Artist makes pit stop at Auckland Art Gallery
The Art Circuit is a Billy Apple project that pays tribute to Auckland's mid-town art track, centred on the Auckland Art Gallery, and is the last event to be staged on the gallery's forecourt prior to the gallery's redevelopment. This is a sound performance free to the public featuring grand prix motorcycles from The Billy Apple Historic Racing Collection being played by world-renowned riders, including Ken McIntosh of McIntosh Racing. The vehicles are historic and classic performance machines used only on grand prix circuits. These bikes come with both a professional racing and art pedigree, having been exhibited in art galleries and museums throughout New Zealand and raced by legendary riders including John Britten, John Surtees and Aaron Slight. Much of Billy Apple's practice has critiqued the conditions of art practice, as well as questioning the arbitrary distinction between life and art. In this work, he has designated the Auckland streets defined by The Art Circuit both as an artwork and a potential track, of which the Auckland Art Gallery's forecourt is the start line and pit-stop. This recognises the dense community of galleries that has established itself around the one-way loop of Kitchener Street, Victoria Street, Lorne Street and Wellesley Street. The Art Circuit is first and foremost a sonic exploration of the vehicles' individual characteristics. The [two] bikes will remain in position while they are warmed up to create improvised solos and duets. This continues Billy Apple's ongoing interest in using sound as a medium to explore ideas and incorporates his long involvement in professional motor racing. He says the performance will demonstrate the bikes' different attributes. For example, one is a 350cc whereas the other is a 500cc vehicle: "The difference between the AJS and Norton is like the difference between a trumpet and a trombone." This is a rare chance to see these ready-made instruments brought to life in consultation with renowned composer Jonathan Besser. The event is being organised by curator Andrew Clifford. A feature-length festival documentary "Being Billy Apple", directed by Leanne Pooley will have its first screening the following weekend on TV1, Saturday 22nd December at 9.45pm. ENDS Notes for editors: The bikes: The Billy Apple Historic Racing Collection is made up of three British grand prix motorcycles and two British racing cars. They all come with a professional racing pedigree and some also have an art lineage, having previously been shown in New Zealand galleries. This Sunday's performance at the Auckland Art Gallery will feature: 1960 AJS 7R 350cc. classic British racing motorcycle - exhibited at the Wellington City Art Gallery, 1991, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, 1991-1992, Auckland Art Gallery, 1992 and the Auckland War Memorial Museum, 2000 - 2001 - previously raced by Ginger Malloy, who became the number two rider in the world in 1970 after placing second in the 500cc Grand Prix World Championship 1962 Norton Manx 500cc classic British racing motorcycle - previously raced by the late great John Britten, John Surtees (multi world motorcycle champion and Formula One world champion driving for Ferrari) and superbike riders Andrew Stroud, Jason McEwen and Aaron Slight (multi runner-up world superbike championships) The artist: Billy Apple (b. 1935) has been a practicing artist for over five decades. He is one of New Zealand's best known and internationally acclaimed avant-garde figures, who made his reputation in London and New York, exhibiting alongside artists such as David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Dan Flavin. He is one of the original pop art generation before becoming a central figure in the evolution of conceptual art. Billy Apple (then known as Barrie Bates) studied at the Royal College of Art in London from 1959-62 on a New Zealand government scholarship. After several trips across the Atlantic beginning in 1961, he moved permanently to New York in 1964. It was here that he was one of the pioneers of using emerging technologies such as neon, laser light, Xerox (in collaboration with GT&E and Xerox Corporation of America) in art-making. In 1969 he founded New York's second artist-run alternative space, his self-named gallery Apple, one of only seven in that era. A retrospective of his work was held at London's Serpentine Gallery in 1974 and in 1977 he had his first exhibition at New York's Leo Castelli Gallery, one of the most important dealer galleries of the twentieth century. Billy Apple toured New Zealand twice in the 1970s, showing work in public institutions and dealer galleries. His permanent return to New Zealand was heralded by the Good as Gold retrospective, which opened at Wellington City Gallery in 1991 before touring to the Govett Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth and the Auckland Art Gallery. In 2006 he was prominently featured in the Auckland Art Gallery's presentation of the Tate's Art & the 60s exhibition. His works are held in numerous international collections and institutions and he continues to exhibit prolifically. The team: Ken McIntosh A partner in Billy Apple's racing endeavours, Ken McIntosh of McIntosh Racing is renowned internationally for his building and restoration of world-class bikes, especially of Norton grand prix bikes. He is responsible for restoration and race preparation of The Billy Apple Historic Racing Collection motorcycles. His East Auckland factory has produced bikes that have won countless titles, and the vehicles present in his shop at any single moment comprise an impressive history of international professional racing. He is no stranger to riding either, having won the NZ Classic TT Senior race on a Billy Apple Norton in 2004. On one occasion he swapped bikes with John Britten for a Pukekohe race and managed to identify a fault that could have stopped Britten winning at Daytona immediately afterwards. In 2006 he raced a bike against a WWI Bristol fighter plane owned by Peter Jackson at Jackson's Vintage Air Show. McIntosh is coordinating the bikes for this performance and leading the team that will be playing them. Jonathan Besser Jonathan Besser was born in New York City (1949). Resident in New Zealand since 1974, he has composed on commission for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Royal N.Z Ballet, Auckland Philharmonia, the Wellington Symphonia, and the New Zealand String Quartet (touring schools with them in 1994). Jonathan has led his own New Music groups, most notably the Besser Ensemble (1987-1997). He is also founding member of Free Radicals (electronic music) and Triphonics touring China with Triphonics in March 1996. His latest new performance group Bravura is performing his compositions around New Zealand and in Australia. Jonathan has created acoustic and electronic music in collaboration with leading writers, choreographers, musicians, visual artists and filmmakers. Those include Gaylene Preston, Mary Jane O'Reilly,Warwick Broadhead, Keri Hulme, Ross Harris, Michael Parmenter, Don McGlashan and the Australian author Roger McDonald. He has worked with Billy Apple regularly on sound projects, including Severe Tropical Storm 9301 Irma and Artspace's Music for Stairwell. He has composed original music for many film, radio, stage and TV productions. Andrew Clifford Curating and coordinating The Art Circuit is freelance writer sound artist and curator, Andrew Clifford. Clifford has worked on projects for Auckland Art Gallery, Govett Brewster Art Gallery, Artspace, Enjoy and the Moving Image Centre. He serves on the board of the Audio Foundation and is one of the organisers of their long-running international new music festival, Alt.music. He was one of four jurors for the 2006 Walters Prize and is currently a curator at The University of Auckland's Centre for New Zealand Art Research and Discovery.
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