restless manoeuvres is a live performance that shapes a durational relationship between building, books, colour and body. It wonders spatially and materially about the current political and cultural state of being Pākehā in Aotearoa today. Adam Art Gallery, a prestigious gallery in Wellington, is part of an English institution, Queen Victoria’s University, a colonising edifice. The Adam was built on top of a stairwell that followed the topography of a former mountain stream. Sound wafts well amongst the hard, powdery grey planes of its voluminous interior spaces. A basket of books and large swatches of coloured fabric wait at the doorway. The books, all recent Bridget Williams Books publications, are tabbed, dog-eared and marked, a signal of the readings yet to come. Each book considers a specific aspect of the cultural and political climate. The fabric poses as a dynamic colour field, a painterly as well as sculptural interpretative gesture. I perform them in search of the gestures that will un-write, un-sign, un-speak, and unsettle colonial hubris. In stark contrast to the architecture, my ample migrant body alerts me to how white and unfit I am, and will always be, unless I do the hard work. My improvisations are guided by the texts, what they say, how they sound in the context of the gallery, and how they pry at my subconscious, or appease, argue, or unsettle the stubborn vestiges of my privilege.
Pawa runs on the contributions of our event goers and public funding.
We believe performance art should be assible to everyone, thats why majority of our shows are open to the public, however if you have funds to spare please consider contributing.
Performance Art Week Aotearoa
Performanceartweekaotearoa@gmail
Founder and Artistic Director
Sara Cowdell
Designed by
Milan De Maule
