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Creative Profile 10 - Meighan Ellis

Meighan Ellis is a multidisciplinary artist with training and experience in photography, film, research, and more recently, a reconnection with clay.

She worked as a writer, stylist, art director, and photographer for several international print, academic, and online journals while residing for a while in London, Sydney, and Tokyo. She has returned to the ceramics studio after a 20+ year absence from the analogue + digital world of the still + moving picture, reviving her early preference for the three dimensional.

She is an expert in the field, the history of nineteenth-century photography, modern digital imaging, moving images, and networked technologies, and she has an MFA with first class honours with distinction. Meighan has been teaching in this subject at the university level for about 20 years, in addition to her fine-art and commercial photography work.

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Creative Profile 9 - Giordano Bellincampi

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's music director is Giordano Bellincampi. He was born in Italy and spent his early years in Copenhagen. In 1994, he made his directing debut. He started his career as a trombone with the Royal Danish Orchestra.

The chief conductor of the Kristiansand Symphony, the principal conductor of Milan's I Pomeriggi Musicali, the music director of the Duisburg Philharmonic, the music director of the Danish National Opera in Aarhus, and the music director of the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra are just a few of his previous roles. He has an adjunct faculty position at the Royal Danish Academy.

In recognition of his contributions to Danish culture, the Danish Royal Family named him a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 2010. He also bears the title of Cavaliere from the President of Italy.

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Creative Profile 8 - Rita Angus

"Henrietta Catherine Angus, known as Rita, was born in Hastings on 12 March 1908. She was the eldest of seven children of Ethel Violet Crabtree and her husband, William McKenzie Angus, who began his working life as a carpenter and went on to establish the major construction company W. M. Angus Limited. During Rita’s childhood, building contracts kept the family on the move between Palmerston North and Napier. From 1922 until 1926 she attended Palmerston North Girls’ High School, where her art teacher, G. H. Elliott, recognised her talent and encouraged her to undertake further study.

In 1927 Angus enrolled at Canterbury College School of Art to begin a four-year diploma in fine arts. From tutors such as Leonard Booth, Cecil Kelly and Archibald Nicoll she received a sound traditional training in life drawing, still life, and landscape painting. Art history lectures introduced her to what would become an enduring interest in Renaissance and medieval art. Just as important was her interest in composition, and in this respect the work of Vermeer and Cézanne made a lasting impression. Although Angus never completed the diploma, her studies at the school continued, with interruptions, until 1933."

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Creative Profile 7 - Chris Huriwai

Chris Huriwai is a director, producer and activist

"Chris Huriwai, 29, (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou and Te Ati Awa) is an animal rights activist and plant-based advocate whose documentary Milked, which exposes the whitewash of Aotearoa’s dairy industry, is screening at this year’s New Zealand International Film Festival. He’s also a three-time unicycle world champion. His partner Samah Seger, 29, is an animal rights activist and the couple currently live near Dargaville."

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Creative Profile 6 - Temuera Morrison

Temuera Morrison is an Aotearoa actor who is well known for his role as Jango fett and Boba fett in George Lucas' Star Wars films.

"Temuera Morrison is a multi-talented actor and singer from New Zealand who has had a big effect on the entertainment business. He is well known for his roles in popular Hollywood blockbusters including The Mandalorian, Aquaman, and the Star Wars series. Morrison has established himself as a household name both in New Zealand and internationally because of his remarkable acting abilities and engaging screen presence.

Temuera Morrison was born in Rotorua, New Zealand, on December 26, 1960. He is of Mori ancestry, and he belongs to the Ngti Maniapoto tribe. Morrison was raised in a humble home and had to overcome numerous obstacles in his early years. He was able to overcome these challenges and pursue his aspirations because of his passion for music and acting."

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Creative Profile 5 - Brett Graham

Brett Graham is an Aotearoa based sculptor and artist and is the son of prolific sculptor and artist Fred Graham.

"Brett Graham is widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s most accomplished contemporary artists. He has been an artist full time since 2005, exhibiting twice at the Sydney Biennale in 2006 and 2010 and at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007. Graham’s father, sculptor Fred Graham, and contemporaries such as Selwyn Muru, Paratene Matchitt and Ralph Hotere were early influences on his artistic development.

Graham works from Tāmaki Makaurau, though has been a constant traveller through his career. He has undertaken a range of Residencies throughout Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific), North America, Asia and Europe and his work is included in the collections of National Gallery of Canada, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Honolulu Museum of Art.

As noted by the Laureate selection panel, “His understanding of Māori, indigenous and western art forms, his perspective as tangata Māori, tangata moana and his steadfast commitment to artistic excellence, results in works which in scale and form may be confronting, yet conceptually endowed, meditative and beautiful. We are challenged to reflect on our tangled, contested histories and the complex relationships they encompass, through a lens of respect and decorum, as a pathway to the future.”

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Creative Profile 4 - Peter Jackson

Sir Peter Jackson is a visionary New Zealand director, producer and screenwriter whose outstanding leadership and passion for filmmaking changed the face of the New Zealand film industry and took Hollywood by storm. Sir Peter began his filmmaking career at the age of eight, making short films from his home in Wellington.

At the age of 17, he left school and began filming science fiction comedy films. Sir Peter and his partner Fran Walsh wrote his next films, winning widespread acclaim with Heavenly Creatures, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1994. Sir Peter then became the first person to direct three major films in the Lord of the Rings trilogy at the same time. The highest-grossing film trilogy in history, with a worldwide box office gross of over $2.9 billion, and one of the most recognized franchises of all time with 17 Academy Awards and 30 nominations. The Lord of the Rings voted Sir Peter Jackson as one of the world's greatest directors.

Widely considered the greatest fantasy film of all time, The Return of the King won the most Oscars behind Titanic and Ben-Hur, with 11, including Best Director for Sir Peter. After completing The Lord of the Rings, Sir Peter directed, wrote and produced King Kong, which won three Oscars.

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Creative Profile 3 - Des Hunt

Following Terrace End School, Hunt attended Palmerston North Intermediate, Palmerston North Boys' High School, Victoria University, and Christchurch College of Education for his official education.

Des Hunt started working as a teacher at Hawera High School in 1964, where he also first met his wife Lynne and gave birth to his two children Keri and Neville. From there, they made their last journey to Coromandel Area School in 1999 before continuing on to Rosehill College in Papakura in 1971. He retired in 2007 after 44 years of teaching.

His first piece of published work, a 24 page reader on the connections between the Earth, Moon, and Sun, appeared in 1973. The 1990s saw the publication of a number of textbooks before Hunt decided he wanted to present science in a new light.

He started creating children's adventure books that featured the subjects that had always attracted him: science, electronic technology, New Zealand's distinctive fauna, volcanoes, earthquakes, and any other natural phenomena that can have terrible effects. A Friend in Paradise 2002, which has since been followed by several more, was the outcome. Hopefully there will be many more to come.

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Creative Profile 2 - Parris Goebel

Parris Goebel was attracted to dancing from a young age and was born and raised in Manurewa, Auckland. She began taking hip-hop lessons when she was 10 and, with four female friends, founded the ReQuest dance group when she was 15. She later opened her own dance studio, The Palace dance studio, in Penrose, which is home to four of her dance groups, ranging in age from junior division to adult division.

Parris has collaborated with a variety of musicians, including BIGBANG, CL, iKON, Taeyang, BLACKPINK, Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Nicki Minaj. She has performed in music videos and films as well as choreographed routines. One of her significant accomplishments was choreographing Justin Bieber's "Sorry" video.

https://www.thearts.co.nz/artists/parris-goebel

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Creative Profile 1 - Lisa Reihana

Lisa Reihana  (Ngāpuhi-Ngāti Hine-Ngāi Tū-Te Auru) is a multi-media artist whose work includes text, photography, sculpture, costume and body decoration, and cinema.

She has had a big impact on the growth of modern and contemporary Maori art in Aotearoa New Zealand since the 1990s.

She frequently uses portraiture to examine how identity and history are portrayed, how these notions interact with conceptions of location and community, and how to harness and control enticing high production values.

Reihana's multifaceted practise, which includes video, photography, sculpture, costume, body adornment, and written text, explores the various ways in which identity and history are produced and expressed as well as the nuanced notions of location and community.

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SDL Part 1.2 - The creative communities

Who are the local and global creatives, designers, illustrators, photographers that you want to connect with? 

What are the influences on them and what engages you in their work? 

In what (if any) ways as they collaborative and engaging communities? 

What impacts, concepts, thematics, and organising principles are at play in the creative practice?

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SDL Part 1.1 - The Creation

What is the nature of my Communication Design practice and research? 

How do my environmental, social, cultural, sub-cultural, political contexts and influences show up in my work? 

What key themes, ideas and conversations are speaking in or through my work? 

What specialist subject knowledge do I want my work to convey? 

Are there specific techniques and crafts I want to hone within my practice?

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SDL Part 1

Who is doing the creative practice and underpinning research? 

Who am I as a designer? 

I think at this point in my design career, I like to think I’m someone who takes on work and ideas that have the potential to impact someone or raise awareness on important subjects. I definitely want to design for change, especially within the environmental and medical fields. I’m an empathetic designer but also feel that hard truths are what is going to get people to listen and take action on something. 

What are the influences on me as a designer and where do they come from? 

Many influences come from my family and the creative people I’ve observed while growing up, coming from places such as films, writing, music, dancers, artists or designers. I tend to connect with creatives and their work if it’s significant to me or similar to my design approach. 

How can I unpack the personal design ideologies that cultural shifts, ethics, and responsibility that impact my decision-making? 

I think a pretty significant way for me to comprehend my own ideologies that reflect within my work is to...

How might I expand my visual vocabulary by understanding the environmental, social, cultural, political contexts of my design influences? 

One way to expand my visual vocabulary 

Where do I stand in relation to my practice and what do I value? 

Even though I try to ensure I don’t become too attached to my work, I think it’s incredibly hard for me to do that as a lot of my work is a reflection of my beliefs and the passion I feel for something. I also think creating meaningful work that I myself can insert my own personal touch into, is what helps me create something successful. 

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Week 1 Activity - Event

5 creatives 

George Lucas

Tchaikovsky 

Maggie Nelson

George Lucas

- George Lucas is the creator and director behind many of my favourite films, some of which hold a lot of significance to me and my family.

- He is still around today but a lot of his golden moments as a creative were the films he made around the 70s and 80s. 

- Themes - adventure, found family, political

Tchaikovsky 

- Tchaikovsky is a classical composer who worked on many of the classic ballets still performed today - swan lake, the nutcracker - his music evokes a lot of passion. 

- Themes - love - betrayal - 

Maggie Nelson 

- Maggie Nelson is a writer and poet whose book Bluet is one of my favourites. In this book, she talks about her love and partiality for the colour blue. I chose her because of how similar I feel about my favourite colour. 

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Week 1

Who are the designers, photographers and illustrators in Aotearoa who influence you?

- Thomas Matthews Studio 

- Lisa Reihana

- Taika Waititi

- Fred and Brett Graham

- Cecil Beaton

- Seachange studio

- Carlberg Design

- Andy Warhol 

What do you value as a creative?

- Designing for change - medical change - political change - social change

- Designing for sustainability 

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Week 1 - Stanza

See

Astigmatised highway lights through condensation on the car window, the back of my eyelids, lacking the red glare that comes from the sun during the day.

Hear

a song written by one of the english bands that my parents grew up listening and dancing to in their youth, mum snoring in the front seat which could often be mistaken for a lawnmower, the monotonous hum of cars

Taste

A sip of my dad’s pure V that he picked up from one of the petrol stations to keep him awake through the car ride home, refreshing and lingering 

Smell

If the windows were open, the smell of rain in the air - depending on the time of year - thick and dense or clean and crisp.

Touch

The seatbelt on my shoulder. 

The car is where many creative discussions arise - whether it’s ones from my dad, brother, mum or myself - the car is where we are all in one place, heading somewhere together. It’s a confronting setting, but allows us to be in the moment. Songs from my childhood are heavily English and come from the London scene of the 80s and 90s - often compiled into one playlist on spotify - often political - often evokes feelings of nostalgia and family. 

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Week 1: Reflection

18th July

Reflection

The Tivaevae project done by one of the students really stood out to me due to the intergenerational aspects brought into it. I like the idea of being able to connect to your ancestors through visual means, as a way of feeling closer to heritage/ethnicity. I also liked that the quilts were personalised and that each style of the student’s grandmother’s/aunties were a reflection of them as a creative and a person and represented an individuals creative process and how that might differentiate from someone else's.