15th Spark Festival set to ignite the arts in Hamilton
Hamilton’s culture vultures are circling as Spark gears up for another festival of the arts in the Tron.
More than 20 world-class artists, designers, musicians, filmmakers and media commentators will be in Hamilton next month to share their passion and talent as part of the 15th annual Spark International Festival of Media, Arts and Design.
This week-long event, starting August 12, is organised by Wintec’s School of Media Arts. It incorporates more than 35 presentations, exhibitions, panel discussions and associated events.
This year’s guests are from Spain, New York, Australia and New Zealand. They include internationally renowned photographer, Cristina De Middel, New York fashion consultant, stylist and blogger, Zara Mirkin, and award-winning documentary director and media personality, John Safran.
Safran’s event will be a live interview with TV3’s David Farrier on the Tuesday at 12.30pm in The Atrium at Wintec House.
Spark Festival Director, Kat Cox hopes people take advantage of Spark. “Living in the Waikato you rarely get the chance to get up close with the superstars of the arts world, and having people like John Safran and Cristina De Middel here in our region is a rare opportunity.
“All this year’s speakers represent those at the forefront of the arts domain. They’re imaginative, impressive and original, and we’re excited to host them.”
Spark runs from August 12-16. It is free and open to the public. Events will be held at the Wintec city campus and supporting venues around Hamilton’s CBD.
The official Spark opening event will take place on Monday August 12 at 5pm at RAMP Gallery, Collingwood Street. It will feature an exhibition by Wellington artist, Sandy Gibbs.
To view the full programme of events and speakers’ biographies, or to register to attend, visit Spark.
