In celebration of New Zealand Music Month the Film Archive mediagallery presents Musicians at Work; video portraits of buskers by Lucien Rizos in the TV Lounge.

Filmed on the side of the road and in alleyways, Musicians at Work captures a dozen street musicians looking to earn a dollar from passing pedestrians around New Zealand.

In celebration of New Zealand Music Month the Film Archive mediagallery presents Musicians at Work; video portraits of buskers by Lucien Rizos in the TV Lounge.

Filmed on the side of the road and in alleyways, Musicians at Work captures a dozen street musicians looking to earn a dollar from passing pedestrians around New Zealand.

Some of the performers in Musicians at Work ply their trade with the confidence and skill of virtuosos, while others are hesitant and unsure of themselves. The youngest are two pre-teen guitarists on
Auckland’s Queen St, who play heavy metal covers. An older man in Dunedin sits beside his mobility scooter and performs classic folk tunes on violin. A flamenco guitarist launches into an impassioned and accomplished solo performance whilst sitting in front of a bank.

Rizos’ portraits capture not only the musicians but the aura they generate; a teenage drummer performs a furious solo while his teenage friends look on, sharing a cigarette. Some passers-by stop to listen, to give money, or to express their thanks and delight. Others sit nearby and pretend not to notice, perhaps to avoid paying.

Lucien Rizos is a violinist in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He travels the country as a performer, and in between his own rehearsals he takes to the streets to find and record performances by local buskers.

“I always give them money before I start,” he says. “I enjoy the performance and the dignity of these people. What they do really moves me.”

Rizos has a long history as a touring musician and as a documentary style photographer. He is shortly about to release a book of his photographs from 1979-82, which he also took whilst on the road as a touring musician with the NZSO. This is his first collection of video work to be shown in public.

Performances by:
Piano Accordion Queen Street, Auckland
Guitar Queen Street, Auckland
Drum Kits Manners Mall, Wellington
Electric Guitar and Bass Queen Street, Auckland
Er Hu Lambton Quay, Wellington
Guitar/Vocal Manners Mall, Wellington
Guitar Queen Street, Auckland
Drum Kit Queen Street, Auckland
Violin Lane off George Street, Dunedin
Violin George Street, Dunedin
Guitar/Vocal Queen Street, Auckland