Somali and Maori children from Berhampore Primary School in Wellington will work together during a three-day workshop from 10 to 12 November, using special tape to create large murals on the school’s courtyard walls.

Somali and Maori children from Berhampore Primary School in Wellington will work together during a three-day workshop from 10 to 12 November, using special tape to create large murals on the school’s courtyard walls.

In the first of several events making up the first phase of the Southern Corridor Project, the tape art workshops will involve thirty-five children aged between seven and thirteen years of age. They will be led by artist Erica Duthie, one of the creators of tape art and a collaborator with Eko Theatre.

Erica has helped create more than 300 tape art murals in schools, hospitals and communities in the United States and New Zealand. She describes tape art as a playful and imaginative art medium.

“Tape is very flexible – each line can be removed and replaced – and the murals have a life span of a day,” Erica says. “The pleasure is in the process rather than in the final product." 

The tape art project kick-starts the Southern Corridor Project in which Eko Theatre will work with communities in the Southern Wellington suburbs of Newtown, Berhampore and Island Bay. All of the events will feed into a theatrical work and two visual installations, to be presented in late 2010.

Other planned events include photography workshops, a disposable camera initiative, a  playback theatre performance, a performance of The Battalion by Te Rakau Hua o Te Wao Tapu Trust, and a community hui at Tapu Te Ranga Marae in Island Bay.

Eko Theatre director Heather Timms says tape art is a dynamic and visual way to encourage conversation within and between communities.

“It’s important to engage with all age groups as we explore diverse perspectives on identity and relationships with the land. Berhampore is at the heart of the Southern Corridor and so it’s an appropriate beginning place. The school also sees how the tape art project will benefit their students and connect it with the wider community.” 

The school community – classmates, teachers, parents and families – will be invited to visit at the end of each school day and see what the workshop participants have achieved. The event will culminate with a shared meal and then the murals will be dismantled by the participants the following day.

Heather, the founding director of Eko Theatre, has more than 20 years’ experience as a director of participatory theatre.

Arts Access Aotearoa has acted as an umbrella organisation, enabling Eko Theatre to approach various agencies for funding or in-kind support.

Jan Hinde, Executive Director of Arts Access Aotearoa, says the Southern Corridor Project will provide access to high-quality arts activities in diverse Wellington communities.

“It’s fantastic to see experienced arts practitioners engaging with communities to create work that explores identity and celebrates diversity.”

The Southern Corridor Project is supported by J R McKenzie Trust, Creative New Zealand, Wellington City Council and Astra Print.

Visit Eko Theatre’s website for more information.