Late notice, but the weather really made it seem unlikely the fair would go ahead, however in true pioneering fashion, Petone Fair is on today come hell or high water (which could well be the case).

Fortunately Petone is riddled with great shops and cafes, should shelter be required.

We love the Cuba Street Carnival, but their website: not so much. The programme is only available as a Flashy map or as a printable (but not downloadable!) full programme. And with so much stuff to see so many stages at once, it’s hard to compare everything and work out what to see when.

So, I typed all the acts into a spreadsheet, and turned it into a simple table with all the acts lined up by time, thus hopefully making it easier to plan your itinerary. I should find a way to upload it through some googly docs magic, but in the meantime, here it is in pngy goodness: click on the small image for the large and legible version.

Translation probably not entirely accurate.

[From Spare Room]

On my way home the other night, I happened to walk past a young woman & man sitting on a grass verge at the Botanic Gardens. The woman was, I think, recounting a friend’s Valentine’s Day experience. Here’s what I made out:

… halfway through dinner, the guy asks, "What’s your policy on sex on the first date?"

And she says, "Never".

And so then the guy says, (and she gave a hearty & throaty laugh at this point) "In that case, I refuse to pay for dinner…"

She was still laughing and grasping for the next words when I passed out of earshot. But I was impressed already, and my interest was piqued – like where were they? Had the guy picked a lovely eating house of a quality he thought guaranteed some energetic post-prandial exertion? Or what? And is there a place in town so fantastic, your date’s knickers dissolve somewhere between the entree & dessert? If there is, I would have expected the Masked Barfly to have reported back already.

Or should the guy maybe invest his precious funds more pragmatically in future, in someone more likely to deliver? Like a hooker.

So you’re not attending Webstock or you’re willing to skip lunch tomorrow? From the Creative Freedom Foundation:

Public Demonstration

In Wellington on the steps of Parliament on Thursday 19th at (edit) 12pm with a petition handover at (edit) 12.30pm. This is a postive event where we will hand out hundreds of CDs and thank the politicans that support us – so please keep it friendly and polite. While we appreciate people arranging their own demonstrations it might be best if we don’t dilute our numbers with multiple events.

We want everyone reading this to email everyone they know in Wellington about this. We can’t let this be another internet protest that results in few people turning up. This is important so we need to prove it in numbers.

NOTE: Please don’t wear all black as that has negative associations with other demonstrations but instead come along with bright clothes and BLACK PLACARDS!
—
No Guilt apon accusation!
http://creativefreedom.org.nz

No wearing all black? Are they aware that this is Wellington?

Downstage Theatre are offering Wellingtonista readers a special deal for tonight’s performance of Turbine at 7.00pm.

Mention the word "Wellingtonista" at the box office or over the phone (04 801 6946) and you’ll get as many tickets as you like for only $20 each.

The link between local musicians and the "fine arts" is stronger than you may suspect and goes back several decades in this town.  Often, through necessity, DIY musicians need to head into new territories to produce their own artwork, as they lack the funds to outsource design work. The resulting artwork, e.g. CD artwork and posters, is a genre in its own right.

Until its recent closure, Christopher Moore gallery seemed to have representation for everyone from Alistair Galbraith to Stuart Porter; the adjacent Bowen Galleries still occasionally shows work by Kim Pieters and Susan Ballard from down south.  Other collaborative efforts had the famous Wellington Media Collective designing and producing posters for the Braille Records crew.

Now DAF106 gallery on Aro Street is running a show of musician self-portraits.  EGO, The Musician as Artist deliberately explores the way creative people express themselves through different art forms.  EGO will draw together a host of local and national musicians, who are also visual artists, as they lay their souls bare and present a self-portrait in their chosen medium.

Self-portraits cause the artists to think laterally about their work and the difference between performance and visual representation of the self.  Submissions may include painting, graphic art, multi-media, photography and sculpture. Size restrictions will apply so as to avoid the possibility of various egos battling for space.