Is it serendipity or coincidence?

Katerina Smoldyreva with her Distorted Monument. PICTURE / JOAN STREET

MIKE: "Serendipity", one of my favourite words, is defined in the Chambers Dictionary as "the faculty of making happy chance finds", which was certainly the case on July 26.

We had been invited several weeks earlier, by Joan Rosier-Jones, to the launch of her book, Literary Whanganui. After a month of being hors de combat for health reasons, I was looking forward immensely to re-joining the cultural life of the city. That very same day an article by Liz Wylie in the Chronicle described the latest work by Katerina Smoldyreva, a New Plymouth artist whose exhibition in February at Rayners' Gallery I had thoroughly enjoyed. Her new composition was inspired by the story of Charles Mackay, a mayor of our city in the early 20th century, whose name crops up in Literary Whanganui in the page devoted to D'Arcy Cresswell. Those two references were compounded by the fact that Joan and I had played the roles of Mackay and his wife in the centenary celebrations of the Dublin Street Bridge.

Three reasons, therefore, for my wishing to see Katerina's work, and, when I caught up with her last week in her workshop at 85 Glasgow Street, I couldn't have been luckier. Her residency having finished at the end of July, Katerina was spending a day adding the finishing touches to the statue, prior to taking it back to New Plymouth for firing. As I arrived, she was in the process of scoring deep lines in the clay to separate the large figure into four sections for ease of transport. Katerina is an exuberant enthusiast for her chosen field, pouring out a constant stream of information on both the reasons behind this piece and the physical process followed. It consists of a horse which has collapsed on its rider, trapping him beneath its body. An unusual theme, which she terms a "distorted monument". Equine statues, she said, invariably depict a man on a prancing horse, proudly displaying his power, authority or political strength. On this occasion, however, the artist has chosen to reveal the aspect of a fall from grace — literally and metaphorically — "screaming with emotions".

Mackay, a figure of authority, was blackmailed by Cresswell, who threatened to spread the story that Mackay was homosexual unless he agreed not to stand for mayor again. This may well have been a political set-up. The result was that Mackay shot Cresswell in the chest, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, was imprisoned, then released after serving seven of his 15 years' sentence, on condition that he should leave New Zealand. Employed as a journalist in Britain, he was sent to Berlin in 1929, where, during a political demonstration, he was accidentally shot and killed by a policeman.

For Katerina, here is a figure of authority collapsing into one of tragedy, reminiscent of Oedipus or Othello. Man and horse have been fused into one, their open mouths releasing their emotions. Mackay was simply an inspiration, a reference point, rather than a specific character in her creation. She would like the "monument" to be seen from a "more general and philosophical viewpoint".

Once the work has been fired, Katerina must decide how to tackle the joins on re-assembling it. Originally she planned to apply a thin clay slip to conceal them, but is now debating whether to leave them exposed, as scars, emphasising the fractured nature of the piece. As for colour, again, she has not yet decided.
"Painting with your mind" is a phrase she used to describe this process, when brighter colours may yield to earthy ones, the decision depending upon the firing. This is the largest ceramic Katerina has done, and she explained how the internal hollow areas, like large buildings, require structural support to prevent collapse. Part of her preparation has been the manufacture of 16 small models, "sketches", which will form part of her exhibition.

Back now to "serendipity", though "coincidence" may be more accurate. Katerina said one visitor to her workshop had compared the statue to the work of Marino Marini, an Italian sculptor she admires. Probably his most famous piece is the one in Venice, standing in the garden of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. "Not the one with the huge penis?" I gasped. Indeed it was the sculpture which Joan and I had seen for ourselves last year!
My Venice Travel Guide states that the Angelo della Citta (Angel of the City), his "most provocative piece," depicts a man "sitting on a horse, erect in all respects". In the "age of disillusionment" Marini probably intended this to shock art lovers, particularly as the penis was screwed on, thus making it easy to remove when guests of refinement and sensibility were visiting Peggy.

Is there room for yet another moment of serendipity? Just one more! Katerina's "monument" is a mixture of clay from Ireland and some she was given in New Plymouth.
A friend, Andy Bassett, offered her the clay which had been kept in his garage since the death 13 years ago, of his wife, a potter.
Where did Andy's wife live as a young girl? Why, 85 Glasgow St, of course! Serendipity, coincidence, a fortuitous concatenation of events? Call it what you will, but it must surely rate as a strangely mysterious amalgamation of circumstances.
September 14 is the opening for Katerina's exhibition.
We will be away on that date, but back before it closes. It will be too good to miss.

JOAN: Opening night at Amdram last Thursday was a thrilling evening. The buzz of anticipation was tangible as Mike and I arrived, thrilled to see a "house full" notice at the entry — every theatre's dream.

The Blue Orchid is written and directed by Graham Dack. It is also dedicated to our very precious Karen Ellett who died earlier this year and, yes, her presence and inspiration were felt there by those who love and miss her.

This is a winner! Weaving together the great music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and their brilliant contemporaries, the show revives the Jazz Age and the immortal sounds of that time.

We are there with the characters, as the groovy set includes orchestra, singers, actors and wraps itself around us, the spellbound audience. Set design and lighting create the mood and, boy, do the musicians/actors involved do it credit. We have the cream of Whanganui musicians before us. Abby Livesay and Dave Griffiths are quite amazing and, along with Michael Smyth and the very up-and-coming Michael Petersen give us accompaniments to die for.

The voices of Shelley Walls and Iutita Kilmister front up with delicious renditions of the well-known, haunting songs and I heard Jayne Fields for the first time as she blended with them. They produced some great harmonies and stunning backing.

But wait, there's more! Graham has written a simple, endearing story around the music.

As well as singing beautifully, Nigel Irwin has huge stage presence, voice and acting skill. Colin Luttrell showed his singing talent and interacted so well with Nigel. A good yarn is told.

I am not going to say too much about Cypress Kani-Hurinui. She is a wonderful surprise! She will thrill you. She is the wild card of the evening.

This is Amdram at its best. Shrewd Mr Dack has picked the best exponents of every aspect of musical theatre in this production. I need to congratulate Julian Annear who, as the barman with little to say, never lost character nor ever stopped reacting perfectly to what went on in the Blue Orchid. Get there this weekend.

Comments and suggestions to mjstreet@xtra.co.nz