Recently I gave 3 NZ artists an early Christmas present when I told them they’d won a Wild Creations residency, meaning they will spend 6 weeks in some of NZ’s best natural environments to work on their art form. During the residency the artists explore and get inspired by their natural surroundings. They are all very different so they will each have a captivating story to tell about the places they visit.

Chris Cottrell

'Data Cloud' by Chris Cottrell. Based on the collection of weather data, this project shows a tangible bodily relationship to data's cloudy characteristics: indeterminacy, vastness, lightness, ephemerality and obscurity.

One of the winning artists is Chris Cottrell. He’s a drawing, installation and video artist. He’ll head to Fox Glacier where he wants to check out the glacier’s movements then draw, use GPS devices, video and sound to create maps of the glacier that shows the vitality and complexity of the environment. Chris hopes to showcase his work in a travelling exhibition and artists’ book after his residency. Chris is also keen to include the work in his upcoming PhD. 

Andy Hummel and Holly Jane Ewens are Rosy Tin Teacaddy

Andy Hummel and Holly Jane Ewens are the folk musical duo Rosy Tin Teacaddy. They’re going to the Rotorua Lakes region to write and record a new album about their experience, the people, and the history of Lake Tarawera. Judging by the music they’ve already produced their new album will be something special.

Hayden Fowler, photo by Joy Lai

Hayden Fowler gets a pair of extinct Huia birds tattooed onto his back for his artwork 'Call of the Wild'

Ashburton Lakes will welcome film, performance and soundwork artist, Hayden Fowler. He’s keen to create a performance piece based on the giant moa and kakapo that shows the impact of these birds being absent from mainland NZ. Hayden hopes to exhibit his work in galleries throughout New Zealand.

DOC and Creative New Zealand work together on the Wild Creations Artists in Residence programme. Each of the winning artists gets a $5,000 stipend and up to $2,000 towards travel and materials costs from Creative New Zealand. DOC gives the artists accommodation during their residency and provides other support to make their stay safe and enjoyable.

The artists will take up their residencies at different times throughout 2010 so watch this space to hear about their experiences and see what they create…