 2, Free entry. 1pm-2pm: Anika Moa live. Anika Moa burst onto the New Zealand music scene three years ago with the double-platinum album "Thinking Room'. Don't miss the opportunity to see this thoughtful singer/songwriter in concert. The Marae, Level 4. Free entry.

Sunday 30 11am-12 noon: Make a colourful lolly lei. PlaNet Pasifika, Level 4. Cost $2. 12 noon-1pm: A Conversation with Alexandra Shackleton. Question and answer session with Alexandra Shackleton, granddaughter of Sir Ernest Shackleton. Soundings Theatre, Level 2. Free entry. 1pm-2.30pm: Elena and Simply Fantastic present "Mäori Waiata with Strings Attached". Waiata like you've never heard before, to the funky beat of bongos and the soaring sounds of strings. Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Simply Fantastic will emote with passion and elegance as they take you on a journey through the sounds of Aotearoa. The Marae, Level 4. Free entry.

SHORT-TERM EXHIBITIONS:

Antarctic Heroes: The race to the South Pole The South Pole was a magnet for a generation of Antarctic explorers in the early twentieth century. This exhibition tells the compelling stories of Scott, Amundsen, and Shackleton, of the epic and tragic race to reach the Pole, and the ill-fated Endurance expedition. Discover what led these men to face the dangers of a savage environment, what drove their heroic feats, and what inspired their extraordinary endurance in the face of both triumph and disaster. 29 May-26 October 2004. Adult $6.50, child (4-14 years) $4.00. Up to two children gain free admission if accompanied by an adult.

Judy Darragh: So... You Made It? Developed by Te Papa in collaboration with Judy Darragh, this exhibition showcases over sixty works from the last eighteen years. It reviews the history of Darragh's practice, while the inclusion of a brand-new body of work foregrounds her status as an artist of today. 15 May-29 August 2004. Free entry.

John Kinder's New Zealand A major art exhibition of watercolours and photographs by the renowned nineteenth-century artist John Kinder. 21 May-29 August 2004. Free entry.

Signs and Wonders | He Tohu He Ohorere An exhibition exploring through multiple cultural viewpoints and spiritual traditions, the ways in which people express ideas of supernatural encounters. Key New Zealand artists represented include Colin McCahon, Ralph Hotere, Rita Angus, John Pule, Julia Morison, Don Driver, Milan Mrkusich, and Tony Fomison. Until September 2004. Free entry.

Te Awa Tupua: The Whanganui Iwi Exhibition In partnership with Te Papa, Whanganui iwi present stories and taonga from their unique Whanganui river culture, from Te Kähui Maunga (the mountain clan) to Tangaroa (the sea). The exhibition's central theme is contained in the whakatauakï (proverb), 'E rere kau mai te awa nui mai Te Kähui Maunga ki Tangaroa, ko au te awa ko te awa ko au.' (The great river flows from the mountain clan to Tangaroa, I am the river; the river is me.) Until May 2006. Free entry.

Kiri's Dresses: A glimpse into a Diva's wardrobe Dresses from Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's wardrobe and her memories of them give an intimate glimpse into the life of a world-famous lyric soprano. Until September 2004. Free entry.

Aainaa: reflections through Indian weddings Created by Te Papa in partnership with New Zealand Indian communities, this exhibition explores the wedding ritual to show both traditional and modern experiences of marriage. Featured until September are the wedding rituals of the Muslim community. Until September 2004. Free entry.

ENDS

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