NEWS | The Big Idea Q&A

The temporary structure has taken years of dreaming, three months of international collaboration, hundreds of recycled pallets and five days to install at Tapapakanga Regional Park. But by the time festival goers get to Portavilion Splore 2012, it will simply be a place to chill and play.

“The festival atmosphere is ideal for breaking down barriers, reaching new audiences and providing opportunities for a broad community to interact in a creative way,” says British public arts curator Emma Underhill. Read More »

As a newbie in Auckland in 2006, live performance and theatre maker Stephen Bain discovered he had to be 'in the know' and hunt the most interesting work down to church halls, community venues or warehouses.

So this year, in collaboration with The EDGE, he brought ‘these seemingly disparate groups together’, bound by genre-blurring, for the New Performance Festival. Read More »

In 2011 we heard from creative makers, managers, movers and shakers. Here's a ‘Creative Cracker’ full of inspiring quotes and insights from TBI QnAs.

We look forward to bringing you more interviews in 2012. Read More »

This week we find out more about Hitesh Chheda, the motion graphics designer for The Big Idea's 10 year celebration video. Read More »

We searched for months for the ‘right’ piece of music for The Big Idea's 10 Year video and were delighted to hear Bright Idea, written and performed by Andrew Keoghan. We took the opportunity to find out more about Andrew and the song, from his debut LP Arctic Tales Divide. Read More »

The Big Idea Q&As have been a popular and great way to capture a glimpse of the diverse creative community in New Zealand. Since it's our 10th birthday we thought it was time we stepped out of the virtual shadows and shine a light on the team! Read More »

Kate Montgomery joined City Gallery Wellington in late August 2010 and hit the curatorial ground running towards the major exhibition Prospect: New Zealand Art Now, opening in Wellington on 26 November.

"Prospect has always sought to provide an exciting opportunity for artists and an accessible way into contemporary art of this place and this time for the audiences drawn towards the show." Read More »

Show Me Shorts Film Festival director Gina Dellabarca talks about how the festival has grown in the past six years - including the addition of short filmmaking seminars, a writers development lab and international films.

Show Me Shorts opens in Auckland on November 3, with an Awards evening, then travels to main centres. Read More »

Art Week Auckland is well and truly underway, with events showcasing the city's vibrant art scene on until October 23.

In this week's TBI Q&A we hear from Deborah White, director of Whitespace and trustee for NZ Contemporary Art Trust, delivering Art Week Auckland and Auckland Art Fair. Read More »

Girl with a Movie Camera by Jennifer Nikolai and Andrew Denton integrates live dance, theatre and video performance. Jennifer talks about the inspiration and explains how the work has been revised, since its first run at Auckland Fringe, for the Tempo Dance Festival 2011.

The performance is on October 7 and 8 at Q in Auckland. Read More »

Kereama Taepa's Digimaori collection of tees stem from customary Maori art and philosophy, technology and pop culture. He uses augmented reality to "connect the now with the past to present the beginning."

Taepa tells us more about his work as he prepares to bring it to life at the Miromoda Showcase at NZ Fashion Week on Friday. Read More »

Rafael Rozendaal is a visual artist who uses the internet as his canvas. He'll be talking at We Can Create about exhibiting his online works in galleries, and how that translates, and about BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer), an open source DIY curatorial platform he created. Read More »

We Can Create speaker Patrick Reynolds is an architectural photographer, known for his work with both built and unbuilt environments, and an exhibiting fine arts photographer.

Read More »

The Big Idea Q&A with filmmaker Florian Habicht, who recently returned from his year in New York with his latest film Love Story.

The film – a pick-a-path romance that explores love and lust in NYC – launched the NZ International Film Festival in Auckland in July and is now screening at cinemas. Read More »

It’s no surprise when designer Morag Myerscough says her environment is crucial to her work, wellbeing and inspiration. Her award-winning London studio collaborates with some of the world's top architects and cultural institutions on exhibition design, environmental graphics and place-making schemes. Read More »

Mezzo Soprano Anna Pierard describes her role in Cavalleria rusticana as ‘certainly not my most noble yet!’.

“Lola takes what she can get really, and feels a heady and slightly crazed power in her ability to seduce Turiddu, despite his circumstances and responsibilities.” Read More »

Annie Goldson’s new documentary Brother Number One follows Olympian and Trans-Atlantic rowing champion, Rob Hamill on his journey to Cambodia to testify for the War Crimes Tribunal. His brother Kerry Hamill, was captured, tortured and killed by Khmer Rouge in 1978.

Brother Number One premieres at the NZ International Film Festival 2011. Read More »

Author and educator Dr Ian Hunter will talk about ‘Myth, Reality, and the Road to Business Growth’ at Survive & Thrive 2011. Read More »

Cultural practitioner Hinurewa te Hau will talk about ‘The korowai of life’, people’s connection to sense of place and belonging, at Survive & Thrive 2011. Read More »

Catalyst and entrepreneur Nick Gerritsen will talk about ‘Adapting to a silent radical change’ at this year’s Survive & Thrive. Read More »

Daytime Tiger is a new documentary by Costa Botes that captures NZ writer Michael Morrissey’s struggle with manic depression and his efforts to ‘tame the tiger’ with willpower.

QnA: Costa Botes answers The Big Idea community questions about Daytime Tiger, showing at the NZ International Film Festival 2011. See the comment box below. Read More »

Graphic designer and typographer Catherine Griffiths is in Auckland for a Design Assembly Winter Conversation  ‘A Type of Improvisation’ - discussing improvisation as it applies to her practice, and why it matters, through her own projects and the work of other practitioners. Read More »

As The Dowse Art Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary, director Cam McCracken reflects on the past, present and future.

He describes the early days of struggling to introduce an art gallery to a relatively new city in Lower Hutt and how the audience today is more ready to engage with contemporary art and ideas.
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In our last NZ Music Month QnA, we hear from music manager Teresa Patterson about her 24/7 role and what a band needs before approaching a manager.

“Good songs to start off with. It’s all about the music.” Read More »

NZ choreographer Ann Dewey's new dance work Shine Lady started as a three month project researching movement abstracted from plate tectonics and microbiology, then progressed to its current themes of female divine presence. Read More »

Nearly a decade ago Lance Cathro was managing a band that needed to tour internationally and couldn't afford a tour manager, so he became one. Since then he’s travelled the world and provided tour management to some of NZ’s top artists.

In this QnA he says live performances will always be in demand, no matter how technology advances. Read More »

Tech and roadie Gavin Downie describes his job as keeping the music machine ‘well oiled and rolling smoothly’.  In this QnA he tells some tales from the (well-travelled) road.

"There’s not much fame and fortune in our side of the business so don't expect your name in lights or people to even know what your name is." Read More »

Billy T & Me is a personal tribute by comic actor Peter Rowley who spent five years working with one of New Zealand’s biggest icons, Billy T James.

Peter will share some stories and clips in a 'trip down a hilarious memory lane' at the NZ International Comedy Festival. Read More »

Rhythmethod Distribution managing director Peter Baker talks about his role in the music industry and the future of music.

"Obviously there will always be music, it’s just that the ways in which we consume it and the methods it’s being delivered to us have changed so much in the last few years." Read More »

In the first of a series of NZ Music Month Q&As with the people behind the music magic, we hear from Richard Setford, music manager for both Digital Rights Management NZ and Amplifier.co.nz.

Richard talks about his role, digital distribution and the challenges and opportunities in the music industry. "Change is certainly in the air." Read More »