After many false starts, explorations. experimentations and near breakdowns… we got there. It was another wild ride on the runaway bus that is the Handshake Project, and this one- Handshake7, was almost the one that broke the camels back. Overlapping with the tail end of Handshake6 was not ideal, but hey; never one to turn… Continue reading A Journey
Author: Simon Swale
into the darkness… again….
Well we’re underway again with some more Handshake masterclass magic!. Estela Saez had us leaping into the dark and if not exactly leading us blindly into the night, then certainly coaxing us into new and (for meat least) quite unknown territory. Just as you’d expect and hope for! You never quite know where you’re going… Continue reading into the darkness… again….
‘Ethiopia’, as part of ‘GLIMMER’
at Whirinaki Whare Taonga, 21 May – 27 June 2022 The second and penultimate exhibition of new work by members of Handshake_6, GLIMMER offers a sample of our current work as we build towards our final exhibition at Northart in Auckland later in the year. Part of… Continue reading ‘Ethiopia’, as part of ‘GLIMMER’
La Notte /The Night: Love, Longing and Loneliness in the Age of Isolation.
Recent workshops with Estella have been challenging , but opened up so many new avenues for work and thinking; being asked to create moving image is new (to us all i think!) but the opportunity to develop refinements and multiple iterations resulted in surprising developments. Given a colour, we were asked to design an exhibition.… Continue reading La Notte /The Night: Love, Longing and Loneliness in the Age of Isolation.
new beginnings, new challenges…
Thanks to Estela Saez for pushing us into some new and unexpected directions…
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Do you ever walk across this Earth, hearing the sound of your steps upon the ground, and wonder- am I really here? Do you sometimes hold your hand up to your face and ask- is this really me?
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”
CHAINreaction has been a really nice chance to focus on connections, community and solidarity, and to applaud the legacy of the Handshake project and all Peter and Hilda have given over the last ten years- I am so disappointed not to be there to share in the celebrations at the exhibition opening. Bravo Peter and… Continue reading “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”
GATES / GATEWAYS
Summer 2021. Time to RESET. But also for some reflection… Hard to believe it is a year since we all first met together for the Handshake introductions and masterclass with Iris and Renee in Auckland. It seems both like yesterday, and a lifetime ago… It was so great to see everyone in Wellington for our… Continue reading GATES / GATEWAYS
MAPPING
Much of my MFA work focussed on considering and exploring notions of space and place. Of finding ways to articulate spaces of the everyday that operate as thresholds and/or places of transition; where land meets water, such as ports, as well as other points of departure, such as bus and train terminals. These places I… Continue reading MAPPING
In memory of George Floyd and all who have suffered at the hands of systemic racism and violence
It seems to be the nature of contemporary life that history erupts upon the surface of our lives in ever more frequent waves. There seems a volatility in the fabric of society that has created tension and unease. The papered over cracks of history are being torn apart as the oppressed and discriminated seek justice… Continue reading In memory of George Floyd and all who have suffered at the hands of systemic racism and violence