Welcome to HandShake 8, 2023-24
HS8 is a two-year programme designed to encourage experimentation, feedback, development, and exhibiting for emerging artists. The HS8 development program aims to challenge and support each artist in their creative development, helping them to grow their capability, excitement, and endeavour through a range of masterclasses, professional support, and feedback.
The programme is comprised of eleven artists selected by Estela Saez Vilanova from Barcelona, who began with a series of masterclasses that delved deep into the content and depth of the artist’s work practice.
Estela Saez Vilanova’s masterclass is a source of inspiration and support for each HS8 artist, providing them with various design options and ideas opportunities. Her passion, succession of briefs, and direct feedback stimulate the development process in terms of ideas, material exploration, and art-making.
A special face-to-face masterclass gathering was held during the Nelson Jewellery Week in mid-April 2023, featuring the successful Push-Pull workshop of Renee Bevan (12-16 April 2023).
In the second half of 2023, the HS8 artists refined and developed their ideas from explorations and discoveries from the two masterclasses and a series of feedback sessions by three international mentor coaches who helped them refine their ‘process‘ explorations.
Another masterclass with writing expert May-Jane Duffy focuses on blog writing, content writing, and artist statements.
From 4 – 20 December 2023, HS8 artists exhibited their 2023 ‘process’ work (including some finished artwork) at DEPOT Art Space, Auckland. See their exhibition.
In the second year (2024), the HS8 mentees are matched with their mentors. The mentees develop their ideas and materials in a body of work with the assistance of their mentor.
Andrea Daly and Neke Moa’s online masterclass on ‘theory and history’ integrates art and design theory with the depth of the HS8 artist’s work through experimentation and exploration. Neke Moa introduces how connections to the art practices of tangata whenua are explored within her own artworks and those of others.
In 2024, the final masterclass will focus on innovative presentation methods. This includes using images and videos to explore different ways of presenting artworks for the HS exhibition online programme and social media platforms. The masterclass will also concentrate on producing a collaborative video expressing the unique group dynamics of HS8 alongside their artworks at their Pah Homestead exhibition.
HS8’s second and end-of-project exhibition MATERIALISE: 8 Nov 2024 – 16 Feb 2025 will take place at Pah Homestead, Auckland, opening on Thursday, 7 November 2024, from 6-8 pm.
HS8 blog posts:
In the beginning
The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas.". ― Hermann Hesse, Demian Just breaking some random plastic stuff and cutting it up and making more rubbish or make it lose its primary function...
Homework…or play?
I like to think of this as playtime instead of homework. After a fairly prescriptive 3 years on a Degree course, the wide purview of this brief was really enjoyable. It felt like an opportunity to play and have fun with metal again. I won't go in to the brief here...
Here I am
Written 16th March 2023: While getting to grips with managing a 5 day working week, along with the Handshake8 workshops and homework + the rest of my life…I missed my blog post for the first month. My apologies, things can only get better:-) 5 weeks in, my reflection...
Paper Model Play
The next homework that Estela set was to take the cardboard model and push the form further. Here, I explored different aspects of the model and explored ideas through the making process. This type of “thinking through making” took me back to when I was undertaking my...
Reverence for slow rhythms: A Ritual.
A red serpent lays coiled upon dry, red earth Old skins shed, grief no longer lingers It sleeps and dreams of new life, deeper tones Midnight black, a glittering starlit river weaves Receive the low, undulating hum of the land. Reverence for slow rhythms...
Learning to make with our eyes closed.
In our recent HANDSHAKE8 class we took the object we each constructed for homework and learnt how to propel the ideas in the piece forward. We drew our object several times each with a different brief in mind. There was one catch, our eyes had to be closed. This...
Welcome to HandShake 8, 2023-24
HS8 is a two-year programme designed to encourage experimentation, feedback, development, and exhibiting for emerging artists. The HS8 development program aims to challenge and support each artist in their creative development, helping them to grow their capability, excitement, and endeavour through a range of masterclasses, professional support, and feedback.
The programme is comprised of eleven artists selected by Estela Saez Vilanova from Barcelona, who began with a series of masterclasses that delved deep into the content and depth of the artist’s work practice.
Estela Saez Vilanova’s masterclass is a source of inspiration and support for each HS8 artist, providing them with various design options and ideas opportunities. Her passion, succession of briefs, and direct feedback stimulate the development process in terms of ideas, material exploration, and art-making.
A special face-to-face masterclass gathering was held during the Nelson Jewellery Week in mid-April 2023, featuring the successful Push-Pull workshop of Renee Bevan (12-16 April 2023).
In the second half of 2023, the HS8 artists refined and developed their ideas from explorations and discoveries from the two masterclasses and a series of feedback sessions by three international mentor coaches who helped them refine their ‘process‘ explorations.
Another masterclass with writing expert May-Jane Duffy focuses on blog writing, content writing, and artist statements.
From 4 – 20 December 2023, HS8 artists exhibit their 2023 ‘process’ work (including some finished artwork) at DEPOT Art Space, Auckland.
In the second year (2024), the HS8 mentees are matched with their mentors. The mentees develop their ideas and materials in a body of work with the assistance of their mentor.
Andrea Daly and Neke Moa’s online masterclass on ‘theory and history’ integrates art and design theory with the depth of the HS8 artist’s work through experimentation and exploration. Neke Moa introduces how connections to the art practices of tangata whenua are explored within her own artworks and those of others.
In 2024, the final masterclass will focus on innovative presentation methods. This includes the use of images and videos to explore different ways of presenting artworks for the HS exhibition online programme and social media platforms. The masterclass will also concentrate on producing a collaborative video expressing the unique group dynamics of HS8 alongside their artworks at their Pah Homestead exhibition.
HS8’s second and end-of-project exhibition MATERIALISE: 8 Nov 2024 – 16 Feb 2025 will take place at Pah Homestead, Auckland, opening on Thursday, 7 November 2024, from 6-8 pm.
Losing control
We have just wrapped up 10 sessions with the fantastic Estela Saez. Sometimes it was crazy fun and other times it was deeply challenging. My practice is very material based, I am obsessed with stone and reluctant to work with other...
Silver Linings
Weirdly, going back to the material that started this whole crazy mid-life career change, was kinda challenging. My little world had been so consumed with plastic’s and soft materials that I was a bit anxious getting back on the tools. To combat this, I spent a bit...
Winter/reflect
We are now marching down the path into winter here in Aotearoa, New Zealand and we have now come to the end of our online Masterclass Zoom sessions with Estela Saez-Vilanova. As new handshake mentees, we began our time with Estela in late Summer in February. It was...
Material Wealth
I’ve loved all the little exercises we’ve been given to prompt ideas. For example: Drawing with our eyes closed. Drawing or Making with a word in mind They’re great to stop being overwhelmed when presented with a new project. I often think big, wild and whacky,...
Tying Myself in Knots
I am so grateful for the energy of Estela Saez and the Handshake group during this series of workshops in what has been a difficult year for me personally. The spirit of generosity has been overwhelming as we've worked together through what has been frustrating,...