A View on Beautiful Collaborations at The Dowse

A View From Where I Was Sleeping is a new exhibition at The Dowse that takes its name from a poem by Wellington’s Gregory O’Brien.

From 10th March, visitors will be able to experience the poem wrapped around a vase by artist Noel McKenna, just one of the many beautiful and diverse collaborative art and design works in the show. Created by local and international artists, the collaborative projects date from the 1950s to the present day, often forged through friendships between the artists.

2011 Blumhardt Curatorial Intern, Lily Hacking, has transformed The Dowse’s Blumhardt Gallery into a living room full of desirable and intriguing objects; a chandelier hangs from the ceiling, rugs and furniture sit upon the floor, a film plays across one wall, while ceramics and books line the other. Each work is the result of an exchange of ideas, charged with a kind of intimacy; the collaborations imbued with the history of their making and the personal relationships that shaped them. Partnerships include artists Raewyn Atkinson and Catherine Griffiths; Kate Woods and National Park; Lucie Rie and Hans Coper; Karl Fritsch, Frances Upritchard and Martino Gamper; Anneke Borren and Owen Mapp; Len Castle and Theo Schoon and more.

Like the O’Brien/McKenna project, one artwork can combine a variety of media and all the works vary in their origin and intent. Often working across surprisingly different artistic disciplines, the artists and designers in this exhibition are united by a common appreciation of the handcrafted object. A View from Where I Was Sleeping includes graphic designers, glass artists, jewellers, writers, sculptors, furniture designers, ceramicists, rug makers, painters, illustrators, typographers, and multi-media interdisciplinary artists.

The exhibition also pays tribute to the history of The Dowse and its dedication to fostering craft practices while maintaining a staunch commitment to contemporary art.

The Creative NZ/Blumhardt Foundation Curatorial Internship is an annual opportunity for an emerging curator or artist to develop curatorial skills on an exhibition project that focuses on decorative arts and design. Lily Hacking worked with Senior Dowse Curator Emma Bugden throughout the latter part of 2011 to research and develop A View from Where I Was Sleeping for The Dowse’s Blumhardt Gallery. She has recently been appointed at City Gallery Wellington as Curator of the Hirschfeld Gallery.