Award-winning Kiwi comic artist included in talented Spark Festival line-up

A week-long media, arts and design extravaganza is set to arrive on Wintec’s city campus in Hamilton next month and includes award-winning cartoonist, writer and illustrator, Dylan Horrocks.

The 17th annual Spark International Festival of Media, Arts and Design kicks off on Monday 10 August and will run until Friday 14 August, showcasing presentations, exhibitions and panel discussions from local and international presenters.

Dylan, whose career in cartoons and comics started as soon as he could hold a crayon, has written scripts for Vertigo and DC Comics, drawn and written several comic books and made it to number twelve on Rolling Stones list of the “Fifty Best Non-Superhero Graphic Novels” for his award winning comic Hicksville. He will speak for one hour on the opening day of the festival in front of a crowd of up to 150 people.

The festival will see more than 30 artists, photographers, designers, musicians, film-makers, journalists and media commentators share their insights, experiences and tips to inspire others in their own creative pursuits.

Here’s a quick overview of the festival week:

• Day one includes photographer Yvonne Todd, Dylan Horrocks, Melbourne artist Daniel Von Sturmer, director Mark Williams and Australian film-maker Dirk de Bruyn.
• Day two will include fashion designer Lindah Lepou, Melbourne artist Jess Johnson, designer Johnson Witehira, Melbourne artists Gabriella Mangano and Silvana Mangano and editor of HOME magazine, Jeremy Hansen.
• Day three includes design studio Think & Shift, film-maker Briar March, Sydney advertising creative director Tom Dirnberger, designer Johnson Witehira, journalist Max Rashbrooke, and the always popular Pecha Kucha event along with a documentary film screening at the Lido cinema
• Day four sees artists Lisa Reihana, James Pinker and Reuben Paterson and Australian editor and motion graphics designer Andrew Holmes on the schedule.

The final day will see a full range of workshops, from Los Angeles-based musician Chelsea Jade, comic artist Ant Sang, artists Reuben Paterson, Zena Elliott and Joe Citizen, curators/artists Julianne Pierce, Deborah Lawler-Dormer and Jennifer Gillam and local editors Naomi Johnston and Jess Molina.

Now a major event on the national arts calendar, the festival is organised by Wintec’s School of Media Arts. It is designed to engage and educate those with an interest in the creative industries.

Festival director Wendy Richdale says sharing insights, experiences and tips to inspire others is at the core of what Spark festival is all about.

“We like to bring both international and national creatives to Spark for the breadth of experience and different perspectives they bring. We also find people who have an ethos of sharing their knowledge and experience.”

The festival will also feature two events run in conjunction with the University of Waikato. An exhibition of well-known New Zealand artist Reuben Paterson’s work will be held at the Calder & Lawson Gallery following his Spark presentation on Thursday 13 August. Artists, academics and cultural innovators will also come together that same evening for the panel discussion “Creative Confluences” exploring collaboration, which is sponsored by the University of Waikato’s Cultural Committee.

University of Waikato art collection curator, Steph Chalmers said the University was pleased to be teaming up with Spark again for 2015 with such an impressive programme.

“We’re excited to exhibit the work of an exceptional artist like Reuben Paterson on the University campus, and to present the Creative Confluences panel which we hope will energise creative minds to collaborate on projects across disciplines.”

Once again a Spark Shop will be run alongside the festival in Events Room 2 in the Gallagher Hub, featuring products from past and present Wintec students and local coffee roasters, Manuka Brothers’ Coffee.

The festival is free to attend and open to all, though spaces are limited. Attendees are invited to use Wintec’s free wifi service to connect with each other and the festival through social media platforms.

To view the full programme of events visit www.spark.net.nz