Anzac After Christchurch - The Sound of Peace

23 April 2019

For immediate release

Anzac After Christchurch - The Sound of Peace

A community group is creating The Sound of Peace, a crowdsourced soundscape that captures messages of peace from New Zealanders in their own voices and languages.

Click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NPBJUhuotA&feature=youtu.be
to hear the sound artwork in progress. The cut-off time for voice recordings onhttps://www.rememberthem.nz/the-sound-of-peace/ is midday tomorrow.

The voices are being choreographed by digital artist Jeff Smith into a sound artwork that will play in surround sound for the first time at a free, public event in Auckland on Wednesday night. The Anzac Eve event, The Art of Remembrance with Kristin Darragh, is a concert and memorial service in the grounds of the historic St David’s Memorial Church in Uptown Auckland.

Toa (warrior) remembrance artwork projection, The Art of Remembrance project.
This soldier is Corporal Cyril Basset, VC.
Image courtesy Jessica Chloe

Art of Remembrance project director Paul Baragwanath comments:

‘As we remember the lives lost in World War One, we remember the horrors of all wars, and the potential to reach out across the divides now to expand understanding and a sense of our shared humanity.’

Baragwanath comments further:

‘The outpouring of love and caring for our fellow New Zealanders in Christchurch inspired The Sound of Peace artwork and this Anzac Eve event.’

The Wednesday night event is hosted by Friends of St David’s Charitable Trust in the grounds of St David’s, the World War One Memorial Church. The Trust’s first Art of Remembrance event launched back in 2015 when thousands of artist Max Gimblett’s quatrefoil-shaped brass artworks adorned the historic walls of the church building.

Baragwanath says:

‘Art and music are universal languages. After Christchurch we see clearly the need to connect all New Zealand. Art does that.’

In addition to The Sound of Peace soundscape, the Anzac Eve event will see internationally acclaimed New Zealand mezzo soprano Kristin Darragh sing waiata and arias, and lead the volunteer-based Off Broadway Big Band and guests in song.

A site-specific projection artwork by artist Sean Winterbottom projected onto the building incorporates images of World War One soldiers shared by the public.

The Memorial Church building will be illuminated red for the ANZAC eve event and for ANZAC night in remembrance of the lives lost a century ago.

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