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Texture / October 2008

Texture is an events guide, place guide, interactive guide to this fair city. Its role is to hook you up with the best spots to spend your nights and where to recover during the day, all the latest news and information you want from round town and a place to meet only the best people from all over the place. Texture is brought to you by Positively Wellington Tourism with support from heaps of kindly folk round town.

November 2008 | September 2008
    • Dom-Post Arts Column gets the Axe
      • Dominion Post journalist, Mark Amery, has had his weekly arts column dumped. Marks regular Dom feature reviewed and discussed the goings on in the Wellington arts scene. It was a sometimes lonely voice, trying to bring arts knowledge and opinion into the more mainstream media’s focus.
      • Tagged as:
      • art
      • media

    • Myth and Practice - Film, Video and Sound Work by Sriwhana Spong Opens Tonight at Film Archive
      • Auckland-based artist Sriwhana Spong has been exploring the medium of video art for over 6 years and has steadily gained momentum in her practice. Her new show and installation Myth and Practice includes film, video and sound work that was developed during a recent residency at the International Studio and Curatorial Program in New York earlier this year. The show opens at the Film Archive tonight,Spong's work explores identity, mythology, nostalgia and impressions. Highly cinematic, her pieces evoke both a subtle anxiety and a sort of sci-fi romanticism. Three pieces feature in Myth and Practice. For Chelsea Hotel, Spong roamed the corridors of the hotel and captured the  mythologised building with hand-wound, black and white Super 8.The Birds is a sound work which was created through the direct translation of an image of birds sitting on a telephone wire into a 21 second piano piece. It is scored by Godfrey de Grut and interpreted visually by Kelvin Soh and Simon Oosterdijk of The Wilderness design team.Room 424 is a series of photographs taken of what is known as Leonard Cohen's former residence at the Chelsea Hotel. A graduate of the Elam School of Fine Arts, Spong was the recipient of the coveted Trust Waikato National Contemporary Art Award in 2005. She will also speak about her practice at the Film Archive on Friday at 12.15pm.Myth and PracticeFilm Archive5.30pm tonightFree- Kiran  
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs

    • Jenny Bornholdt's New Collection of Poems Launched at Unity Books...
      • Wellington poet Jenny Bornholdt is one of New Zealand's best-loved writers and her new book of autobiographical poems The Rocky Shore will be launched at Unity Books on Thursday evening. Wine, nibbles and good cheer will be offered to celebrate the publication, and Bornholdt will be present to give a reading.Bornholdt has a wry, observational writing style, and she often writes about family and everyday objects - the latter which she has a special knack for transforming into objects of wonder. Poems in The Rocky Shore also deal with a time when Bornholdt battled a long-term illness. Her poems are personal yet resonant but above all - warm, funny and insightful.Since she attended Bill Manhire's original composition course at Victoria University in 1984, Bornholdt has continually published poetry collections, from This Big Face (1984) to Summer (2003) and now The Rocky Shore. With her husband writer/artist/curator Gregory O'Brien, she co-edited the wildly popular My Heart Goes Swimming: New Zealand Love Poems, which won the Montana Book Award for Poetry in 1995.Bornholdt's contribution to New Zealand poetry has been acknowledged in the many prestigious awards she has received. In 2002 she was awarded the Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship in Menton, France (during which the poems for Summer were shaped). In 2003 she was the recipient of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Awards, which is one of New Zealand's largest literary cash awards, and in 2005 she became the fifth Te Mata Estate New Zealand Poet Laureate.30 October6pmUnity Books57 Willis StreetFree- Kiran 
      • Tagged as:
      • books

    • The Biggest Dancefloor in Wellington
      • The Garden Club on Dixon Street is Wellington’s newest events-driven bar and venue. Its site had previously housed Imerst bar, and before that, Wellingtons cathedral to the gods of trance, Phoenix. But the powers behind Garden Club have stripped away all that have gone before.   They’ve invoked a new legacy based around a classy environment, some massive live acts, and an attitude of pure enjoyment for all involved. The site has been re-designed by non-other than Matterhorns architect, Alister Cox.  Garden Clubs main area houses the largest specialised dancefloor in the city.  It's powered by a rather imposing JBL sound rig, which will no doubt change your mind on what you currently understand as being the limitations of sound. Bars on not one, but two floors have been freshly renovated and are ready and willing to let the sweet nectar flow.  You have a main area bar downstairs, for an easy refresher before re-entering the frenzied fray.  Or if you're just looking for a bit of chill-time, bundle your comrades off to more relaxed surroundings in the Terrace bar upstairs.  Professional (And most likely very good-looking) bartenders will be on hand to make sure your drinks come thick, fast, and very well-made. There will be several weekly events held at the Garden Club – including a drum and bass DJ selection on Thursdays and a powerful mix of house and hip-hop on Friday nights. But there will be an assortment of goodies on its way from the good folk at Garden Club.  Both international and local DJs or bands will be coming to their house in the very near future, so keep an eye here on Texture to see what might be coming soon. The Garden Club can be found at 13 Dixon Street. -Darren
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs

    • Congratulations Sandwiches!
      • For the second year running, Sandwiches has won the "Best music entertainment venue" category in the Hospitality Association of New Zealand's awards for excellence! Since its win last year, Sandwiches has continued to run to high professional standards and is now considered one of the country's best entertainment venues, say the judges. The HANZ awards have been operating for eleven years, and attract entries from all around the country. Chief executive Bruce Robertson says "The 16 categories cover all major areas in hospitality, and have changed over the years to reflect changing tastes and lifestyles. Now, more than ever, operators have to keep up with trends and maintain high standards - or they'll be out of business." Four Kings on Dixon Street also picked up the "Best sports bar" award. Well done to the team at Sandwiches!  
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs

    • Local Hip-Hop about to go Ballistic
      • It’s time to embrace the future of hip-hop – starting with Wellingtons own prodigy of rhyme-time, that man we call ‘Flowz.’  This local master of the mike can put many overseas lyricists to shame, which you can witness for yourself at his show, The Jam Sessions, at bar Bodega on Friday the 24th of October. Flowz (Whose real name is Fiso Siliota) will be accompanied by the USOS, along with guest stars of a weighty caliber, including hip-hop royalty in Dam Native,  DJ CXL (Ill Semantics), the Footsouljahs, Perceieve, Wanderers, Delta Sierra, F4, plus DJ Raw, Kerb1 & ninjasteps in the DJs cockpit.    Straight outta Lyall Bay, Flowz is definitely one rising MC to be respected.  You add in the power of Dam Native plus the skills of CXL and Raw, and boy, you have one hell of a fiery gig just waiting to go up in smoke. This show will also wet the appetites of those awaiting hip-hop Aotearoa – a celebration in respect of Kaupapa Maori Music Week - which will be shaking the Bodges walls on Thursday the 30th of Oct.  This one will be a terrific showcase of the young go-getters in Kiwi hip-hop, so make sure you are amped, primed and pumped after checking out Flowz and company the week before. Oh, and you can also win tickets to Flowz right here on Texture as well. For the rest of you it’s just $20 for tickets to ‘The Jam Sessions,’ which are on sale now from the Wakefield Hotel and Real Groovy on Cuba Street. -Darren
      • Tagged as:
      • cuba-street
      • lyall-bay

        • Lyall Bay, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand/Aotearoa (OpenStreetMap)


    • Texture has won a Silver Award!
      • Texture has just won a Silver award in the Entertainment category at the W3 awards in the US!! Yeah!! How cool is that?!  The W³ Awards honours creative excellence on the web, and recognises the creative and marketing professionals behind award winning sites, marketing programs, and video work created for the web. We were up against 3000 entries from web companies from all over the world including major players such as the BBC site, Hollywood movie sites, and major non-profit organisations. The W³ is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a "Who's Who" of acclaimed media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms. IAVA members include executives from organizations such as Conde Nast, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, HBO, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Victoria Secret, Wired, Yahoo! and many others. We'll be collecting the trophy soon...
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs

    • A designer walks into a bar...
      • Poor Auckland. Even though there are way more bars there than in Wellington, we just keep beating them in the bar awards. This year the Matterhorn won Best Casual Dining - Metropolitan, at the Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year 2008 Awards as well as the NZ Bar of the Year Award for the third year in a row. At the same awards, Matterhorn's Ricki Carter was named New Zealand's top bar manager of the year, Motel as the cocktail bar of the year and it was revealed that the Mighty Mighty offers the best music in New Zealand. But wait there's more. The latest accolades for Wellington bars come from the New Zealand BeST Design Awards, where once again, Wellington dominated. Three major awards were won in the hospitality design section by some of Wellington's finest nightspots at the Awards Ceremony held in Auckland last Saturday. Good Luck Bar received a Gold Award, Matterhorn a Silver Award and Mighty Mighty picked up a Bronze Award, all thanks to Alastair Cox, the designer of all three winning interiors. The BeST Design Awards are a national award programme of the Designers Institute of New Zealand, recognising New Zealand's best graphic, product and spatial design. -Stacey
      • Tagged as:
      • bars

    • Bang Gang
      • I like dancin’...wait, scratch that, I luurve dancin’. I’m not saying I’m any good at it, but I’m also not saying I’m embarrassed about this or the fact that my first statement was both cheesy and shameless. Although “Dance” music can sometimes be a little constrictive for my tastes. There are a few purveyors worldwide of my kinda dancin’material. Ed Banger and Kitsune Maison are two, and the third of my personal trinity of awesomeness is Modular, from just across the ditch in Australia. Modular have bought us the likes of: The Presets, Cut Copy, Ladyhawke, New Young Pony Club, Muscles and much, much more. Which is why I am stoopid-excited that Modular’s premiere DJ troop “Bang Gang” are playing for the first time in Wellington. The Bang Gang Djs are a phenomenon in themselves. Far more than just Djs, they were pioneers in what has become a worldwide explosion of musical eclecticism on dancefloors. Starting in 2003 as a club night, they quickly attracted attention for their forward thinking, open music policy and hands down fun-as-f**k parties. They are now extensively travelled, playing all over the world. If you have seen them elsewhere you’ll know what I’m talking about. Their ‘Light Sound Dance’ mix CD of 2007 (known as LSD) has started many a party at mine, and they are now touring in support of the new one: “D is for Disco, E is for Dancing”. Expect everything from electro to techno to indie to disco to hip hop to rock to funk to house and moooore…all with tongue firmly in cheek, and all with moving feets in mind. Bang Gang. Saturday October 18th at Good Luck. With wingmen Marek and Kev Fresh. Presales are $15 and are available now from Real Groovy, Good as Gold, Good Luck and undertheradar.co.nz. You can download for freeeee a taster or two of their steeze (as well as a preview of the new cd) at www.banggangpodcast.com. - Chrisana
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs

    • Head Like A Hole Reform For Homegrown 2009 - Earlybird Tickets On Sale Now...
      • 90s Wellington rock brats Head Like A Hole have announced they will reform exclusively for the first time in 8 years for next year's Vodafone Homegrown Music Festival in March.HLAH established a strong reputation for their live shows. I remember seeing them play a few times and politely averting my eyes as they often played naked, smeared with mud or paint.Five stages will be set up along the waterfront and as well as HLAH, about 35 bands and DJs have been confirmed to perform. From rock and pop to roots and dub, bands include Supergroove, Fur Patrol, Evermore, Elemeno-P, Tiger Tones, Kora and the Black Seeds. Early bird tickets are available for $70 (plus booking fee) for a short time only. When they are sold out, tickets will be the full $90 (yes, plus booking fee).Vodafone HomegrownWellington Waterfront14 March 2009www.homegrown.net.nz- Kiran 
      • Tagged as:
      • waterfront

    • Deck You Out...
      • Manky Chops are at it again. And this time they’ve got downstairs neighbors, ALC clothing, in on the act. Cuba’s most fantastic underground art gallery and its most full-on clothing store have combined to bring the masses an art show with a difference. ‘Decked out,’ is an exhibition of skateboard canvases, which have been ‘art-ed up’ to display the talents of a range of artistic personalities.
      • Tagged as:
      • art
      • cuba-street

        • 166 Cuba Street, Wellington


    • Bake sale!
      • Q What could be better than sweet home-made baking on a Saturday morning? A- Knowing that by purchasing it, you are helping out the Women's Refuge! Yes, that group of filthy rich philanthropists, The New Money Country Club are combining their collective baking powers to entice Wellingtonians with sweet cakes, cupcakes, cookies and muffins.
      • Tagged as:
      • cuba-street
      • events
      • womens

        • Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)


    • Last Michael Hirschfeld Gallery Exhibition Before Closing...
      • The Michael Hirschfeld Gallery has one more exhibition before it temporarily closes for City Gallery's building development.Nine Years of DesignWorks Time: An Exhibition of of Exhibition Posters promises to be quite a spectacle. The entire gallery will be pasted in posters by gallery designers and sponsers DesignWorks. The show celebrates the numerous talented young artists, curators and designers who have worked with the gallery over the years. DesignWorks have sponsored the Michael Hirschfeld Gallery since 1999. Their designers have consistently turned out sharp and eye-catching promotional posters and marketing material to tight deadlines and usually in their 'own time'. This show is a tribute to these artists. Nine Years of DesignWorks Time will illustrate the diversity and originality of artists such as Gavin Hipkins, Taika Waititi, Sarah Jane Parton, Regan Gentry and Wayne Youle. The Michael Hirschfeld Gallery will reopen in September 2009 in a new custom-designed gallery space on the first floor of the soon to be larger and revamped City Gallery. October 9-19Michael Hirschfeld GalleryCity Galllerywww.citygalllery.org.nz- Kiran 
      • Tagged as:
      • exhibitions

    • Yeasayer tomorrow night!!!
      • 2006 was a good year for music. Although one new band from last year totally topped my list and that was Yeasayer.  The most unique, interesting, brave and assured new band I have listened to in a long while.  I "growed up" to a lot of late 70's/early 80's type hippydom and listening to Yeasayer reminded me of a childhood spent listening to the tripped-out weirdness of Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa through my Gran's bulky 70's Hi-Fi.  Following a recent trend for more vocal based music (Dirty Projectors, Fleet Foxes, Of Montreal, TV on the Radio) Yeasayer channel the above as well as Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno and David Byrn with their atmospheric, experimental, indie, electronic, gospel, folk, pop, rock, hypnotic eccentric-ness, Yeasayer are utterly in a league of their own and completely committed to the steeze they call "Middle Eastern-Psych-Snap-Gospel". Chris Keating, Anand Wilderwere, Ira Wolf Tuton and Luke Fasano are Yeasayer - each one a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, and chanter. Founded by half of a barbershop quartet (which you can hear in their layered and experimental harmonies) they mix odd pop music, 70s soft rock, African rhythms and psychedelic soul.  With their howling chants they channel both dystopian science-fiction themes through the lyrics and a deep appreciation for the natural world through employing a wide, international range of sounds.  The band have toured with friends MGMT and Man Man, and Beck which alludes somewhat to their varied shtick and the live show looks amazing, with lead vocalist Chris Keating often ending up underneath synths, on his knees or rolling on the floor, howling.  Ira "wolf" the bassist looks like a male hipster Stevie Nicks with long hair, high waisted jeans and a dirty funk strut.  The band have become legendary in the world of music blogdom, with many critics pronouncing their debut album the best of last year. See them live tomorrow night at San Fran. - Chrisana
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs

    • A very Special Event: The Woolshed Sessions
      • Could this be the next Fly My Pretties? A bunch of well-known and up-and-coming Wellington musicians have banded together for a very special project.  The Woolshed Sessions are both an album and a live show, packed with songs distinguished by lashings of lap-steel guitar and lush vocal harmonies. The name comes from the place where this disparate group of artists recorded their work.  Somewhere in the heart of gorgeous Takaka, Age Pryor, Jess Chambers, Justin Firefly Clarke and others, crafted some fresh music in the improvised recording set-up of a converted woolshed – complete with bare timber floors and corrugated iron.  The shed was supplied by its owner and acclaimed filmmaker, Gaylene Preston.  Miss Preston describes the sessions in her own lyrical style: ‘You can hear the landscape in these songs.  The balmy simple Golden Bay surface flows over dark secret underground caves.  Life is sweet with unfathomable darkness lurking. Strings summer strumming with plenty on our minds.’ A hand numbered limited edition of The Woolshed Sessions CD and booklet featuring documentary photographs by Andy Morley-Hall is available this month.  And to mark this special occasion, the woolshed experience will be live on stage at BATS Theatre from Thursday the 9th to Saturday the 11th of October.  The woolshed sessions will star: Age Pryor - guitar/vocalsAndy Hummel - guitar/vocalsJess Chambers - guitar/vocalsJustin Firefly Clarke – guitar/vocals, banjoAl Fraser - taonga puoro, guitar/vocalsLee Prebble - lap steelPeter Hill - bassBrett Skinner – drums -Darren  
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs

    • News on new art
      • Thistle Hall currently has il.lus.trate on, art made by Saint Catherine's College students. il.lus.trate; (verb) "to exhibit awesome artworks for you to come and see". The exhibitions of year 12s work is all about street art. The students ideas and inspirations range from the whacky ideas of Banksy, to the characters of the Simpsons.
      • Tagged as:
      • art
      • cuba-street
      • events
      • kilbirnie

        • Kilbirnie, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand/Aotearoa (OpenStreetMap)


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