Week one of the Cook Islands Residency - Great things are happening

Developing the Creative Residency has been an incredible experience thus far from all the pre-planning and trying to find supporters of which big ups to CNZ, Telecom Cook Islands, Island Car and Bike Hire, Pacific Resort AItutaki and our private supporters who quietly sit in the background not wanting accolades but believing in what we are doing. Week one has seen Murray arrive get settled into the great Are Roa owned by fabulous Cook Island artist Ani O Neil and tatau extraordinaire Croc and everyday and night off to either an island night to look at the drumming performances ( again thanks to Edgewater Resort and Spa, Highland Paradise and The Crown Beach Resort for providing dinners for those shows) or to meetings. Murray met up  with the talented Katu Teiti and Mark Short to talk and talk and plan and dream about drums and to set the  project plan in place. Meeting with drum maker Rubena Papa Ben gave Murray some insight into the mechanics of pate making so knowledge sharing has been at the forefront. Murray already has a piece called
"Sea Gongs" originally composed by Gareth Farr that he will be working on here with our drummers and selected rising drum talent to include a Cook Islands flair that will see those drummers travel to Wellington, New Zealand to be highlighted in the production called " The Big Bang" which will be the opening segment of the 2014 New Zealand Festival. Murray also meet with Rudy Aquino to borrow his vibraphone which Murray is a leading musician in New Zealand and performs on in his Strike Percussion Group.
Murray and Mo are now in Aitutaki and have begun the workshops with Araura College and are meeting leading drummers on the island as well. So update 2 will let you all know about that experience and how the project is forming.

All  I know is that this is exciting and productive for building foundations for our Creative Industry. The industry that was mentioned at the economic summit 3 years ago to get support in budgets and future strategies from government departments but sadly still remains somewhat absent! So what to do???? Well just get on with it because Art always will survive. Art defines culture, national identities and lasts the test of time.  And as a friend of mine Damien Prentice advised me " ....in 100 years the art of today will still dazzle, but no one will give a ratsarse  about this years, or last years rugby. Who can name the team that won the  football in the 1900 Olympic games at the time Gaugin was painting in Tahiti?"

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