Flax artist Elke Radewald and Evelyn Dunstan show their unfinished creation they are collaborating on. Photo / Tania Whyte
Flax artist Elke Radewald and Evelyn Dunstan show their unfinished creation they are collaborating on. Photo / Tania Whyte
Simon Peacey has been woodturning for around five years and never thought he would turn out an art piece using metal, stone, glass and flax.
But that is what is happening after an idea formed on day one of his first time at a Whangārei artist's camp.
CollaboratioNZ is a week-long biennial camp at Whangārei Heads for artists from around the globe. With this year's travel restrictions, there are only two from Australia (with the transtasman bubble) and the rest, totalling around 60, hailing from as far afield as the South Island and including multicultural artists already in the country.
The idea is to unite artists specialising in various mediums where ideas are formed and unique creations produced. These are then auctioned at the end of the week.
This was Peacey's first experience at CollaboratioNZ and the Whangārei woodturner said he decided to take part to get inspired surrounded by amazing, creative people.
"I came up with an idea on the first day and shared it and, next minute, I'm collaborating with artists of wood, stone, glass and flax. I'm doing things I never would have thought of and rubbing shoulders with people – I was chatting with people at dinner and hadn't realised they were world experts in their fields but I've found everyone to be just so humble and helpful."
Woodturner Simon Peacey was enjoying the creativity of the CollaboratioNZ. Photo / Tania Whyte
At yesterday's open day, where visitors could watch the artists at work, Peacey was tight-lipped about the creation they were working on and said all would be revealed at Saturday's auction.
The no-reserve auction will be held at Forum North with a preview and silent auction, accompanied by live music from 11am-1pm, followed by a live auction beginning at 1pm. The artists will be present to chat about the inspiration behind each piece.
The event involves multi-media artists entwining their skills in wood, steel, fibre weaving, glass, metal, furniture, bone, leather, paint, textiles, print, stone, leather, silver, gold, electronics, jewellery, wood carving and turning and digital. Over the week they work together from 7am-10pm to produce around 200 unique pieces for the auction.
Waipū's Elke Radewald has been flax weaving for 11 years but this was also her first time at the event. She said on day one, she was having a "tutu" with some flax she had earlier prepared but decided it wasn't working so threw it into the discarded bin. That was when Auckland's lost wax cast glass artist Evelyn Dunstan noticed it and asked if they could collaborate.
Evelyn Dunstan's glass masks. Photo / Tania Whyte
They are currently working on a creation involving flax fibre from shredded flax and glass casts in the shape of kowhai.
She had also been approached by a copper artist to make a kina with her circular turquoise-dyed flax-woven creation – something that would never have occurred to her but was shaping up well.
CollaboratioNZ Charitable Trust chairman Steve Haywood said the open day had been successful, attracting a good turnout of around 300 visitors through the gates.
