Paoraki
Whakawhitia (Ariana Tikao, Gemma Syme, Nicolas Woollaston)
20th June - Saturday
7-8pm
Location: Bus Interchange
free, experimental, music
An exploration of the intersections and the contrasts, the commonalities and the differences, between ancient and modern practices in instrument making, performing, sound making, music making and improvising.
Exploring both the intersections and contrasts between their practices of instrument-making, performance, sound-making, music-making, and improvisation, Ariana Tikao (Kāi Tahu, practitioner of taonga pūoro), Gemma Syme (Pākehā multidisciplinary artist), and Nicolas Woollaston (Chinese-European Ōtautahi-based sculptor and performance artist) come together as players of musician-made instruments.
Through attentive listening—to one another, to the space, and to those gathered within it—they engage in an evolving dialogue shaped by sound, material, and presence. The performance investigates the idea that musician-made instruments carry elements of composition within them: from the gathering of materials, to their making and shaping, to the moment they are played.
Bringing Ariana's practice of taonga pūoro into conversation with Gemma and Nicolas's contemporary industrial sculptures, the work explores both the deep histories and continuing possibilities of musician-made instruments. Harmony and discord, tradition and experimentation, resonance and friction emerge as part of a shared process of listening and response.
About
Ariana Tikao (Kāi Tahu) is a celebrated taonga pūoro practitioner, composer, writer, and poet whose work is deeply rooted in South Island Māori identity and ancestral narratives. A New Zealand Arts Laureate, she has performed with leading orchestras, chamber groups, dance companies, and experimental music collaborators across Aotearoa and internationally. Alongside her music practice, Ariana is an acclaimed writer whose poetry and books explore language, whakapapa, and place.
Gemma Syme is an Ōtautahi Christchurch-based multidisciplinary artist and musician working across video, sound, performance, printmaking, and digital media. Her practice blends humour, experimentation, and pop culture to explore contemporary identity and mediated experience. Exhibiting widely in Aotearoa and internationally, Gemma is also known for her music and performance projects that blur the line between visual art and live performance.
Nicolas Woollaston is a multidisciplinary artist of mixed Chinese and European descent, based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Working across sculpture, sound, music, and dance, his collaborative and improvised practice explores the social meaning of art making. His work focuses on interaction, dialogue, and the relationships formed between artists, audiences, and performance.