Public art installations will greet the crowds at the Founders entrance to the Botanic Gardens at this year's ASB Garden Magic Series. The 22 days of free live music in Wellington starts on Sunday January 11.

Wellington Asia Residency Exchange (WARE) artist-in-residence, Sayaka Ishizuka, and Wellington eco-artist Heidi Threlfo will decorate two trees next to the Sound Shell, complementing the lighting by Mike Farrand.Public art installations will greet the crowds at the Founders entrance to the Botanic Gardens at this year's ASB Garden Magic Series. The 22 days of free live music in Wellington starts on Sunday January 11.

Wellington Asia Residency Exchange (WARE) artist-in-residence, Sayaka Ishizuka, and Wellington eco-artist Heidi Threlfo will decorate two trees next to the Sound Shell, complementing the lighting by Mike Farrand.Sayaka will pay homage to memory and the past by decorating a tree with discarded belongings and bric-a-brac with Whispers.

Taking a tree next to Sayaka's for her installation, Home, Heidi reminds us of the importance of trees in our lives by decorating her tree with lots of white crocheted doilies in a protective gesture. Both Whispers and Home build on previous projects that the artists have undertaken with trees.

Heidi Threlfo is a Wellington-based 'eco-artist' who creates outdoor environmental installations that explore the relationships between people and nature. She says the arts "have an integral role to play in addressing the current ecological and cultural problems we face today".

Sayaka Ishizuka is the fourth artist-in-resident in the WARE programme and has come from Chigasaki-shi in the Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Her installations are usually made up of overlooked, small, modest objects which she assembles and floats in space. Sayaka hopes to remind viewers of other places or things, invisible emotions, memories and time.

A series of artist talks will take place during the Gardens Magic series: Heidi will discuss her work at 6pm on Wednesday 21 January, and both artists will discuss the joint installation at 6pm on Wednesday 28 January.

WARE is an artist's residency programme between Wellington and Asian arts organisations supported by Wellington City Council, the Asia New Zealand Foundation and the Bolton Hotel. Heidi Threlfo's installation is supported by Wellington City Council's Public Art Panel.

ASB Garden Magic Series

The series kicks off with a blend of Brazilian rhythms, reggae, ska and drum 'n' bass by Zirigidum. And if you like Marvin Gaye and Charles Mingus, you'll love Electric Wire Hustle's modern take on music's past the following night. On 13 January, the Klezmer Rebs combine guitar, mandolin, violin, accordion, keyboards, trumpet, trombone and clarinet with vocals sung in Yiddish, French, Italian, Russian, German and English. Wellington troubadour Ryan Prebble will sing bittersweet blues to the crowd the following night - making the first few nights of the series a good example of how varied the line-up will be for the next few weeks.

Maori folk-poet and chanteuse Hinemoana Baker and power-pop artist Christine White are likely to put on one of the more eclectic shows of the series on 28 January. They won't be armed with just guitars - Christine is discovering the joys of all kinds of alternative instruments while studying Sonic Arts at Victoria University.

"People are going to hear household items like wine racks and cheese graters being used as musical instruments," says Hinemoana. "Christine has attached microphones to an old Black & Decker Workmate, which she'll play with a violin bow - it has a great singing sound. This is something people will just have to come along to see and hear."

City Council Events Programmer Craig Ireson says people should check out the Summer City brochure or go to the Council's website to check what's on every night throughout those weeks as there's "almost too much to mention".

"We've got 'future folk' from Urbantramper who have just returned from the UK, soulful and funky grooves from My Golden Soul - guaranteed to get everyone into the spirit of summer, and fresh song-writing from a group of well-known Wellington musicians called the Woolshed Sessions. The list goes on - "

More details are available in NZCT Summer City brochures, which are available from Council service centres, libraries, pools and cafes around town. You can also check out details of the NZCT Summer City festival on the Council website.

09/01/09