Festival opening all a matter of balance

Australian acrobats stage an impromptu display at the opening of Yours, Truly. Photo / Andrew Warner

Is it an elephant trunk or a snake? An unusually shaped piece of driftwood was one of the first pieces of art shared at the opening of Yours, Truly, the interactive outdoor installation of the Tauranga Arts Festival, which opened yesterday.

Four-year old Jem Dougal hung the driftwood on the fence-like structure, created by Auckland artist Laura Marsh.

"One way up it looks like a snake and turn it the other way and it could be an elephant's trunk. He found it in Hart St in the Mount and wanted to bring it along," explained mum Debbie Dougal.

The installation, located in the Festival Front Yard in Masonic Park, invites people to leave a little something behind. Marsh's inspiration was a fence that doesn't keep anyone out, said festival spokeswoman Claire Mabey.

"It can be something people have made, or just something they want to share. You can also take things away that catch your eye, so the idea is that the structure changes every day."

The inaugural installation was formally opened yesterday with a blessing by a local kaumata. Mayor Stuart Crosby and several new councillors attended, which Mr Crosby noted was emblematic of the direction of the new face of Tauranga City Council.

"This particular festival really does change Tauranga ... making us grow up into the city that we really should be.

"We have just had an election and have seven new councillors, and most of them are here.

"We have had several discussions over the last few days and most of them are around getting reconnected to the community. When you have rapid growth like our city, you probably have an over-emphasis on hard infrastructure and not necessarily enough support for the people side. The Tauranga Arts Festival is very much about the people."

Mr Crosby acknowledged the wide range of national and international artists and visitors in Tauranga for the festival.

A team of acrobats from Brisbane, Australia, responded to the welcome with an impromptu display of balancing.

The public art installation will be at Masonic Park throughout the festival until Sunday, November 3.