2007 Episode 5: Questions for Mr Reynolds
Questions For Mr Reynolds
John Reynolds is a painter without a paint brush. He's also one of
the most important New Zealanders in the arts today.
Questions for Mr Reynolds profiles the painter, photographer and
landscape artist who represented our country at the last Sydney
Biennale and was recently made a Laureate by the Arts Foundation of
New Zealand.
Producer/director Shirley Horrocks comments: "John is an artist who constantly surprises as he brings his imagination to bear on such a wide range of materials - from paint to fabric to architecture to native trees. He is involved in re-inventing the nature of painting.
"He makes a great subject for a documentary because he has such a likeable, articulate, exuberant personality, a wicked sense of humour, and an original approach to every area of the arts that he tackles."
Horrocks's documentary tracks Reynolds through an extraordinary year during which he creates a huge painted work in Sydney called Cloud, re-designs the iconic NZ Swanndri, collaborates with architects to design a hotel in Auckland, tattoos a friend, appears as a character in a popular cartoon series, does Samuel-Beckett-style performances in a bizarre camouflage suit, and makes extraordinary large-scale landscape works in Otago and the Kaipara.
With total access behind the scenes, the documentary shows us
how Reynolds conceives and develops his adventurous projects, and
how he manages to combine all this with a busy family life.
There is also a fascinating personal history, including the story
of John's Diner, the legendary Auckland café that he
ran in the early 1980s, and an account of how he supported himself
in the early years as a photographer for local magazines.
Questions for Mr Reynolds is the latest of Shirley Horrocks's memorable profiles of New Zealand writers and artists. Her popular films have included Marti (about Marti Friedlander), Early Days Yet (Allen Curnow), and The New Oceania (Albert Wendt).
"I see John Reynolds as a great example of the role of the local artist today," says Horrocks. "He has remained based in New Zealand and is very involved with its history, culture and natural environment, but he's completely free of the anxious, earnest nationalism that has shaped many earlier painters. He's able to see local culture from fresh angles, such as his giant work Cloud based on a dictionary of New Zealand colloquialisms, or his quirky (but still respectful) use of native plant species in outdoor works."
An adventurous but accessible documentary, anyone curious about art or the lives of artists in New Zealand will find it a lively and informative study of the very latest developments.
