Anatomy of a piano, fish in the Fishbowl

MARTIN DE RUYTER

SHAPESHIFTING: NMIT art students Tish North, left and Marijke Smit at the Fishbowl Gallery in Alton St.

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When Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology students saw an old defunct piano being wheeled into their studio they knew exactly what was going on.

Visual Art and Design student Tish North has shopped for artistic fodder at the Nelson Recycling Centre before. They knew that North would take the piano, then take it apart, deconstructing it almost beyond recognition. But at least it found a new life.

"There was a lot of excitment when I brought it in, people knew what was happening because nobody else brings things in and takes them apart."

North likes things that are no longer needed. Things that have become obsolete. "I like things that look useless but then you get to use them in a different form."

Such is the fate of that old piano. Now in pieces, the strings are still upright, with small spring-loaded bobbles that can be played with to make your own music.

"I like to encourage people to come along and have a go and interact with it."

The interaction is all part of the art. North does not just enjoy taking apart pianos, she is trying to say something as well. "It is about the systems that are breaking down all around us."

Opposite the piano on the other side of the room is the effect of that breakdown. Delicate tissue paper hangs from the ceiling.

"The breakdown has reverberations in other places and this represents that impact. The fragility of nature and how it affects the future generations to come."

In this case, those generations are depicted in small tissue booties scattered around the bottom of the piece.

Fellow student Marijke Smit likes order in life. She likes things to be symmetrical and her skirt designs are no different. "I like nice clean neat lines."

She also likes tropical fish, which adorn the skirts. Smit made them last semester as well. "Everyone loved them, so they asked for more."

• Diploma in Visual Art and Design graduating exhibition at the Fishbowl Galley, Alton St, until December 1.

- © Fairfax NZ News