# Te Auaha Application - April 2022

### **Basic info**

**Contact Name:** James Kiesel
**Name of Company:**
**Email address:** [e-mail]
**Phone number:** 027 579 2643
**Art form / Cultural Area:** Photography / Visual arts
**Project Title:** (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

### Creative Development outline

In 2019, I brought a table and pewter goblets and plates to a festival, with the idea to invite people to send the contents of a fully appointed dinner table flying through the air, and capture the moment on film. I got maybe 2 dozen folks or so to do this before the table broke.

Some selected results of this initial experiment:


For this development season, I'd be looking to ramp up the professionalism on this project, and end up with some more studio-quality photos of moments like the ones captured above. Some desired improvements would include theatrical lighting, neutral backgrounds, better camera angles, models with costumes like ball gowns and suits, (maybe using real food?) etc. etc. Oh, and getting a more resilient table, heh.

### What are you hoping to achieve?

The desired end result here is a photo series, likely framed and presented in an art gallery somewhere (or potentially in some online fashion). I'd also be more than happy to put together some performance-art style presentations where an audience can come in and flip a table for themselves, possibly getting pictures of themselves in the process of doing so.

### Preferred dates in April
*1st:* Mon 4th - Sat 9th
*2nd:* Tues 19th - Sun 24th
*3rd:* Tues 26th - Sun 1st May
(unavailable the 11th - 17th)

### What hours are you planning on working?

I'd be available for the entirety of the days and evenings for the week, although would prefer daytime over evening slots given the choice.

### Would you be happy to present or talk to Te Auaha students about your creative practice / work / career?

Yes!

### What are your technical requirements?

A few things I'm aware of at the moment:

- I'll want to put down some cork or rubber flooring to blunt the flying cutlery, dishware, and especially the table from damaging the stage. (I'm happy to source this if nothing is handy)
- I'll want some theatrical lighting for the photo shoot, possibly several different moods matched to the vibe of the model(s) / table setup in question.
- It's possible I'll be looking to hook up a strobe lighting setup to sync with the camera to better enable action shots (I'd need some experimentation in the space to see whether this was necessary or not)
- If we do end up having a 'showing' or a day with invited guests, I'd love to put on some classical music for them to flip tables to.

### Is there anything you might need help with?

I may need help rigging up some lighting (it's not my specialty), especially if we end up needing a strobe setup connected to the camera.

### Is there anything else you think we should know?

- I'm a [theatre director](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HHTTbIO_kIyKabsEyjp5lWpa4QkZjoKXdPe6Lo4E5J4/edit?usp=sharing), rather than a photographer by training, and a lot of my work in theatre deals with absurdism and our relationship with anger, so this project, while not a theatre project exactly, is a natural extension of those themes.
- I'm looking to 're-emerge' into the arts scene this year after a long hiatus travelling and working in tech; I'll be stage managing Gag Reflex at Te Auaha in the fringe festival and directing the NZ premiere of Girls & Boys for Red Scare Theatre Company later this year.
- I'd consider myself an experienced, but not necessarily professional, photographer - this would be an exciting chance to up my game in this area while making a thing that I'd really, really like to make.