Te Mahana - the warmth of the home

Over the last few months I have been working with two artists, Bridget Nawalowalo and Daisy Bingham to tell the story of their collaboration to create a new entrance way to Te Mahana, the Wellington women's homeless shelter. They worked with the Creative Communities team (Roo Rowley) at Wellington City Council to fund the project and liaise with the city. A workshop was held with the women in the shelter, exploring their concepts and feelings about 'home' and this was incorporated into the final design. Thanks to our sponsors, Bunnings who supplied building materials and labour.

Music for Life - living with dementia

I worked with music therapist, Rani Heath on a project instigated by Alzheimers Wellington (now Dementia Wellington) to explore the power of music and memory. A small group of people living with dementia worked with us over a number of months to trial the Simple Music Player. The SMP is a retro styled device that has a MP3 player in the back. Rani worked with each person to compile the 'playlist of their lives' and then saved it to the MP3. The beauty of the Simple Music Player is it is very easy to use, you just have to lift a flap and your own music plays. We had workshops at the beginning and end of the project, talking to people about the process. Watch here:

O Cambodia - realising a dream

I started a new project with Dame Gillian Whitehead and the NZ Trio to complete a wish of composer Jack Body to take their production, O Cambodia back to Cambodia with Sokha Mey, who told her story of survival to the composers. This was a collaboration with Cambodian composers, Him Sophy and

The Art of Solace

Artist and hospice nurse, Naomi Clements describes the solace of art as she completes a painting that has sat in her studio for some time...a painting she began after the summer her mother died. Now, after a workshop as part of the solace initiative, she has picked up the painting again and she talks of the process of rediscovering the time of farewelling her mother. See post on The Big Idea.

The Solace Initiative - the workshop

We had our first workshop today between 7 hospice workers and 7 creative practitioners. People came for two hours and shared stories of their lives and the things that bring them solace. From this engagement we hope to create new works to build the narrative of what brings us solace. Thanks to everyone who participated, singers, writers, composers, filmmakers and artists along with those who work alongside the dying and who are themselves artists, creative thinkers and practitioners. The lines of difference blurred as people began to talk and share their views on solace.

The 2015 Digital Residency - The Solace Initiative

Thanks to The Big Idea Trust for accepting my project, with my son Sam based in San Francisco: The Solace Initiative, to explore the question What brings us solace? I will be working with creative practitioners across arts, music, dance, sculpture and film to discover the many avenues and experiences of creative practitioners in collaboration with hospice workers. Take a look, have a think and engage with our site The Solace initiative.

Research continues

The Women from Cambodia project, whilst in post-production phase has been an amazing journey to discover links with some fantastic international photographers who have agreed to share their work for my project. In particular Jay Mather who was a photo journalist who went into Cambodia after Pol Pot was deposed and photographed the situation for those living in the refugee camps on the Thai/Cambodia border in the early eighties. Whilst this may be a story from 40 years ago, there are millions of refugees throughout the world living in these camps and through telling the story of a few women, we tell the story of many.

New Project on Ursula Bethell

Researching the creative work of Ursula Bethell, Christchurch poet primarily but who was also an avid painter and gardener. She lived a varied and amazing life of social work, literary support and mentor to many emerging writers and also had a deep faith in God…The majority of her life was spent living with her companion Effie Pollen. When Effie died in 1934, Ursula Bethell was devastated, writing a "Memorial" every year for the next six years on or around the anniversary. October 1935 The green has come back, the spring green, the new green, Darling, the young green upon the field willows, And the gorse on the wild hills was never so yellow, Together, together, past years we have looked on the scene. The loved little bird is singing his small song, Dearest, and whether the trill of the riro Reminded, we wondered, of joy or of sorrow - Now I am taught it is tears, it is tears that to spring time belong. You were laughter, my liking, and frolic, my lost one, I must dissemble and smile still for your sake, Now that I know how spring time is heart-break, Now you have left me to look upon all that is lovely, alone.

New year project juggling...

So it's a new year - well, I know it's March but we still have that 'new year' feel don't we? I have a number of projects in various stages of development and whilst they all have their priorities its' hard to really get focused on which one will come up laughing as it were….so, heading into further research on an amazing kiwi designer and artist who went to san francisco in 1920…- more exciting news to come on him soon :) and looking for funding for post-production on my Cambodian film, featuring the lives of Cambodian women refugees who lived through the Pol Pot regime and came to live in NZ often after many difficult years in refugee camps on the Thai Cambodian border…its a busy kaleidoscope of topics and inspiring people who enrich my life as I delve into theirs….

Friends of Hone Tuwhare Trust Gig

On October 22, a group of Wellington people interested in the work of Hone Tuwhare gathered at Meow to celebrate his work, perform readings and adaptations of poetry to music and generally to support the work of the Hone Tuhware Trust. The Trust is working towards designing and building a Writers Residency in Kaka Point where Hone lived and worked. This was the first of many gatherings that will be held in Wellington to assist the Trust to meet their financial goal and also to keep the work of Tuwhare alive.

Voices for Hospice - songs of loss and joy

On World Hospice & Palliative Care Day Carol Shortis conducted 13 community choirs in Old St Pauls to sing two songs each that explored the themes of loss and grief, and joy and healing. A website was established by Mary Potter Hospice to showcase the work. Some excerpts of the concert are below.

Karanga: Voices for Hospice Choral Concert from clare oleary on Vimeo.

Iwi History - Breaker Bay

I did an interview with Ray Ahipene-Mercer on the history of Breaker Bay and Moa Point. It is a work in progress on capturing local stories of the bay. It will be shown at a community event in September so just making the finishing touches on it this weekend!

Decriminalisation of the Sex Industry in NZ

So, the film festival is over and its back to the drawing board. Finishing up the NZPC doco with Ray Beentjes doing the sound mix and Catherine Healy overseeing it all. It's been a long process but worth the wait. The film was funded by The Soros Foundation.

The Missing Picture

This film by Rithy Pran, a wonderful Cambodian filmmaker is on tomorrow in the festival. https://www.nziff.co.nz/wellington/film/2ecfa09a-d332-462c-ba58-a1329c32eec0

Editing my Cambodian doco

It's been several months since returning from Cambodia and during that time we've done some new interviews and started to compile the huge amount of footage we have from the Cambodia shoot. When we stopped to photograph a fishing village kids came running from inside the huts and here I am showing them the video zooming into their homes and their neighbours. Their squeals of delight were so lovely.

The Women From Cambodia

Another great news story for Go Go Media - we have received initial production funding to go to Cambodia http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif to complete filming on our documentary, The Women from Cambodia. I've been working with Niborom Young, interpreter/oral historian/and community worker for a year filming many of the women she has been working with for many years. Their stories of loss and hardship during the Pol Pot era and their subsequent years of waiting in refugee camps and finally gaining entry to New Zealand shows the resilience and strength of the human spirit..thanks to our supporters and to the crew who have worked voluntarily on this project so far...

Decriminalisation of Sex Work in NZ

The Open Society Instutite has funded an educational DVhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifDhttp://wwwhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif.blogger.com/img/blank.gif and website with resource kit to tell the story of the effect of decriminalisation of sex work in NZ. This project will be used by other sex work organisations throughout the world to inform sex workers, HIV/AIDS activists, policy makers, NGOs and governments about the way the law can assist in sex worker rights.
The NZ Prostitutes Collective was asked to tell their story and since we worked together on 'A Double Standard' - the TV3 doco I directed before the law change, we have worked closely and collaboratively on these issues for many years.
The project was funded by an international human rights organisation. The Open Societhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gify Institute. The web is being designed by Sam O'Leary from Conduction.

Gordon Crook: A Life in Art in Festival

Our docmentary about 89 year old Wellington artist, Gordon Crook features in the 2010 International Film Festival. The premiere is in Wellington at The Paramount Theatre at 6 p.m. See the trailer here and come along.

Gordon Crook: A Life in Art

Our doco has been selected for the 2010 International Film Festival. We got post-production funding from the NZ Film Commission to complete the film we have been working on for nearly three years. Gordon Crook is an artist who works across media, from drawing and collage to sophisticated abstract tapestries. He is influenced by the psychoanalysist Freud and Jung and integrates much of their work into his work which explodes with shape, colour and rich textures.

Leanne Pooley talks Topp Twins

Produced for ScreenTalk by NZ On Screen.

See more about The Topp Twins on their website. Topp Twins.