Arts Projects to Mark 100 Years Since World War 1

New Collaborative Arts Projects to Mark 100 Years Since World War 1
Creative New Zealand is pleased to announce the second round of grants from its World War 1 Centenary (WW100) Co-commissioning Fund.
In this round $440,000 will go to new arts projects which focus on the impact of the Great War on New Zealand as a nation.

Supported projects cover a range of art forms: literature, music, craft object, digital installation and visual arts (sculpture and painting). Michael Parekowhai’s Pare Kawakawa will exhibit at the Auckland War Memorial Museum and tour internationally, while Maria Hill’s children’s book about 25 ANZAC heroes will be published in both New Zealand and Australia.

The fund targets national and international organisations to commission new, large-scale, collaborative work with New Zealand artists as part of the wider government programme to mark the First World War centenary (WW100). It is unique in offering support for creative development, including artist fees, rehearsal and material costs, with presentation costs covered by the other commissioning partners.

“The centenary of the First World War is a significant marker in the history of conflict, and this enormous event inspired some of the finest literature and art the world has known,” says Creative New Zealand’s Senior Manager, Arts Policy, Capability and International, Cath Cardiff.

“These new arts projects offer diverse ways to connect with the memories and themes of the Great War and allow the artists of today to re engage with this rich content.”

She says, “With international presentations confirmed for Australia, Belgium, France, London, this fund is also providing opportunities to build on the lasting connections made with other nations and their people during the war.”

Creative New Zealand will provide Artsight Ltd $96,000 for project Your Friend the Enemy, a touring exhibiting that profiles history and conflicts at significant sites for ANZACS on the Gallipoli Peninsula and in Istanbul. The exhibition (including 12 artists from New Zealand and Australia) will tour to Sydney, Bathurst, Canberra and Wellington (2015-17), and will be made into a documentary and publication.

Auckland War Memorial Museum has been awarded just over $174,000 for exhibition Pare Kawakawa. The exhibition will consist of photographs and new works from Michael Parekowhai displayed alongside collections items from the Museum (April – August 2015) and will tour internationally. The project aims to evoke a conversation on the universal experience of grief arising from WWI, the grief for those who died, the lives not lived, and loss of innocence.

AUT University’s Co Lab will receive nearly $27,500 towards their project Still. Still is an interactive memorial inviting the audience to explore the duality of war, the destruction of lives and the construction of a collective future. It also aims to reimagine relationships with Turkey and France. Still will be presented in New Zealand, Turkey and France during August – November 2015.

Author Maria Hill will receive over $41,000 to write a children’s book titled ANZAC Hall of Fame: 25 Heroic Soldiers, which will be published in New Zealand and Australia in April 2016. The book will focus on 12 Australian soldiers, 12 New Zealand soldiers and one dual citizen – all of whom have won either a Victoria Cross or a Military Cross. This is related to both WW1 and WW2.

Creative New Zealand will provide artist Kirsten Hayden $18,500 for Flowers of War, a collaborative commemorative enamel art work. Drawing on community and museum memories a small group of international artists will make a large-scale enamelled work using a WW1 artefact to create small flowers in the universally uniting symbol of the wreath. Material will be collected from local communities in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Flowers of War is likely to be exhibited in New Zealand and Australia.

Southern Sinfonia will receive $83,500 from Creative New Zealand for composer Anthony Ritchie to compose Gallipoli to the Somme – a large-scale 35-40 minute commission for orchestra, choirs, soprano and baritone soloists. The work will feature texts from New Zealand, Turkey, Germany and Britain and will be performed in New Zealand and England in 2016 and 2017.

ENDS
FURTHER INFORMATION
First World War Centenary (WW100) Co-Commissioning Fund
Creative New Zealand is offering a total of $1.5 million over three financial years through the First World War Centenary (WW100) Co-Commissioning Fund. This investment has been made possible with income from the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board.

The targeted fund supports national and international organisations to commission new, large-scale, collaborative work with New Zealand artists as part of the wider government programme to mark the First World War centenary (WW100).

Eligible projects will be collaborative and demonstrate potential for long-term relationships or cultural/artistic exchanges. The work should relate to the themes of the WW100 programme, include at least one international commissioning partner and be presented in at least two countries, including New Zealand. The works are to be presented nationally and internationally during the WW100 commemorations period over 2014 to 2018.

Expressions of interest for the third and final funding round will close 5pm on 2 February 2015. Applications are assessed via a two-stage process.

Visit www.creativenz.govt.nz/WW100 for further information on eligibly criteria and applying.

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