Breathtaking collages centrepiece of project

Posted: Monday Jul 03, 2023

Bright, colourful fabric collages will form a spectacular backdrop for a busy programme of science-based activities in the Art+ Science Project event, running next week as part of the NZ International Science Festival.

Breathtaking collages centrepiece of project | Otago Daily Times Online News (odt.co.nz)

Led by curator Pam McKinlay, of the Dunedin School of Art, the free Our Air, Our Breath, Our Wind event will run from July 3-9, at Te Whare o Rukutia, 20 Princes St.

The centrepiece of the project is 60 fabric collages, created collaboratively, through a series of sessions held over the past two years, with school children, environmental groups, and community art workshops.

"It was exciting to inspire the kids to design their own art works ... The results are fantastic."

The project follows on from the artist-led project Air: Life’s a Gas developed for the 2021 Science Festival, expanding to include broader community input.

They were inspired by a simple truth — air is life.

"We can last three weeks without food, 3-4 days without water, but mere minutes without air."

People tended to regard terrestrial trees and plants as being the "lungs of the earth", providing an essential service as photosynthesising oxygen producers and air scrubbers, but "every second breath we take was made in the ocean".

Those creating the collages used the art works to express their concerns about the impact human activity was having on the atmosphere’s health.

The event will also feature the launch of an 80-page book, Tia kina te angi/Protect the Air, which features many of the art works and looks at the science of air.

Activities:

The week-long project showcase also includes workshops and fun activities for all ages, as well as specific sci-art projects created by local scientists and artists.

In Air Time, Dr Jenny Rock and MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris collaborated to visualise records of Dunedin air temperature, which visitors can personalise into a mosaic.

In the Manaaki Whenua Backyard Biodiversity Project, Dr Rock, Catriona McLeod and manaaki whenua have collaborated in a multi-media, interactive approach to biodiversity.

Other featured projects include Taoka Puoro and Miheke Oro — Musical Instruments of Maori and Moriori, and a study of the impact of cruise ships on air quality in Port Chalmers.