East meets West in downtown Auckland

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East meets West in downtown Auckland for a sensational night of visual arts and music at Tiger Translate 06

Tiger Translate 06 brought some of Asia’s most progressive and cutting edge art and music to Auckland on Friday night. International and local artists and musicians translated their vision of contemporary Asia through a series of stunning collaborative and interactive artworks.

On entering The Britomart Pavilion in downtown Auckland, more than 900 guests were treated to a breathtaking, multi-sensory experience with a modern Asian influence. The Pavilion was transformed into a world class spectacle that combined visual arts, design, sound and lighting technology and music.

Renowned New York-based artist Rostarr and leading New Zealand design practice The Wilderness collaborated to create spectacular art forms that represented their interpretation of the event’s artistic theme, Show me your Asia.

Joining Rostarr and The Wilderness was Tokyo-based Kiwi artist Karl Willis and his Light Tracer drawing machine. This light sensitive mesh screen with motion detector software attracted a lot of attention as guests discovered they could create their own artworks using light sources such as light pens and mobile phones.

Giant abstract heads worn by performance artists created intrigue as they wandered through the crowd. Fitted with remote spy cameras that projected onto large overhead screens, the ‘heads’ captured the surprise and delight of guests as they reacted to the oversized creations. Created by Rostarr and The Wilderness, the head designs were inspired by the five natural elements commonly depicted in Asian culture.

Whilst enjoying the visual experience, guests were treated to the breathtaking sonic concoctions of Ninja Tunes DJ Kentaro from Japan. Kentaro offered up a seamless blend of hip hop, drum and bass, reggae, breaks and turntablism. His set culminated in a stunning live jam when he was joined onstage by Open Souls bassist, Chip Matthews. Kentaro had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he showed off his dexterous skills, moving around the turntables with a playful style, unique to this master of the decks.

Every element of Tiger Translate was a collaboration between artists, musicians and the audience. As DJ Kentaro incited the crowd into a frenzy, Rostarr and The Wilderness created a giant printed canvas behind the stage allowing Kentaro’s music to inspire their live art.

Tiger™ Beer brand manager Winston Seow says, “Tiger continually aims to break new ground and challenge beliefs and we certainly achieved this with Tiger Translate 06. The artworks were awe-inspiring and the interactive nature of the event meant that guests were totally involved in the creative act. Literally hundreds of artistic performances were created as the audience participated in this totally unique fusion of art, music and technology“.

Tiger Translate 06 was the second Translate event held in Auckland. The first was at the Transmission Room in 2005, and was such a success that the event has now been taken worldwide. Seoul, Dubai, Dublin, Shanghai and Copenhagen are just some of the cities hosting Tiger Translate events.

Visit www.tigerbeer.com for more details on the Translate tour.

ENDS

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