SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

Siv B Fjærestad has worked with Letting Space and in partnership with Wellington City Council to create an enormous artwork on the fields of Macalister and Liardet Street Parks, Berhampore: a dynamic colourful backdrop for people to play on.

The painting has been inspired by field markings, and the stories and activities of the many who use the parks: and their dreams for its future. Over 2014 Fjærestad and volunteers surveyed the local community and park users to inform the painting’s design and how it might be activated.

This is a painting for the public to both look at and play on, encouraging leadership from the community in valuing the park as a public commons. Macalister and Liardet Street Parks were selected, because they contain many diverse areas and different pockets of activity, and also sit between a number of suburbs and different communities.

The painting design contains representations of statistical data and ideas for the park collected from the community, visual references to current activity and also to the landscape and its history. It also explores the visual language of field markings and signage seen on sports and recreational grounds.

“The sports ground presents an interesting playing field for making art ,” Siv says, “because it is governed by how various communities, clubs and individuals use it. The park is perceived, used and interpreted differently at different times of the day and week. This work involves contributions from local communities, sporting groups and businesses, and extends what we consider both painting and public art to comprise. It asks questions about how we use our city public commons.

Projected Fields has been funded by Wellington City Council’s Public Art Fund.

Image: Grant Sheehan

Siv B. Fjærestad is a Norwegian-born artist and curator, living in New Zealand. She holds an MA in Visual Arts from Goldsmiths College in London, and has exhibited at Enjoy, Wellington, City Gallery Wellington, Special Gallery, Auckland, Temporarycontemporary, London, and Station Gallery, Bristol. Site specific and performative works include Sweep at Liverpool Station, London and Beacons, Hilly Fields Park, London. She has previously worked as Manager and Curator at Enjoy where she curated One Day Sculpture with Welsh artist Bedwyr Williams, and co-commissioned and curated An Imaginary Archive with NY based collaborative artist and academic Gregory Sholette.

In 2011 Fjærestad chaired a Wairarapa based arts and culture community initiative called Featherston Seen, for which she created and exhibited works based on local recreational grounds. She is currently co-editing a publication on Collaborative Practices, and working part time managing Featherston Community Centre, which hosts many South Wairarapa organisations and community groups.

Work Contributors

Event Liaison: Irene McGlone

PR and DJ: Kedron Parker

Painting and Layout Assistants: David Jackson (Jacko) and Hal Jones

Lead Photographer: Gabrielle McKone

Drone photography: Grant Sheehan

Paint partner: Fleet Australasia

Our thanks to Wellington City Council

As a partner on this project. In particular, Julian Emeny, Team Manager of Parks and Gardens, and  Jodie Dalgleish and Eve Armstrong of the City Arts team.

Picnic Event Leaders

Jen Margaret  and Berhampore Kindergarten (kite-making), Mark Ormsby (karakia), Kerryn Pollock and friends (history tent), Ben Zwartz, Sorelle Cansino, Kerry Males, John Grant, Helen Kirlew Smith, Natalie Crane (ukelele performance), Lucy Cooper (Coop’s Hop Group), Mary Leighton, David Ferne (Tai Chi Associates), James Mason and Kerry Wells (Acroyoga), Jodie Dalgleish and Janie Freegard (poetry), Helen Williamson (face-painting), Beth Beard (Zumba), Evzen Novak, Hannah Zwartz, Colleen Johnston (Girl Guides Leader) and Marina Kirikiri (Ki o Rahi), June Jackson (mana whenua advise), and Daphne Pillar (Push Play trailer), Kemi and Nico, Hamish Garry and the Vogelmorn Commumity Group (BBQ).

2014 Survey Team

Sam Lahood, Sorelle Cansino, Leonie May and Jared Connon, John Grant, Louise Rutledge and Robbie Whyte.

Painters

John McKessar, Scott Bateman, Crag Sharp, Hamish Garry, John Grant, Kemi and Nico, Zoe and Sasha Crane-Zwartz, Vita and Franta Jerram-Novak, Solomon and Edison Amery-Zwartz, Freya Priest, Payton, Manaia and Kowhai Luke, Sophie Spencer, Gina Ferrer, Gabrielle McKone, Mark Amery and Sophie Jerram.