2*T!1Bt 'viit/ftiftM The Journal of the Canterbury Society of Arts 66 Gloucester Street Christchurch, New Zealand P.O. Box 772, Christchurch Phone 67-261, 67-167. Gallery Hours Monday-Friday 10am-4.30pm Saturday-Sunday 2pm-4.30pm Society Officers New Members Mixed Media Patron: Sara and Philip Ashcroft response to new design His Excellency The Governor General Frances Ashton Thanks to Anne-May Bendien, The Most Reverend Paul Reeves Mr Louis Boulanger Mollie Aikins and Margaret Joblin for GCMG, DCL (Oxon) Pat Condon their letters on the new format of the Andrew and Janice Cowdy President: C.S.A. newsletter. Their constructive S. A. Crawford and C R. Ward Mrs Doris Holland criticism was helpful in resolving the Paulina Currie change from NEWS to PREVIEW. We Vice-Presidents: J. L. W. and A. E. Edgar John Coley, Dip. F.A., Dip. Tchg. Mr Garth Frew obviously made a splash. Michael Eaton, Dip. F.A., Dip. Tchg. Mr and Mrs J. G. Gilbert F.R.S.A. Susan Gordon TRUSTBANK grant Bill Cumming N. P. and M. A. Hansby Whilst we are thanking people. Nola Barron Jacqueline Henderson Thank you TRUSTBANK Canterbury David Sheppard, A.N.Z.I.A., J. M. Holden for your generous community grant of M.N.Z.P.I. Pam and Trevor Ibbetson $500.00. This was collected by the Council: S. J. Jackson Director at a special function. Once Jewel Oliver Mr and Mrs G. H. Jenkinson again, thanks TRUSTBANK, Alison Ryde, T.T.C. Mrs Josie Laing Canterbury. Josie Jay, Dip. Hort. Sheena Helen Lassen W. J. Parson, B.Com., A.C.A. Robert James McKenzie John Mackintosh, L.L.B. Shona L. M. Martin SUBSCRIPTION RATES David Page, B.Sc.(Hons.) Kent A. Martin This years' subscription ends on the Iain Harvey, M.S.I.A.D. Kate Packwood 30th September. The 1987/88 Grant Banbury, Dip. F.A.(Hons." Mrs Fiona Pearse subscription charges were increased at Simon Ogden, M.A.R.C.A. Randal and Kay Scott the 1986 Annual General Meeting. Mrs Denis Simpson Director: They are: Catherine Sparrow Chris Taylor, Dip. F.A.(Hons.), Patricia Storey Individual $27.50 Dip. Tchg. Dr John Raine Joint $37.00 Hon. Secretary: E. and M. Rennie Student $14.00 Bruce Finnerty Lewis Walley Life $412.00 Hon. Treasurer: David Woods Joint $550.00 John Wilson, A.C.A. Corporate $206.50 Auditor: All charges are GST inclusive. John Midgley, B.Com., A.C.A. ENTRANCE CHARGE TO NON- Consultant: MEMBERS Rona Rose Exhibitions Officer: This will increase to $1.00 as from Grant Banbury, Dip. FA.(Hons.) 1st October 1987. Admission for children remains free. Gallery Assistant: Natham Crossan COMMISSION AVAILABLE Louise Johns The C.S.A. has a request for an Accounts: artist to paint what is described as a Grania McKenzie, B.A. 'very interesting painting'. Interested? Office: Phone the Director. Jane Macleod Editor: COVER ART NEW ZEALAND Josie Jay Tony Geddes photographed by Is on sale at the C.S.A., don't Design: Bruce Foster forget. Next issue is due out about now. Mike Herron David Spooner Down to the Fall Oil on Canvas, 19»J- RECENT WORKS PURCHASED BY THE C.S.A. Michael Reed: Interior Motives Seven Celestial Games 7/15 John Drawbridge: Red Wave Martin Whitworth: Figure Ground Rob Gardiner: Untitled Claudia Pond Eyley: Mount Eden Landscape 4/40 Don Binney: Swoop of the Kotare Wainamu 16/55 GOODMAN SUTER BIENNALE Entry forms available at C.S.A. reception. GALLERY CONSULTANT OVERSEAS Rona Rose has taken leave from the C.S.A. to travel to Europe for 2 months. We wish her bon voyage. K*Arts in 1983. Whilst Rona is away Grant Banbury will be acting Consultant OTAGO ART SOCIETY EXHIBITION The C.S.A was very pleased that the President of the Otago Art Society Mr John Francis and his wife Mrs Kath Francis attended the preview. Thank you to the Otago Art Society for a fine exhibition and especially to your representatives who travelled so far. ADVERTISING We still have some space left, but it C.S.A. GUTHREY AWARD won't last long. The rates are very reasonable. Contact the Director. Entries have now closed. The Deadline is October 26th. recipient of the award will be announced on 14th September in the LABOUR DAY Public Notices of The Press, and on the 16th September on the arts pages of The The C.S.A. Gallery is open Labour Press. Day October 26th from 2-4.30pm. VIEWS REVIEWS The Problem Of Carmen concerns — as always, a major problem heavens. An unexpected difficulty arose in staging opera in New Zealand — here when he found some discomfort By Kathleen De Goldi tend to circumscribe the possibility of a with the extension of his set into the Carmen, an opera in four acts, by fully realised realism. Furthermore there theatre's structure, a collision of Georges Bizet was recently staged at the is a paradox inherent in the realistic realisms, as it were, with the prosaic James Hay Theatre by the Canterbury staging of a work within an essentially intransigence of the theatre threateninng Opera Trust in association with the stylised art-form. to erode the elusive realism of the stage CSO and the Court Theatre. Tony In the planning and execution of set. Nor was the resolution of that Geddes, resident at the Court Theatre, the stage design, Geddes was faced, too, problem offered by the libretto; designed and built the sets for the with the perennial conflict between designing for non-operatic drama, opera. In a recent interview he dramatic, musical and staging concerns. Geddes has found staging riddles are discussed some of the difficulties The set in the first act was a case in generally solved by clues extractable inherent in the conception and point. To some degree the demands of from the text. execution of a stage design for this, the text — the need to accomodate a Construction of the sets and Bizet's most famous work and one of chorus of men answered by one of materials used were determined by the most popular operas of all time. cigarette girls, and divided by soldiers financial constraints. The steel rostra on It is precisely Carmen's popularity, and children — made for a set that which the sets were erected were small, Geddes suggests, that dogs the designer Geddes found overly symmetrical in its and since life-size buildings with both a and director in their decision as to how final form. An inability to place any textural and sculptural depth were to stage it yet again. Fortunately Geddes action more than four metres back from desired, the question became how to and Director Elric Hooper shared the the proscenium arch, because of achieve this cheaply. Waste polystyrene same prejudices with regard to this resulting acoustic deficiencies, sheet with cheap wood to hold it in opera. Carmen has become a living compounded matters further; the lack of place was the answer. The wood was cut cliche; Geddes remembers Spike Jones depth in the set and the balancing of a up like tomato stakes and used to create and his City Slickers lampooning the large chorus in a reduced space three-dimensional lattice walls — gypsy with the rose between her teeth, a produced a certain visual flatness. Geddes compares it to a slice of vision available even to those with only Again, a tight budget meant that some jungle-gym. of the concerns of the first act were a rudimentary knowledge of opera. Carmen enjoyed a very successful sacrificed to those of the second. Since How to transcend the cliche and season with capacity houses. Tony the same fixed scaffolding had to be recreate the shock experienced by the Geddes, well blooded after completing used in both acts, Escamillo's entrance original audience on viewing this most sets for two operas (the other was the in the tavern scene — above the chorus, realistic of operas, resided, ultimately, in Trust's production of The Magic Flute) and well forward to ensure visual and a choice between stylization and wouldn't mind another crack at the vocal clarity — dictated an realism. Both Geddes and Hooper seeming irreconcilables of Carmen; but unsatisfactorily shallow entrance for the inclined towards a realistic approach. he's already well exercised by a new set soldiers in the earlier act. Realism, however, can spell large of riddles, the design for the next Trust material and labour expenses, while the Geddes used a realism of scale for production, Donizetti's The Elixir of reductiveness of stylization generally the sets of all four acts; buildings were Love. means a cheaper execution. Budgetry life-size, the tops disappearing into the TONY GEDDES. photograph Bruce Foster/Icon. OPENING SHOTS OPENING NIGHT AUGUST 11 Mrs Francis, John Francis (President of the Otago Society of Arts) and Elizabeth Howie from Dunedin at the opening of the Otago Society Exhibition. She?* 1 Owf» Kirsteen Price, David Turner, John Britten. Mr Justice M. Hardie Boys, Rosemary Perry, C.S.A. President Doris Holland. of his exhibition P Johns, rtf"** 0?screenPnnts. PHOTOS GAIL WRIGHT Miss Carol Miles, Larcnce Shustak. jurisprudence the court reporters bent popular appeal and the at over their pads dull eyed, putting new put together here, remind names to perennial enterprises. visits to the Portal Gallery. vhere I tentatively picked up my board and began a sketch of the accused. My TRISKA BLUMENFELD pen had hardly disturbed the still white Represents New Zealand in surface when I sensed the entire row Encyclopaedia of Naive Art', behind me lean forward and a voice in exhibited in International anc my ear which said, "Ken, ain't gotta shows in Europe and the Unit nose like that.