Sound and Motions - new show explores the art of adrenaline

Speed and noise junkies will get their fix when they visit Te Tuhi’s latest exhibition titled Modern Physics, opening Saturday 10th October.

Seven international and local artists are coming together for the first time to present action packed projects.

“The exhibition showcases artists who heighten our perceptions of gravity through their extraordinary sculptures and performance based videos,” says Curator Stephen Cleland.

He says Te Tuhi is privileged to have two artists represented in the exhibition whose large scale projects have been commissioned by TVNZ’s popular New ArtLand series. One of these artists is Aucklander Alex Monteith.

‘It’s a spectacle of sound and motion, one not to be missed’ says Stephen.

He says visitors to the exhibition will be able to view the first ever screening of an epic collaboration between Monteith and the acrobatic pilot group the Royal New Zealand Air Force Red Checkers.

Mounting cameras to five stunt planes, Monteith captures their jointly choreographed aerobatic routine complete with five-plane double loops, barrel rolls and the Red Checkers trademark ‘spaghetti-break’ maneuver. Monteith’s mammoth five-channel video installation fills an entire gallery with death defying sound and motion.

In the second New Art Land project, the equally ambitious Phil Dadson once again takes us to the sky. Described by art writer Sue Gardiner as “one of New Zealand’s most innovative intermedia and experimental music composers”, Dadson records the entire Levin Brass Band playing thousands of feet above the earth in a hot air balloon.

“Historically significant international artist Bas Jan Ader will have visitors in fits of laughter for the sake of art, says Te Tuhi’s Director James McCarthy.

The exhibition also includes Australia’s representative for the 2009 Venice Biennale Shaun Gladwell. Gladwell’s video work presents a skateboarder mastering gravity by balancing upside down at full speed.

Over the two months of the exhibition period, Te Tuhi will be putting on a series of talks with the artists, which Public Programmes Coordinator Renée Tanner says will provide a great opportunity for the public to gain greater insight into this challenging show.

Modern Physics
10 October 2009 - 29 November 2009
Curated by Stephen Cleland

Alex Monteith, Bas Jan Ader, Eddie Clemens, Hanna Schwarz, John Ward-Knox, Philip Dadson, Shaun Gladwell