gabbyoconnor

Open

gabbyoconnor — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:11:03 +0000

some time is now open at the Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson, Auckland NZ until the 16th June.

If you are in the neighbourhood, please pop in an see it in person as the photos don’t really do it justice!
I am lucky to be exhibiting along side the wonderful Jae Hoon Lee and his incredible photo works from his Antarctica residency and his time in Nepal. It is nice to see the conversation between our works across the halls and between the galleries.
I am also giving an artist talk today at 2pm and running a free kids workshop on Saturday morning 18th from 10-12. Come on down.

Auckland update

gabbyoconnor — Mon, 13 May 2013 22:34:17 +0000

All systems are go. I arrived in Auckland on Friday and it has been non stop ever since! But not in a bad way as thanks to a team of volunteers helping me through step by step. I feel quite charmed with this project with the numbers of people that have donated time and sometimes even money to make the crazy idea in my head become a reality. Many hands make light work but also there is warmth and interesting conversation and a team of people who are all now invested in this project being a success. Today is my first day solo- this is necessary to resolve some niggly bits and to pull all of the separate parts together into a cohesive whole. I have almost 3 days to do this and it feels quite achievable.
So… Here are some images thus far-from suitcase to ice sheet and then ice shelf!

Tomorrow

gabbyoconnor — Thu, 09 May 2013 02:57:26 +0000

Tomorrow morning I will be flying to Auckland to install some time at the Corban Estate Arts Centre
Over the next 7 days, and with a team of volunteers [thanks!], I will be assembling the ice shelf out of thousands of hand cut and dyed tissue paper shapes.
In the mean time, I am filling suitcases. One for art, one for me and one each for the kids.
See you tomorrow Auckland!

This is what a suitcase full of ice shelf looks like:

It is hard for even me to believe that there is over 40sq m of blue tissue paper plus tools in there.
Fingers crossed now!

Helping hands

gabbyoconnor — Sun, 05 May 2013 05:50:43 +0000

Thank goodness for mates! I have been lucky enough today to have had a couple of helpers pop by to fold tabs on the paper shapes. Great chats, repetitive work and sore thumbs, but more importantly the suitcase is filling up with the components of some time.
I have managed to pack the tool kit too and am ticking many tiny things off the to-do list.
5 sleeps till the install begins!

More tiling and getting prepared

gabbyoconnor — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:36:11 +0000

Here are some other images of the tiling guessing exercise while I remember.

By the end of today I will have finished lacquering all of the paper that needs lacquering. It has also very neatly come to a natural conclusion as I have also run out of raw tissue paper. It feels like time too!
So, this week I will be cutting the remaining sheets into kite, diamond and triangle shapes and packing the suitcase full of all the paper components, cord, turnbuckles, tape etc…for a large paper ice shelf.

Tiling

gabbyoconnor — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 02:08:48 +0000

Trying to guestimate the amount of paper kites and diamonds needed for some time.
By all accounts the work will be about 40sq m which is about 4 times this.
I think I’m going to be ok but i do wish my floor could look like this all the time!

All go

gabbyoconnor — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:51:13 +0000

So much great news. Some time has been fully funded, actually 150% funded through the Boosted campaign – thanks and wow to my super network of arts patrons.
Also, got the great news today that my other project [with Katharine Allard and Craig Stevens], Cleave has been funded by the Wellington City Council CNZ Creative communities grant. With this project I will be running workshops in my local area and at a local primary school where the kids will help me to make the art work. The resulting work will then be connected and installed in a local vacant shop space that will operate as a temporary gallery. You will hear more about this project after some time has had its turn in the spotlight. It is all earmarked for June.
What an exciting and art filled year so far.
Meanwhile, today I finished cutting the shapes out of all the prepared paper. Thousands of different sized diamonds and triangles but I don’t think there are quite enough…so back to the lacquering I go

Talking the talk

gabbyoconnor — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 23:47:14 +0000

Heya
Just getting ready for tomorrow’s Artist talk/Making session.

Getting my boxes of tricks ready!
Details:
Wednesday April 10
12pm
19 Tory Street
Te Aro
Wellington
I am planning to chat about my project and why I am still obsessed with Antarctica and ice and being an arm chair traveller and answer a few questions. I will also talk about my Boosted campaign
But also I think it will be nice for those to attend to make some bergy bits with the paper scraps and leftovers from both this project some time and also what lies beneath from 2011. Yes, I keep and catalogue my paper scraps! never know when they may come in handy!
See you Wednesday!

In print: Mapping South and a bit of press

gabbyoconnor — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 23:14:55 +0000

So much news to share.
As you may already know, my boosted project has surpassed its target – I am still saying *wow* a lot. It has been an amazing ride witnessing crowd funding in effect and in real time. It is still possible to support the project as there are 5 days to go- every bit is contributing to the installation of the work – accommodation, flights and meals and a hire car – nothing fancy! If you are in NZ there are tax rebates as the Arts Foundation who are running this project are a registered charity. Thanks to all who have contributed and cheered me on. It is an amazing feeling having a support network like this.
Also:
A book that I contributed images to as part of a collaboration with Katharine Allard and Craig Stevens was finally launched in Melbourne last week. It is called Mapping South It is the final project from an initiative called the South Project which was a series of conferences/gatherings and projects in Southern hemisphere cities. I have participated in a few of their events over the years and exhibitions – lovely stuff! The project was originally initiated by Craft Victoria in Melbourne. There is a pdf of the book on the website if you want to check it out. Or to truly support the project – buy the hard copy!

and finally, I have had a little bit of press in an Auckland newspaper.

It seems I have been drinking from the fountain of youth [I am not complaining]. There might be a few other bits and pieces coming up next week that I’ll post as it happens.

Meanwhile, I am stapling paper together and getting ready to start cutting out shapes with the templates. The piles are quite large and rather daunting but all is well.

More soon!

Boosted

gabbyoconnor — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 08:59:15 +0000

Hello and sorry for the delay with this exciting news. My project, some time has been selected by the NZ Arts Foundation to be part of their philanthropic crowdfunding site for the arts, Boosted
There are a bunch of fabulous projects in most art forms that launched last Thursday in NZ. For the campaign, I made a little video where you can see a bit of my process and a few of the ideas behind the project. If you feel inclined and have the resources, please contribute to the project. Every little bit helps and I will be truly grateful. I don’t earn any money [yet] from making art. It seems to be one big expensive and public hobby at the moment. I am only trying to cover the costs of accommodation and travel to Auckland for 10 days for the install.
Help me make some great art! It will be great for us all.
x