Source: Radio New Zealand
Twenty-six graffiti artists are transforming the New Plymouth CBD into a living gallery. RNZ / Robin Martin
The centre of New Plymouth has been taken over by street artists, musicians, and a whole lot of spray paint this week.
The Get Up Festival is back in town for the first time in more than a decade and 26 graffiti artists are transforming the CBD into a living gallery.
Event co-founder Cam “Oddjobs” Shennan said the Get Up Festival was designed as a celebration of street culture.
“The festival is all about a community buzz I think, bringing good people together and now my kids are all grown up that’s why I’m re-doing it now.
“I tried doing [it] during Covid but Covid happened and I tried doing it with another couple of people, but they didn’t have the same enthusiasm as me, you know, I believe you need to be in the scene to do these festivals really.”
Event co-founder Cam “Oddjobs” Shennan. RNZ / Robin Martin
Originally from the UK, Shennan had expanded the festival offering to include workshops, exhibitions, live music and even a graffiti battle.
“Like anything out of the hip hop scene you’ve got the rap there’s always a battle, DJing you’ve got the DJing and scratch battles and then you’ve got the graffiti battles.
“So, this time we’re going to do it. We’ve got a wooden wall and I’m going to make an X cross-section and four artists are going to paint on an internal corner with 13 cans of the same colour and one and a half hours painting the same word and there’s going to be a public vote for the winner.”
Get Up Festival is a labour of love for co-founder Cameron “Oddjobs” Shennan. RNZ / Robin Martin
Raglan artist Theo Arraj was working on a large-scale mural from a hoist in Huatoki Plaza when RNZ visited.
“I’m kinda making [it] up as I go it’s open to interpretation and I think everyone is seeing their own thing in there. I don’t really like to explain my art too much, you know, it’s in the eye of the beholder as they say.”
Raglan’s Theo Arraj was working on a large-scale mural in Huatoki Plaza. RNZ / Robin Martin
Arraj was in two minds about his piece still being there once he had left town.
“It’s like a double-edged sword knowing that your art is going to stick around on the wall for a long time because most artists will look at their own work and see all the things they could’ve done better.
“So, it’s nice but then at the same time I’ll probably come back here in a couple of months’ time and be like hmmm I should’ve this and should’ve done that.”
Arraj was in two minds about his piece still being there once he had left town. RNZ / Robin Martin
In a lane nearby, Wellington fine arts student Sheldon Morehu aka “Rytem” was more in an old school style.
“This is just a big wall of like graffiti everyone else is doing the murals sort of like full on detail big scale sort of thing, but we’re just sticking to the OG original style of graffiti big words, letters, like massive letters and I guess some of them are readable and some of them you can’t read.”
Sheldon Morehu aka “Rytem” works in a traditional graffiti style. RNZ / Robin Martin
He hoped the work would help change some people’s perception of graffiti.
“This is pretty much a tag just an extended version an abstract version whatever you want to call it. This is were it leads to what we are doing now big bright colourful words.”
Morehu was grateful to be able to showcase his work.
“It’s giving us the opportunity so [the] public can see what we do and see that it’s not all the ugly stuff they don’t like. And it’s art definitely.”
Sheldon Morehu aka “Rytem” works in a traditional graffiti style. RNZ / Robin Martin
Tucked away on Church Lane, Venus Hoy was plotting out another mural.
“I do a lot of work around surrealism and the inner mind landscape, so my piece is pretty centred around that it’s this dreamy landscape of a woman in space with a few little bits and bobs.
“It’s just a piece centred around recognising what a beautiful gift it is to be here on earth.”
Venus Hoy with her piece at the Get Up Festival in New Plymouth. RNZ / Robin Martin
She loved the ethereal natural of street art.
“I hope the artworks don’t last too long because that’s a thing that I love about street art and murals is that they are constantly changing. I love places like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for that and I hope they keep evolving, so I hope people enjoy it for a little while and then it changes to something else equally beautiful.”
Venus Hoy with her piece at the Get Up Festival in New Plymouth. RNZ / Robin Martin
Shennan meanwhile hoped the festival’s legacy would hold for a while yet.
“This is a festival that actually stays all year round it doesn’t roll into town and roll out again.
“Hopefully it will bring some more people into town because I know town is kind of dying a little bit, so get art tours happening and make it into a bit of an art destination and education as well.
“That’s why I keep the graffiti side of it because people think graffiti is damage, but to me it is a letter form.”
The Get Up Festival wraps up on Monday.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
