MTG Hawke’s Bay has partnered with The Arts Society Hawke’s Bay (TASHB) to present a special architectural event at the museum’s Century Theatre on Sunday May 5.

The free public lecture, presented by international guest speaker Ian Swankie, is titled Thomas Heatherwick – the modern Leonardo? and will focus on the extraordinary British designer, whose celebrated buildings are making an impact in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.

Mr Swankie will travel from London to present the lecture. He has a passion for art and architecture and is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery and St Paul’s Cathedral where he gives regular tours.

He is delighted to be invited by The Arts Society in Hawke’s Bay to speak at the museum as part of is New Zealand lecture tour.

“This is my first visit to New Zealand and I’m particularly looking forward to enjoying the Art Deco architecture during my time there. I’m a huge fan of Thomas Heatherwick’s work and he is making a positive difference to our built environment around the world. I hope to be able to inspire the audience by sharing some of his genius with our guests at the Hawke’s Bay event.”

The past decade has seen the meteoric rise of Heatherwick, whose most recognised work includes the design of the spectacular Olympic Cauldron, the iconic new London bus and Cape Town’s stunning Museum of Contemporary African Art. Heatherwick uses an intriguing combination of curiosity and experimentation to produce inspiring buildings and projects around the world.

Mr Swankie’s talk will explore the wonderfully creative ways in which Heatherwick operates, designing everything from handbags and furniture to universities, museums and entire towns.

This event is is sponsored by TASHB. The Society also supports local arts organisations such as the Prima Volta Trust and the education programmes of both MTG Hawke’s Bay and the Hastings City Art Gallery.

Founded in the United Kingdom, The Arts Society has more than 90,000 members worldwide, with eight Societies in New Zealand. Collectively, the New Zealand Societies engage eight international specialists to deliver an annual programme of lectures to their members on a wide range of arts-related topics.

Each local Society brings together like-minded individuals to share their appreciation of, and commitment to, the arts through a programme of informative and entertaining lectures, and by contributing to a range of organisations to help promote and support the arts in their community, and improve access for the young.

MTG Director Laura Vodanovich says the free public lecture is both an exciting event in itself, and the first public offering to come from the museum’s partnership with the Society.

“It also complements the special partnership already in place with the Hawke’s Bay branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, and our current Louis Hay exhibition.”

Details

What: Thomas Heatherwick – The Modern Leonardo? A special lecture presented by The Arts Society Hawke’s Bay and MTG Hawke’s Bay. Light refreshments will be provided after the lecture.

Where: MTG Century Theatre, Herschell Street, Napier.

When: 3pm, Sunday May 5.

Registration: There is no cost for this event, but attendees must pre-register on Eventfinda.

For more information, click here.

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