This afternoon, our director Louise Tu’u, attended the second performance of, “The Public Stand:2” at the Avondale Racecourse in Avondale, Auckland and is an event from the Whau Arts Festival.
Artists Molly Mullen and Becca Wood, along with Rachel Ruckstahl-Mann and other performers, created this aural mobilised part tribute, part enactment of the racecourse. There were two modalities: one with headphones which required pre-booking and a certain amount of mobility on behalf of the participant and the other, remaining in the grandstand, with an usher and listening directly and visibly from two speakers, labelled “Magness Sound”.
Tu’u chose the latter, as it gave her the most freedom to physically move around the rows and play housie on the brightly designed cards of Jonty Valentine. Pink and yellow were prominent hues of the artistic parameters, with the artists, wearing handmade vests of the same colours with individual phrases.
Engagement from all parties was high, with sometimes awkward utterances of “Full Line” spoken or whispered in the stands and gasps of wonder and laughter at some of the housie symbols, unexpectedly brought to life and crossed off with great satisfaction.
The Public Stand:2 was a gentle and wondrous musing on a very public and well-loved space in the Whau Area.
We Should Practice 