A handful of Christchurch photographers are celebrating life on the other side of the camera, as their entries to the 2007 Kurashiki Sister City Photomural Competition were returned to their home city last week and exhibited at the Christchurch Polytechnic of Information Technology (CPIT).
The local works of art were among the winning 60 out of 700 entries, selected from the 2007 Kurashiki Sister City Photomural Competition in Japan.
Over thirty entries by Christchurch photographers were sent by the Christchurch Kurashiki Sister City Committee, to Japan for the annual competition. Five of these talented photographers submitted winning artwork and are now reaping their rewards, with their work hanging on display in the Rakaia Centre of the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) over the next four months.
Renowned photo critic Mr Kotaro Iizawa of the Kurashiki Culture Promotion Foundation, selected the winning images to be printed on to large cloth murals and displayed in Kurashiki's Station Area Shopping Arcade - a prominent former Samurai warehouse quarter.
Amanda Sinclair, a 3rd year photography student, studying art and graphic design at CPIT, was one of five Christchurch photographers whose photo of her young daughter holding a globe was selected by Kurashiki to be made into a huge photomural for display.
"Photography is one of my great passions and to be involved with the whole competition was an amazing experience.
"I never expected to get this far and was absolutely thrilled when I heard my photo was one of the winners. I wouldn't even hesitate now to enter another competition like this again"
The other four photomurals, all incorporating the theme 'vision', were created by Stefan Roberts, Naofumi Osato, Libby Penman and Rachel Yeoman and can also be found hanging in the Rakaia Centre.
Kurashiki, is one of Christchurch's seven international sister cities, with the Photomural Competition being just one of the cultural exchanges resulting from this relationship, helping to create this positive opportunity for local artists and to have their work displayed both Internationally and locally.
In support of this exhibition and to promote the cultural exchange between Japan and Christchurch, Ikebana International Christchurch Chapter 202 will also be providing weekly Ikebana displays while the photomurals are exhibited.
Students of Palmerston North's International Pacific College's Japanese drumming group visited Christchurch in December 07 to perform free concerts at various locations throughout the city including a performance at the Kurashiki Garden at Halswell Quarry Park. This is the second time these talented students visited Christchurch on their tour of the country at the end of their year of studies at the College.
Seeking Christchurch photographers for the 2007 Kurashiki Sister City Photomural Competition, June 2007
Christchurch photographers will have the chance to have their artwork displayed both locally and internationally as part of the 2007 Kurashiki Sister City Photomural Competition with the theme 'vision' – entries must be submitted by Friday, 17 August. Photos are accepted from all over Japan, as well as from Kurashiki’s own sister cities. 60 winning photos will be printed on enormous cloth murals and displayed in Kurashiki's Station Area Shopping Arcade – a prominent former Samurai warehouse quarter – as well as here in Christchurch.
Those looking for inspiration are encouraged to visit the CPIT atrium before this year’s winning 32 photomurals are removed on 20 June. Included are 2 winning local photos.
For more information see the attached media article [PDF 547KB], and entry form. [PDF 118KB]
The Christchurch – Kurashiki Sister City Committee are looking for volunteers, who work with people with physical disabilities, to home host one or two Japanese people for two nights (10 and 11 November). These visitors are between the ages of 23 and 40 and also work with people with physical disabilities. View the host requirements.
Renowned Christchurch sculptor Graham Bennett and Prof. Wataru Hamasaka of the Kurashiki University of Science and the Fine Arts, both highly respected artists in their own countries, are collaborating in a joint exhibition in Kurashiki this month. Graham Bennett will spend 3 weeks in Kurashiki, hosted by Wataru Hamasaka. Their professional relationship and friendship have developed from Graham’s first trip to Kurashiki in 2003, where he created and installed Christchurch’s 30th Anniversary gift to Kurashiki 'Lines Extending'. Last year their joint exhibition ‘Ukabu’ featured at the Art House in Christchurch 22 August to 10 September.
Their ‘Afinity Exhibition’ will take place from 12-22 April at the Shiwori Gallery, Kurashiki. View some of Graham’s works for the exhibition.
An exhibition of 42 large photomurals will be displayed at the Christchurch Polytechnic's Administration building's atrium from late January until June 2007. The photomurals are from a larger exhibition of over 80 murals which Kurashiki holds each year. They are selected after a competition by local photographers and photographers from Kurashiki's sister cities. This follows on from the successful exhibition of 10 photomurals at the Chch Polytechnic from January to March 2006.
Keith Nicolson, member of the Christchurch Kurashiki Sister City Committee and organiser of the photomural exhibition was one of two successful contestants from Christchurch, whose photographs was selected by Kurashiki and has been created as a photomural, on display at the CPIT.
Sister City Relationship Gains Momentum...
Christchurch's sister City relationship with Kurashiki, Japan takes another step forward this year with an artistic collaborative venture between sculptors Graham Bennett and Professor Wataru Hamasaka. These two artists, both highly regarded in their respective countries, will exhibit together in an exhibition entitled 'Ishi' at the Arthouse, Christchurch from 22 August to 10 September 2006.
An invitation to Bennett to extend part of his 1999 Tokyo exhibition to the historic Hashimaya Gallery in Kurashiki became a catalyst for a number of subsequent initiatives. more... [15KB free PDF reader]
Two Christchurch students Stephen Krammer (17 years) and Kerri Bonner (18 years), their 2 caregivers and 2 disability advisers Justin Muschamp from Sport Canterbury and Tricia Ventom, Kiwiable Co-ordinator, will travel to Kurashiki from 14-24 April and will be hosted by the Kurashiki Disabled Persons’ International Exchange Association.
The visit is kindly sponsored by Independent Fisheries, Christchurch, who also sponsored a reciprocol exchange when two young people from Kurashiki and their caregivers visited Christchurch in February 2005.
Kurashiki have invited Christchurch photographers to submit photographs with the theme 'Brilliance' for the Kurashiki Photomural '06 Display. This is the third year the display will be held but the first time Kurashiki has invited their sister cities to submit photographs for the Photomural Display.
Until recently 10 of the collection of Kurashiki's 05 large photomurals 2m x 1.9m in size were displayed at CPIT (see article and photo below). At the end of this year CPIT plans to display 48 of this year's Kurashiki photomurals for around 6 months. Prior to this, the photomurals will be displayed in the Kurashiki Station Area Shopping Arcade 21 October to 5 November and at Kurashiki Tivoli Park 21 October to 12 November.
Black and white or colour photos may be submitted and must be 8 x 10 inches. They must be received in Kurashiki between 17 and 31 July. 60 photos will be selected for the Photomural Display.
See full details of how to participate in the Kurashiki Photomural '06 display.
A slice of Japanese photographical talent currently hangs in the Christchurch Polytechnic Administration Building’s atrium, and Christchurch residents may yet be able to see the whole 2006 exhibition if a suitable home can be found.
The 10 images, which come from a collection of 30, have been converted into 2m x 1.9m photomurals and were selected from a local competition in Kurashiki, Japan.
If a suitable location can be found, the Christchurch/Kurashiki Sister City Committee will look at bringing the whole exhibition to Christchurch in 2006. The committee is currently approaching suburban shopping malls, a venue that has proved successful in Japan.
Further info:
CCC International Relations Coordinator Barbara August 941 8251
Images of the murals are available by emailing: barbara.august@ccc.govt.nz
Ms Yumiko Nakagawa, a fourth year student in the Fine Arts Department of the Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, will be visiting Christchurch as an exchange student at Canterbury University for a about a one-month period beginning September 6, 2004.
Ms Nakagawa's main area of study involves wood sculpting/carving. She is also interested in the promotion and organizing of art exhibitions, displays and other art related events, and wants to see and research how such things are done in Christchurch.
Ms Nakagawa is a student of Professor Wataru Hamasaka, who was in Christchurch as part of a sculptor exchange in March '04 when he sculpted 'The Canoe in the Canoe', the 30th Anniversary gift from Kurashiki to Christchurch. Ms. Nakagawa often worked alongside Graham Bennett, in the same studio, during Mr Bennett's stay in Kurashiki in 200, as part of the sculptor exchange, when Graham completed 'Lines Extending' Christchurch's 30th Anniversary gift to Kurashiki.
Mr. Bennett, has been instrumental in organising the student exchange between the University of Canterbury Fine Arts Department and the Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts.
Eleven members of the Kurashiki Chapter of Ikebana are to visit Christchurch from 20 – 23 August, 2004 to share their knowledge and skills with local Christchurch’s local Ikebana Chapter. They will hold a joint exhibition of their work in the Crowne Plaza Hotel from 21 – 23 August. This exhibition will be one of the many Festival of Japan events to be held between 16-25 August 2004. The Christchurch Chapter is intending to make a reciprocal visit to Kurashiki sometime in 2005.
The final event of the 30th Anniversary Celebrations of the link between the City of Christchurch and the City of Kurashiki was the visit to Christchurch (24-29 March 2004) of the Kurashiki Youth Chorus. The group consisted of 31 young people between the ages of 9-18 plus a group of 7 adult leaders and parents. The group performed at the NZ Sister Cities Conference Welcome Reception, in Cathedral Square and at the Arts Centre, and at Cathedral Grammar and Selwyn House schools. They sang a variety of music including traditional and popular Japanese songs and a variety of popular western songs and musicals.
See the final report...
World-renowned sculptor Professor Wataru Hamasaka, the Arts Centre Artist in Residence for March, and worked at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) on a sculpture that is to be gifted to the city of Christchurch.
The Canoe in the Canoe - a 2.2 metre long stone carving featuring a smaller granite canoe inside it - was given to Christchurch by our Japanese sister-city Kurashiki to mark the 30th anniversary of our sister-city relationship. An anniversary sculpture has already been gifted to Kurashiki from Christchurch. ‘Lines Extending’ was installed in Kurashiki by Christchurch artist Graham Bennett in November 2003.
The canoe was unveiled by Mayor Garry Moore on Wednesday, 31 March at 4pm at the Arts Centre, outside the Court Theatre, where it is now on display. Read more...
See pictures of the unveilling...
Lines Extending is a sculpture by celebrated Christchurch artist Graham Bennett which Christchurch City is giving to Kurashiki in Japan to mark 30 years of their Sister City relationship.
Mr Bennett is pictured in his workshop with a maquette (a detailed scale model) of the work, shortly before it was taken by Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore to Japan. Behind Mr Bennett are wooden patterns of the full-sized work.
At a ceremony in Kurashiki last night (4 August), Mr Moore unveiled the maquette. Mr Bennett will go to Kurashiki in November to complete, assemble and install Lines Extending.
His trip is the Christchurch contribution to an artist exchange arranged to mark the anniversary. Kurashiki sculptor Wataru Hamasaka will come to Christchurch in February next year and will be based at the Christchurch Arts Centre as its Artist in Residence.
Mr Bennett says Lines Extending will stand between 3m and 4m high. Half the stones inside will be from the rivers that form the boundaries of Canterbury. The other half will be stones gathered around Kurashiki.
Mr Bennett says his works are not intended to provide answers or state a case. Rather, he prefers them to pose questions and invite people to speculate and reach their own conclusions.
He says Lines Extending “references” latitude and longitude, the traditional mnemonic stick charts used by Polynesian and Melanesian navigators, trajectories, maps and stones as markers.
“ Questions of identity have been raised regularly in my work,” he says. “Context, comparison and contrast are fundamental precepts, as is the notion of polarity in the sculpture.
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| Sculptor Doug Neil and a model of his latest design "Pillars of Wisdom" |
Christchurch sculptor Doug Neil has won the sixth Kurashiki Open Sculpture Competition and Exhibition. Kurashiki is one of 6 sister cities of Christchurch and was the first Japan - New Zealand link which was formed 30 years ago this year.
Doug’s sculpture 'Pillars of Wisdom' included 16 tonnes of granite and columns more than five metres high and will be on permanent display in our Japanese sister city, Kurashiki.
This was the first time Christchurch sculptors had been invited to participate in the event. Sculptors were invited to enter from all over Japan and from Kurashiki's Sister Cities. Around 315 sculptors entered and this was the first time the winner was from another country.
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| Doug Neil's finished sculpture 'Pillars of Wisdom' on it's permanent site in Kurashiki. |
To enter the competition, artists were asked to make a model of their proposed sculpture. From the models, five finalists were chosen and were given about NZ$40,000 to produce their full sized sculptures and get them to Japan for display. Doug's win netted him a further $90,000.
Doug united 3 of Christchurch’s 6 Sister Cities (Seattle, Adelaide and Kurashiki) in this project. Doug was born in Seattle, sourced the stone for the sculpture from Adelaide, brought it to Christchurch to be carved then shipped it to Kurashiki for the competition.
As part of the 30th anniversary of the Christchurch – Kurashiki Sister City links celebrations there is to be an exchange of gifts from one city to the other. It has been decided that the gifts will be a sculpture to each others city’s and Graham Bennett, a well known Christchurch sculptor will travel to Kurashiki to create his sculpture in November 2003. He will take up residence in Kurashiki for 4 – 6 weeks and while there will also give lectures and talks to students at the Kake University. The Kurashiki sculptor, Wataru Hamasaka, will visit Christchurch in February 2004 and will be based at the Christchurch Arts Centre as their ‘Artist in Residence’. He will also be asked to talk about and show his skills to interested students and artists. The sculptures created will provide a lasting reminder of this very important occasion.
A ballet exchange was organised by Kurashiki City Hall as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations ,held throughout 2003 to commemorate the Christchurch Kurashiki Sister City relationship.
The group led by Christchurch businessman and deputy chairman of the Christchurch Kurashiki Sister City Committee David Bolam-Smith, and Canterbury Ballet director Taisia Missevich, included twenty-one girls and two boys, aged 13 to 18 who dance with Canterbury Ballet, and wardrobe and lighting experts.
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| Members of the Canterbury Ballet take time out from rehearsals to meet David Bolam-Smith. |
The troupe gave two performances at the theatre in Kurashiki where the International Friendship Festival was held. Canterbury Ballet dancers provided half of the programme for the ballet celebrations, sharing the honour with a Japanese company which combined two companies especially for the festival.
Canterbury Ballet performed Minkus’ La Bayadere, Act III, and Fugue - a new contemporary dance choreography by Missevich, about the emotions of a young woman. The Japanese ballet company performed Sleeping Beauty, Act I, and a specially commissioned piece about the Kurashiki temple.
To view a copy of the ballet company's report on their trip click here.
Last April's 20 person 'Ensemble Group' from Kurashiki turned into a 85 person 'Kurashiki Junior Orchestra' who visited Christchurch for 7 days in March/April 2003.
Read the Conference presentation 'The Sounds of Two Cities' by then Chairman Newton Dodge, whose entry for the exchange in the Air New Zealand Sister Cities 2004 Awards (youth category) was awarded 2nd prize.
For further more detailed information about the visit read the final committee report [623KB free PDF Reader]
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| The Ritsuko Ensemble |
The Ritsuko Ensemble from Kurashiki visited Christchurch from 2-11 April 2002.
The string ensemble, who play Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart etc. gave free outdoors performances in Cathedral Square and the South Quad of the Christchurch Arts Centre and also gave a concert at the Christchurch Music Centre for a coin donation. Around 300 people enjoyed the very successful outdoor concert in the Square with a lesser number at the evening concert The outdoor performance at the Arts Centre was cancelled due to inclement weather.
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| The wedding |
Two of the ensemble members were married, while in Christchurch, at St James Church, Cashmere, and a reception with a difference was held that night at the Sign of the Takahe. Read the full report of the visit.
From 1 to 25 June 2001 Kurashiki high school students exhibited their artworks, alongside Christchurch students artwords in an exhibition at the ArtZone, Centre of Contemporary Art entitled 'This is Me, Works from Christchurch and Kurashiki - Japan.'
From 29 April to 22 May 2000 Kurashiki children's artworks were exhibited at the ArtZone. One hundred artworks from primary schools in Kurashiki and the same from Christchurch primary schools were displayed. Artworks were based on the children's concepts of what they imagine their environment and activities taking place in it will be like in the year 2100.
To view a selection of the Kurashiki children's artworks visit the GlobalNet website.
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| Kurashiki sculptor Masahiro Murakami with his sculpture, bought by the Donaldsons of Pegasus Bay Winery |
The committee arranged for Masahiro Murakami, a sculptor from Kurashiki to participate in Art in the Park 2000, a sculpture symposium, from 1-20 February 2000. Alongside 22 other sculptors, from 15 different cultures, Masahiro sculpted a magnificent piece, which was bought at auction by Pegasus Bay Winery and can be viewed in the winery's garden. Kurashiki City Hall donated the proceeds of the sale to the Christchuch-Kurashiki Sister City Committee.
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| Bitchu Kagura performance, James Hay Theatre, November 1999 |
A Bitchu Kagura group of eight traditional musicians and performers visited Christchurch for four days to perform at the Japan Festival 18-21 November 1999.
Their performance was stunning and proved to be a highlight of the festival.
A stone lantern was gifted from Kurashiki to the University of Canterbury's new Bridges of Friendship Garden, instigated by Prof. Takaoka.
The lantern weighing over 500kg was shipped from Kurashiki to Christchurch and was officially unveiled by Mayor Nakada of Kurashiki on 12 November 1998, during his visit to Christchurch as part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations.
The Bitchu Kagura delegation from Kurashiki beside the Kurashiki Stone Lantern at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, November 1999.
