Theatre artist Kate Parker has “gone bush” in the Waitakere Ranges to create a new exhibition featuring miniature paper worlds.
Kate, the 2016 Auckland Council Regional Parks Artist in Residence, will explore sculpture and storytelling and will play with outlines and layers, and shadows and light.
During her residency Kate will draw on her theatre background. She is known for her inventive, atmospheric and dramatic productions as co-director of Red Leap Theatre. Now Kate will turn to new subject matter triggered by living in a regional park.
Inspired by surrounding nature
Waitakere landscapes, plants, birds and characters will creep into her work. To ready herself for her new role she has been trialling scenes based on historic photos from west Auckland.
Now in residence near Anawhata, Kate will be roaming around parts of the park collecting further ideas and material for her creations.
The residency gives her eight weeks of living and working in the park, which enables her to soak in the nature of the place and experience the space in all weathers and times of the day.
It will be a back-to-basics experience for Kate. With no mains power – only solar power and gas – at her residency base, everything will be handmade using basic tools and materials: paper, cardboard, scissors and glue.
“Paper is malleable and can be manipulated and shaped easily to transform shapes and space. It’s fleeting and fragile form asks your imagination to fill in the space,” she says.
Exhibition to follow
An exhibition of her residency work will open on 19 December 2016 at Arataki Visitor Centre, 300 Scenic Drive, Titirangi.
People interested in learning about her work and techniques will have an opportunity to attend a workshop led by Kate Parker on Sunday 28 January 2017.
The workshop will be open to 8-18-year-olds and participants need only bring their imagination and good scissor skills!
About Kate Parker
Kate is an actor, director, puppeteer, image designer and teacher.
She is best known for her work founding and co-directing Red Leap Theatre, creating works such as The Arrival (by Shaun Tan), Paper Sky, SEA and most recently Dust Pilgrim.
She has won awards and accolades including the New Generation Arts Award in 2010.
