Image: Kirk Hargreaves/Stuff
“Creative expression is something we can all enjoy if we engage with life in an open, honest and youthful way.”
How would you describe what you do?
Radio DJ buff, vinyl record engineer, sonic theorist, musical dilettante
What was your most recent project?
DiRTyDiSCo design, DJ performance and event production
What project have you worked on that you’re the most proud of?
Cutting double A side, 7inch records for RDU singles club.
Then distributing patreon revenue to musicians as a result of listener support.
What is essential for creatives to have in their life?
Passion.
What inspires you about Ōtautahi?
Opportunities. The opportunity to re-ignite industry for musical communities in Ōtautahi. The opportunity to better understand the history of our musical peoples. Growing through learning. Opening the new and rediscovering the old. Building pathways to self-confidence and community health for our regional, through music. Creating a musical city.
What piece of advice about your creative work has served you well?
Be determined.
What’s the biggest misconception about your creative work?
That it has more/less creativity in it than other disciplines. That a craft is a lower form or less proficient than other artforms. Creative expression is something we can all enjoy if we engage with life in an open, honest and youthful way.
What Christchurch artists do you most admire?
To be honest, the list is too long… there are so many artists I admire here in my hometown. But off the top of my head at the time of writing: FIS (Sonic Artist) KAPS (Electronic musician) Doris Lusk (Painter/Potter) Ben Brown (Poet) Mark Vanilau (Musician) Leo Bensemann (Designer/Painter) Luke Wood (Designer/Musician) Malcolm Terry (Painter) Tony Peake (Musician) MeDAL (Heavy rock band) TOYOTA (Electronic musicians) JAGA (Electronic musician) and of course, my siblings… Tatyanna Meharry (Potter) Natasha English (Artist) and Matthew Meharry (Painter)
What artwork/piece of music/performance has taken your breath away?
FIS & Renik Bell – LIVE at the Berlin Atonal sound conference 2017
What do you wish you’d have known about creative work when you were younger?
A great practice requires great discipline.
What’s your favourite hidden secret in Ōtautahi?
The best things are sometimes just outside the centre… Spooky Boogie, café and gallery in Whakaraupo, Lyttleton. Cheeky coffee, cheeky art, cheeky vibe.