1. My initial impression of the Arts building was that it looked from the road like a sports centre or gym rather than an Arts building. However, the approach from the carpark highlights the cultural aspects of the designs: native bushes planted out front, bright 'pacifica' colours reminiscent of tropical flowers or a coral reef and the traditional connotation of the roof shape.
The low lying nature of the building allows it to fit into the urban space and be welcoming and communtiy oriented rather than monumental and distancing.
2. The buildings architect was Harry Street of Creative Spaces and it opened on December 3 2010. The building is a multiuse space for the arts visual (curated shows only) and performing (music, theatre and dance).
Only performances or exhibits with a Maori or Pacific orientation can be held in the the space.
3. The whakatauaki of the exhibition is "Kia Tupu, Kia Hua, Kia Puawa" meaning "To grow, to prosper, to sustain." The proverb is attributed to the late Princess Te Puea Herangi and local iwi Tainui honour it as a taonga or treasure of their culture.
4. 'The White Book' (2011) by Kvetoslava Sekanova best embodies the whakatauaki of the exhibition for me. It is made from recycled materials (newsprint) which reflects the environmental side of the word 'sustain' but is also symbolically represents actual books and newspapers which for me personally are something which sustain me in day to day life, I could not live without the written word. This dovetails with the notion to grow because a positively sustained life is one in which we grow both mentally and emotionally. I see prosper as being represented not in the acquisition of wealth but the time and space in life to enjoy the small pleasures an artwork and exhibition such as this brings.
