MEDIA RELEASE - 4 April 2007

The performing arts take centre stage at Auckland Art Gallery this week as Unitec students perform live in the gallery.

The dance, drama and photography students have created a series of short performances in response to art in the gallery. The Unitec Interventions, now in their third year, offer new ways of seeing the collection.

Access programme co-ordinator Kirsty Glengarry says the audience, school children aged 11 to 14, fall under the spell of the drama. “It’s about people coming into the gallery and finding something they don’t expect. The performances create another edge. They’re often funny and insightful,” she says.

Part of the Unitec curriculum, the performances are the result of six week’s preparation. The students are given a lecture about the works before developing their own ideas.

Costumes, props and visual imagery help conjure the sense of spectacle. This week’s performances are inspired by works by Gretchen Albrecht, Bill Hammond, Yuk King Tan, Robert MacPherson and Guido Reni.

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