Kia ora tātou, nau mai haere mai… welcome everyone to our latest podcast & blog for Urban Dream Brokerage. Part of an ongoing commitment to sharing the knowledge of our creative whānau, in this case a recorded conversation. 

TRANSCRIBED VERSION AT URBANDREAMBROKERAGE.ORG.NZ

Not just because of Covid, artists have looked to working with technology in truly creative ways, the uptake is however noticeable in our post-lockdown world. Considered as another tool in the kit, tech in its myriad of forms continues to enhance & inform the direction of many creatives across the making spectrum.

In March & April 2023 we promoted the work Call/Waiting by OandP Works. A narrative journey through Courtenay Place, told through a series of texts, voice messages & image exchange. Hosted on an app called Pickpath that has been developed by theatre collective Binge Culture.

For Urban Dream Brokerage this presented a unique form of public storytelling, Call/Waiting provided an opportunity for the artists to deeply create narrative with the Pickpath platform. This prompted our conversation with Olivia & Joel of their respective companies about how both view their use of tech within the creative projects they produce. Enjoy…

O_J_UDB_Podcast_Final

Join UDB as we discuss the social kaupapa of Playescape, an urban swing. Featuring Kitty, one of the six strong collective who created Playescape as Soft Serve Social & joined by Jahla Lawrence, Sexual Violence Prevention Lead at WCC.

Playescape, conversation with Kitty MacIntyre-Hyatt and Jahla Lawrence.

In 2022 artist Heleyni Pratley presented A Work About The Housing Crisis With An Indoor Outdoor Flow. Heleyni interviewed local citizens about their experience of housing & its current crisis, then projected the resulting interviews onto her Housing Bubble Sculpture.

As one of our upcoming activations, we proudly promoted a remount of this work made to share in public spaces around the Te Aro precinct.  As a way of creating a collective ‘temperature check’ of the state of housing in Aotearoa, this installation will share those views, as well new conversations made throughout the duration of this showing.

During April 2024, the sculpture literally popped up in various locations in the city. Each evening the projections will ran for approximately an hour. The public were free to come by, watch some of the footage & reflect their own views with Heleyni while there.

Heleyni Pratley - A Work About The Housing Crisis With An Indoor Outdoor Flow Interview

Interview with Darrell Smith akak VJ Cubeman with Don Luchito on Radio Active 88.6FM for his public installation "Shoot for the Stars"

RADIO_ACTIVE_The Amplifier Show-VJ Cubeman

One of the most innovative independent arts producers in Wellington in recent years, Pirate and Queen aka Claire Mabey and Andrew Laking (the duo behind Litcrawl and Löemis) talk in this pod held at Toi Pōneke with Mark Amery about working as independent producers - being self-critical, getting support, changing audiences, and making it financial (or not!)

Urban Dream Podcast #5: Producing across disciplines

Pirateandqueen

The producers behind two of the most innovative art events in Wellington in recent years, Litcrawl and Lōemis, Andrew Laking and Claire Mabey aka Pirate and Queen talk about running an independent production company, making it sustainable and making it financial (or not!)

Urban Dreams Podcast #5: on producing across disciplines

“As artists and creatives we put our vision first, the artistry up here and then the logistics, the resources you need, the people, the funding…  well it’s there, but it’s this kind of side platter.” Kerry Ann Lee 
We talk about things artists often don’t talk about: getting paid – why is it so murky what venues and galleries have to offer? How do you navigate sharing your ideas never sure if there’s moolah at the end of it? How do you plan so you don’t have lulls in activity? And what should be in that funding application
This is a podcast discussion dedicated to helping artists do better in the business of being an independent artist, with two artists of experience working for themselves: visual artist and designer Kerry Ann Lee and dance choreographer and producer Sacha Copland.? We hope you find this discussion as valuable as we did.
In the chair is Mark Amery, from Letting Space and its Urban Dream Brokerage service. The hosts are Toi Poneke, and in the background you will hear the sounds of Philip Glass from Copland’s Tread Softly installation in the Toi Poneke Gallery in which a live dancer plays in autumn leaves amongst an exhibition of photographs of leaves by Tom Hoyle
These are two artists from different disciplines both interested in working in a variety of different ways with the public and communities. Kerry Ann Lee is a celebrated visual artist, designer and educator who uses hand-made processes and socially-engaged projects to explore hybrid identities and histories of migration. She creates installation, publication and image-based work and has a long practice in independent artists’ publishing. Sacha Copland is a dancer, choreographer and the artistic director of Java Dance Theatre working around New Zealand and internationally who believes in the power of dance to build empathy and dissolve the distance between people by creating dance that “clambers into your senses and gets underneath your fingernails.” 
This is part of a monthly discussion and podcast series aimed at sharing and networking across the arts, with a mission to empower and resource artists to create work outside conventional venues as part of wellington city.

Urban Dreams podcast #7: On the business of being an artist

Wellington mayor Justin Lester holds the city’s arts and culture portfolo and is dedicated to a “decade of culture” from July this year. In this Urban Dreams Podcast Lester tells Sophie Jerram about the $127 million that has been prioritised for the arts over the last 10 years, plans by council for affordable housing - in which he sees artists a vital part of that mix - and treating artists the same as start-up businesses. He also commits to holding Grant and Jacinda to account on Labour’s policy pledge to reintroduce a PACE (Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment) scheme. 

“It’ll hold us, our city but also our country in good stead, because it helps build a nation. We’re not all automatons. We need to express ourselves. We want to express our sense of culture, our heritage and who and what we’re about and its probably the best way to do it – through the artistic community.”

This podcast was part of Urban Dream Brokerage’s monthly lunchtime conversation series, designed to empower artists wishing to work more as part of Wellington city. During discussion time afterwards Lester announced that we will get light rail in Wellington (no court cases willing!), his wish to see the four stop signs in Cuba Street in Te Reo Maori, and greater access of the Hannah Playhouse for midcareer artists. There was much discussion about options for a much-needed 500 seater-and-up venue, and a planned function centre with the need expressed for artists and theatre technicians to be involved in the design specifications. 

Finally, there was also discussion of the concerns about cuts in arts content in the Dominion Post and future public media options. The mayor says council are exploring developing their own news channel and would be interested in playing a more direct role in building more coverage for the arts with other partners beyond the printed newspaper.     

You’ll find other Urban Dream podcasts via this blog. We recommend you start with our last, a conversation with artist Kerry Ann Lee and choreographer Sacha Copland about the art of being in business.

On creating cultural capital: mayor Justin Lester

Wellington mayor Justin Lester holds the city’s arts and culture portfolo and is dedicated to a “decade of culture” from July this year. In this Urban Dreams Podcast Lester tells Sophie Jerram about the $127 million that has been prioritised for the arts over the last 10 years, plans by council for affordable housing - in which he sees artists a vital part of that mix - and treating artists the same as start-up businesses. He also commits to holding Grant and Jacinda to account on Labour’s policy pledge to reintroduce a PACE (Pathways to Arts and Cultural Employment) scheme. 

This podcast was part of Urban Dream Brokerage’s monthly lunchtime conversation series, designed to empower artists wishing to work more as part of Wellington city. During discussion time afterwards Lester announced that we will get light rail in Wellington (no court cases willing!), his wish to see the four stop signs in Cuba Street in Te Reo Maori, and greater access of the Hannah Playhouse for midcareer artists. There was much discussion about options for a much-needed 500 seater-and-up venue, and a planned function centre with the need expressed for artists and theatre technicians to be involved in the design specifications. 

Finally, there was also discussion of the concerns about cuts in arts content in the Dominion Post and future public media options. The mayor says council are exploring developing their own news channel and would be interested in playing a more direct role in building more coverage for the arts with other partners beyond the printed newspaper.     

You’ll find other Urban Dream podcasts via this blog. We recommended you start with our last, a conversation with artist Kerry Ann Lee and choreographer Sacha Copland about the art of being in business.

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