Shake-‘Em-On-Downers Return for Second Helping.

The Strait City Shake –‘Em- Downers are that city’s most swinging septet with tunes that take you back to the scintillating nights at the Speakeasy. AND THEY ARE COMING BACK TO MARTINBOROUGH.

“The Shakes are a funky, fun, talented group from Wellington who bring energy, excitement and expertise to their renditions of New Orleans swing jazz,” says Festival Publicist Lee Quayle.

“They played at our festival last year and the Village Cafe audience just loved their musicianship and stage performance.” The group will be playing at the Town Hall during this year’s festival so that they can play to the bigger audience they deserve. “Word has got around about this super septet and how much of a good night out they provide, so we just had to bring them back and give them a bigger stage,” says Lee. … Continue Reading

DAMIEN MOTU & DOMINIC SPITERI DUO

Guitar and piano, a dynamic jazz duo

Jazz guitarist and graduate student Damien Motu from Christchurch Jazz School returns to Martinborough as part of The Senses Quintet while also leading a duo with current student Dominic Spiteri, working creativity on the piano. From classic jazz standards to modern compositions this duo creates a stylistic, dynamic atmosphere you can immerse yourself in. Both Damien and Dominic see this concert as an opportunity to share a musical conversation with the audience, confident that any surprises will be pleasant ones.

Thanks

The Madcaps Committee wishes to thank everyone who has contributed to our 2015 production ‘A One Night Stand’.
The new concept was a great success and a tribute to all the efforts put in by our actors, crew and supporters.
We are looking forward to our next show in the New Hall soon.

“The Emperor’s New Nose”, an exhibition by Diana Bidwill

This month, Backspace Gallery is very pleased to host “The Emperor’s New Nose”, a return show by Martinborough’s Diana Bidwill, whose exhibition last November kicked off this new incarnation of the space behind Thrive. If you attended the fundraising Contemporary Art Auction in May you will have had a preview of her new work, with Diana donating two pieces to be auctioned for the cause.

In the show, you’ll find profile portraits in the style of old Victorian paper cut portraits, juxtaposing subjects for a contemporary twist, as well as new takes on old military portraits and profiles, and more. The work on the exhibition poster references the painting ‘Napoleon crossing the Alps’, by Jacques-Louis David, painted in the early 1800’s, and the title ‘The Emperor’s New Nose’ refers to the ‘spin’ central to this work- the original is an image carefully crafted to create an impression, but is not an accurate portrayal of events – during the real crossing, Napoleon reputedly rode a donkey.

She has been evolving a body of work throwing the old and new together, playing on the use of old images and found objects, formal contexts and informal mediums. This exhibition is a journey through her three current series – all using silhouette forms and exploring spray paint as a medium – spraying and masking through found objects and local flora.

Diana says “Through the series as they have developed, I’ve been interested in the juxtaposition between the tight, hard cut lines of the stencil/masking, and the loose, random and very free form nature of the spray paint. Every work is considered, and crafted, yet there is a complete randomness only uncovered when I peel the final masking away”.