25 November 2011 - 22 December 2011
Auckland photographer Glen Jowitt is internationally renowned for his images of Pacifica peoples, their culture and lives. In the course of his work he has made over 20 visits to Pacific Islands in the last 30 years and he is closely linked to New Zealand Pacific communities. It is not surprising that he has a collection of handmade works from the Pacific, mainly hats, fans and placemats, which are displayed in the living room of his house and which bear silent witness to this sustained professional practice.
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08 October 2011 - 21 November 2011
In February 2010 New Zealand graphic designer Tana Mitchell, then resident in Berlin, discovered an expansive collection of letterpress type in the basement of the Druckwerkstatt im Kulturwerk des BBK. Dusty, neglected and mostly unused, the BBK letterpress type collection consists of a vast and incomprehensible collection of metal and wooden letterpress type. Often unlabeled and incomplete, the collection comprised various fonts, from 6point and up, with a range of decorative & display typefaces. The Druckwerkstatt im Kulturwerk des BBK has a fully functioning printing press and with this Mitchell began printing, accounting for and making sense of the collection, with her own somewhat arbitrary methodology. Likening her activity to that of an entomologist in the field, the BBK typographic collection became the habitat from which Mitchell gathered her specimens.
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09 July 2011 - 06 August 2011
Yunomi (tea beaker) and choko (sake cup) are everyday Japanese ceramic drinking vessels designed specifically for the consumption of green tea and sake. Yunomi are tea vessels usually made from ceramic material, being taller than they are wide, with a trimmed or turned foot different from the formal chawan, or tea bowl which is used in the Japanese tea ceremony. Like the yunomi, the choko, or sometimes ochoko, is a ceramic vessel used for the informal drinking of sake.
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14 May 2011 - 08 July 2011
Blue Willow is very likely the world's most popular dinnerware pattern as it has been in production since the late eighteenth century. Although inspired by Chinese ceramics the Blue Willow pattern was developed by British commercial potteries to meet the huge demand for Chinese style wares. The story of the young lovers who are transformed into doves was created to specifically promote the pattern. Since then Blue Willow, in all its variations, has continued to enchant Westerners. This installation, from the collection of Susan Andrew features tableware that explores variation in terms age, colour and pattern together with commercially and hand produced table linen, such as embroidered doilies, tray cloths and tea cosies both, which feature elements of and co-ordinate with Blue Willow.
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29 January 2011 - 24 February 2011
While the term 'pop-up' books is widely used, the more correct term is actually 'movable book'. This covers any book with moveable parts and includes; pop-ups, pop-outs, transformations, tunnel books, volvelles, laps, pull-tabs and pull-downs. The collector behind this installation acquires books for pleasure and reference. The pleasure she obtains from her pop-up books derives, in part, from the pleasure that they provide for others, especially children, although not all pop-up books are designed for children.
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