Colour, art, music and performance in the Splore-city line-up

Get your shake on Auckland, Splore-city is bringing a kaleidoscope of colour into Aotea Square with a festival vibe and programme that will entertain and delight all your senses.

Coming live from Aotea Square on 11 & 12 February will be interactive art installations, international and local music, digital video mapping and aerial and burlesque performances.

Audience interaction is integral to artist installations at Splore events and New York based Eric Orr will be utilising his painted signature icons and an interactive photo board to include the audience in his work. They will be invited to be part of his live paint by including their faces in the installation he will create on-site.

Niki Hastings-McFall wowed the audience at Splore 2010 with her stunning work of a pohutukawa that was wrapped in layers of coloured lei. The tree became a festival centerpiece where people relaxed under its’ shade while marveling at this artistic wonder. Back once again at Splore-city, her colourful installation will combine with the festival’s theme of colouring in the concrete jungle and creating a Splore-city wonderland.

Building on the extraordinary response at Splore 2010 where the majority of the audience made a huge effort to dress up, this playful pursuit is now cemented firmly in the Splore culture. For festival director, Amanda Wright, her vision of people dressing in colour to create a sense of freedom and self expression will be fundamental to the essence of the party. “I’m imagining groups of friends coming along in blocks of the same colour, it’s all going to add to the party vibe. We hope they will take the colour theme to an imaginative place where the colour can represent characters, icons, animals – anything goes and the wilder the better” she says.

Adding to the kaleidoscope are renowned video artists, Mike Hodgson and Bruce Ferguson who will be providing 3D video mapping to the standard not seen in New Zealand since the Telecom XT launch. In hot demand off shore and with a reputation for creating outstanding visual shows at brand launches and Louis Vuitton parties around the world, the Dub Module will create a Splore-city show that will mesmerize the audience with their light manipulation, projection and illumination.

Amongst the colour will be Empress Stah, internationally renowned trapeze artist and neo burlesque cabaret performer who will be performing both nights of Splore-city. Her jawdropping stunts can be a mixture of eroticism and twisted cabaret prompting Time Out London to label her show as “utterly unique”.

Award winning set designer Robin Rawstorne is responsible for the design of creating the Splore-city wonderland and says the festival will be self-catering with delicious food and bar areas. The site will be dressed in the colourful theme but with areas to chill out as well as party. Robin says “it’s all about the spaces in-between that make Splore festivals so exceptional and we’ll be aiming to achieve another memorable Splore event with the design of the site.”

Tickets have been restricted to ensure an intimate vibe and Amanda Wright says Splore-city is an opportunity to bring the Splore community back together and create an opportunity for those who are new to Splore to dip their toe in the water before immersing themselves at the beach side festival the following year. “There’s been some concern about whether we’re permanently in the city – we want to assure all our loyal audience we are definitely back at the beach February 2012” she says.

Splore has used some new technology by Bizdojo to create the Splore TV channel – check out www.splore.tv and see the latest acts coming to Splore-city this February.

With an eclectic music line-up, Splore-city showcases the following acts who will take to the stages on February 11 & 12th 2011:
Friday 3PM – 11PM
Kelis / USA
Fly My Pretties / NZ
Shortee Blitz / UK
J- Star / UK
Coast/ NZ
Saturday 3PM - 11PM
Caribou / Canada
Mayer Hawthorne & The County / USA
Four Tet / UK
Belleruche / UK
Cuban Brothers / UK

Performers and Artists include:
Empress Star / UK - Trapeze Artist and Neo Burlisque performer
Eric Orr / USA - American Graffiti Artist
The Dub Module / NZ - Digital multi-media artists
Eve Gordon and Dust Palace performance and circus artists/ NZ
Niki Hastings-McFall / NZ- leading contemporary Pacific Island artist

Tickets are available from www.the-edge.co.nz. Day tickets on sale at $95 + BF. Two day pass $170 + BF. Check www.splore.net for details and info

For information on hotels and info on all the best places to shop, drink and dine in Auckland’s Big Little City check out http://www.biglittlecity.co.nz/