Whakatāne Museum is currently testing out a theory that creative people and volcanoes go together. The Eastern Bay of Plenty cultural institution, operated by the Whakatāne District Council, thinks that profound and unexpected artistic inspiration can come from deep connections to geothermal activity, otherworldly landscapes, and subterranean mysteries.
"That's our thesis, as the earth continues to boil below," says Director Eric Holowacz. "We are building a platform for creative people to explore the wonders of the earth and the raw power of the natural world, because that experience might also have the power to transform the creative process in mysterious new ways."
To prove it, Holowacz and his team have established partnerships with White Island Tours, Arts Whakatāne, Bay of Plenty businesses, and a few other collaborators. Their new programme, based on 1-8 week residencies, will be formally announced in June.
"Together we're laying the groundwork for New Zealand's first Volcanic Artist Residency," says Holowacz. "The programme will provide housing, work space, field visits and connections to unique Eastern Bay of Plenty environments."
If they get it right, Whakatāne will have a unique new creative development platform for artists and cultural managers from all over New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific. At the centre of each residency is a day-long journey to explore New Zealand's only active offshore volcano.
"We want to host choreographers, sculptors, film-makers, writers and people working in a creative field," says Holowacz. "But the programme will also invite arts administrators, curators, comedians, educators, television producers and those who contribute to cultural identity and understanding."
To put this geothermal theory to the test, Whakatāne Museum began by hosting fearless Christchurch-based artists Edwards + Johann in April. Before opening new exhibitions at Whakatāne Museum, the duo embarked on an odyssey to White Island/Whakaari — guided by geologist Sarah Bluett of White Island Tours. Offshore, they gathered new images, ideas and inspiration, and generated material for a Whakatāne installation. Local photographer Troy Baker went along and documented the journey across boiling landscapes and into an entirely new world.
“Whakaari left a huge impression on us — quite overwhelming at the time, but truly magical. It’s a place you have to feel with all your senses, a place you have to go to in order to experience its majestic, ever-changing and evolving landscape. There is so much grandeur — like a theatre stage, you find yourself in the middle of the action all the time — yet with so much intimate detail and finesse.”
The Whakatāne Museum and Arts Team is now working to structure a more formal Volcanic Artist Residency programme, expected to begin in July 2018. New Zealand creative producers, cultural managers, and artistic adventurers will soon be invited to help prove this geothermal theory.
In a way, Edwards + Johann already have. ”Our visit to Whakaari has inspired us in ways we couldn’t have comprehended when we were researching the Whakatāne region from Christchurch. Rich ombré of pinks and greens, crisp crusty mustards transition into pastel, almost iridescent lemon yellows. The painterly palette was rich and inspiring. The different tortured rock formations paired with the delicate growths of crusts and crystals — all drifting in and out of layers of mist. The residency left us with a total sense of wonder and awe. This was the perfect input and the start of a totally new body of work for us.”
