Point of View Updates

Venus: a quest

Science as adventure, romance and revelation Captain Cook goes on a scientific journey to observe the Transit of Venus and discovers New Zealand. And Dylan Horrocks takes a journey to find if he's related to Jeremiah Horrocks, the first observer of the Transit of Venus, using not documentary evidence but science. An absorbing journey which ranges as wide as the universe and smaller than a grain of sand – the world of nano particles. Venus: A Quest is a documentary to be produced by Point of View in 2012, the year when the next Transit of Venus is going to take place. (Another Transit will not occur until 2117!) With the support of the Allan Wilson Centre, the MacDiarmid Institute, and the Eastland Community Trust.

LEN LYE the opera

Point of View Productions will be providing the digital image background for Len Lye the opera. Point of View will also be co-ordinating the whole production. The colourful life and times of Len Lye, the one-of-a-kind artist and film-maker who pursued a philosophy of 'Individual Happiness Now,' is now the subject of a 21st century opera. It will be presented 5th - 8th September 2012 at the Maidment Theatre, Auckland.

Shirley Horrocks is directing a documentary
about the Free Theatre Christchurch
for Point of View Productions

Established 30 years ago, Free Theatre Christchurch is one of the longest running theatre companies in the country and is certainly New Zealand's longest running producer of experimental theatre. It has been a major contributor to performance culture in New Zealand and plays an important role in the Christchurch community. Point of View has filmed striking footage of their most recent production 'Earthquake in Chile' which explored the sense of community that emerged in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes.

Successful shoot in Venice

A crew from Point of View Productions, which included cinemotographer Leon Narbey, travelled to Italy to document Michael Parekowhai's work at the Venice Biennale 2011.

The Venice Biennale is the pre-eminent global contemporary visual arts event attracting a host of international artists, curators, critics and collectors.

Michael Parekowhai is one of New Zealand's most important contemporary practitioners. In addition to an extensive exhibition history, his work is held in all significant public and private collections throughout New Zealand and Australia, as well as major works in permanent collections across the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

The Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore (left)

Story of a New Zealand River

Chapman's Homer

Anniversary screening of Early Days Yet

June 17th was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Allen Curnow. This milestone was celebrated on the previous evening by a screening of Early Days Yet, the documentary about the poet which Shirley Horrocks had made in 2001. Besides commemorating the life of a leading New Zealand writer, this event (held at the Bridgeway cinema at Northcote).served as a fund-raiser for the Cancer Society of New Zealand. It attracted a full-house and raised $2,467 for this charity.

Elizabeth Caffin, the former Director of AUP, who had published many of Curnow's books, generously agreed to come up from Wellington to introduce the evening. Her speech can be read on Beattie's Book Blog as a 20 June entry: (http://beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/elizabeth-caffin-talking-at-anniversary.html)

Dinah Morrison offered for auction a rare photograph of Allen Curnow taken by her late husband, the great photographer Robin Morrison. By coincidence this evening happened also to be the anniversary of Robin's birth. Jeny Curnow and other members of the Curnow family attended the event. The documentary Early Days Yet was warmly received by the large audience, and a number of copies (donated to the Cancer Society) were sold after the screening.

Art that Moves: The World of Len Lye 
wins the Van Gogh Award at the 2010 Amsterdam Film Festival

'Art that Moves' is an experimental short film by Roger Horrocks produced by Point of View. This film dramatises the moment when 16-year-old Len Lye (later a famous artist and film-maker) has ‘the best idea of his life’ – for a new art of movement. 
This ‘Eureka!’ moment is followed by a preview of Lye’s extraordinary career as an artist. 'Art that Moves' premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festivals in 2009 together with a programme of Lye films.

Art that Moves will introduce a program of Len Lye Films at Etiuda & Anima International Film Festival in Krakow Poland (19-25th November 2010).

It was shown at ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) in Melbourne as part of an exhibition of Len Lye's work (2009). See www.acmi.net.au.

The film is available on DVD together with a new book by Roger Horrocks also callled ART THAT MOVES: THE WORK OF LEN LYE and published by Auckland University Press. The book was launched at an exhibition of Lye's art and sculpture curated by Roger Horrocks for the Gus Fischer Gallery in Auckland.

Link to the AUP webpage for Art that moves http://web.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/aup/book/2009/art-that-moves.cfm.

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