Papaioea Festival of the Arts Launch
30th October 2020
The Regent, Palmerston North, New Zealand
By Bridget Herlihy with photography by Brad Boniface.
In the 1970s an iconic New Zealand identity proclaimed “we don’t know how lucky we are”. In the here and now, it seems that this statement has never rung more true. Much of the globe remains under some form of lockdown or quarantine in an attempt to quell the virus that shall not be named. 2020 has been a tough year, and the impact upon the Arts sector in Aotearoa has been unfathomable. For several months performances and gatherings in a multitude of shapes and forms could not proceed. Venue lights went out, countless jobs were lost, and the opportunity to attend live shows and experience art in real life evaporated in an instant, along with it much of our capacity to indulge our creative outlets, which in turn profoundly impacted our sense of self and place.
Yet as the year draws to a close, New Zealand finds itself in the enviable position of being able to once again congregate and experience art, performance and creative practice. We can do things that much of the world is not yet able to do. But do we actually realise just how fortunate we are in that we are able to attend and engage with such events?
The people of the Manawatū should indeed consider themselves to be extremely lucky, as the region hosts a brand new arts festival in February 2021. And Palmerston North was the place to be last Wednesday night with the magnificent official launch of the inaugural Papaioea Festival of the Arts. Set to take place in the city and surrounding areas over four days from 17 – 20 February 2021, the Festival has been masterfully curated to be a celebration of place and community; a showcase of some of the best artists from the region, as well as some of their peers from around Aotearoa and the world.
The Festival is the brainchild of Artistic Director and visionary Kane Forbes, a Papaioea native who returned to the city last year, bringing with him an abundance of experience, talent and insight gained from working in arts facilitation and theatre-making internationally for the best part of two decades.
The launch took place at Palmerston North’s iconic Regent theatre, one of the main venues for the Festival, and a fitting location for the highly anticipated announcement of the performers and shows that will be featured in the line-up.
First impressions are very telling, and upon entering the Regent it was immediately obvious that this was not going to be an average, run-of-the-mill launch and programme reveal. The way in which the space for the evening’s festivities was configured was inspired. Those in attendance were not relegated to the seats in the auditorium; rather, they were invited up onto the stage area, which had been beautifully transformed into an instantly welcoming, intimate space where the audience could get up close and personal with the evening’s speakers and performers. A key goal of the Festival is to weave art back into everyday life, and the staging reflected this ambition exceptionally well.
Proceedings kicked off with the evening’s DJ/MC Damian ‘D Fresh’ McGregor (who will also appear as part of the forthcoming Festival) welcoming attendees, before handing over to Rangitane representative Wiremu Te Awe Awe for a karakia and welcome. Moving speeches from Palmerston North MP Tangi Utikere and Rachel Bowen, Chair of the Palmerston North Chair of Arts, Culture and Heritage committee expressed the excitement that the Festival was creating within the city and surrounding region, while acknowledging the rich and varied community of immensely talented artists that call the Manawatū home.
Papaioea Festival of the Arts Artistic Director Kane Forbes then took to the podium to speak to the inspiration driving the Festival, and to reveal the line-up; and what a line-up it is. To say that the Festival embraces diversity is an understatement. The four days will include multiple genres and artistic practices, including performance, music, visual art, public space and installations, writing, and workshops. A very special international engagements programme which will take place, featuring collaborations between local and international artists in order to share and experience different cultural aesthetics in order to nurture local arts practice.
Adding an extra special touch to the launch was the inclusion of several musical performances from artists who will appear as part of the Festival. First up was Wellington based musician Module, aka Jeramiah Ross. Born and bred in Palmerston North, Ross performs solo as well as with a live band, producing lush classical and electronic soundscapes. Taking a seat at the Regent’s resident Steinway grand piano, Ross played an exquisite original composition ‘Oh Fair Moonlight’ that filled the theatre with a touch of musical magic. Joined by local musician Duncan McCann on acoustic guitar, Ross went on to deliver a second, more contemporary track, ‘Everywhere Man’, which was equally as mesmerising. It is a very safe bet that his performance as Module will be one of the many highlights of the forthcoming Festival.
Upon the conclusion of the Festival programming announcement, local Brazilian percussion group Samba Ao Vento emerged, making their way into the centre of the stage to deliver a brief yet blistering set that brought a high-energy dose of Rio carnival to the evening; a performance that was met with rapturous applause, and further evidence of the cultural diversity present within the Manawatū.
Rounding off the evening’s festivities were local favourites Ripple Effect, a Palmerston North-based six-piece reggae-fusion band that have quickly amassed a dedicated following and a reputation for delivering irresistibly smooth and catchy performances. And this evening was no exception, as many attendees put their wine glasses down to dance, with the band providing a mellow yet uplifting soundtrack to a space that was already abuzz with excitement about the range of artists set to join the Festival. Suffice to say some punters would have been quite content to continue to dance the night away, and quite rightly so, for this was indeed a celebration of a very exciting idea becoming a reality.
Artists confirmed to take part in the festival include Anthonie Tonnon, Module, Damian ‘DFresh’ MacGregor, Capital E’s Lost Letter Office, Niko Ne Za, Sambo Ao Vento, Kodama Japanese Drum Team, Dusty Rooms Productions, Angie Farrow, Debra Mulholland, Ephemeral Theatre, Barbara Sumner and Lola and Friends to name but a few, with more artists to be announced in the coming weeks.
Palmerston North has sadly often been derided as a city lacking in character and identity, but as the festival programme illustrates, this is far from the truth. Rather, it is indeed a rich cultural and creative hub, and home a vast array of incredibly talented artists and performers. The taster provided at the launch clearly illustrates the power of the Arts to bring people together and communities to celebrate our stories, our spaces, our places, and ultimately ourselves. The Papaioea Festival of the Arts definitely should not be missed.
The Papaioea Festival of the Arts runs from the 17th – 20th February 2021. For more information check out their website, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
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