Kieran Monaghan
Toi Pōneke Arts Centre and Victoria University’s New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī (NZSM) are delighted to announce Kieran Monaghan as the 2024 Creative New Zealand/NZSM/Toi Pōneke Sonic Artist-in-Residence.
Kieran Monaghan (he/him) is predominantly, and persistently, a drummer and percussionist of found sounds. He calls Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington home. His first crude musical steps were in the late 1980s, playing drums in southern punk rock bands. Heading north in the 1990s opened new musical domains such as theatre with Red Mole, and its little sister Roadworks, and the diverse arrangements of free jazz that tumbled from venues such as The Space. While continuing to play assertive music, alongside developing confidence in improvisational arenas, necessity also dictated that income be made by playing multiple pub circuits in working bands.
His project, vegetable.machine.animal (VMA), is the newest iteration of ongoing musical expression. It explores the intersections between spontaneous playing, electronic music, and science-informed inter-species collaboration.
He co-runs the Skirted Records label with domestic and performative partner Chrissie Butler. Together they were the core of the outsider punk group mr sterile Assembly, and Nick Bollinger named them as one of the ten great rhythm sections of New Zealand. Monaghan has toured internationally many times with the Assembly, and more recently with VMA. He has a long catalogue of solo, band, and collaborative recordings. He is a semi-regular DJ on RadioActive.FM. He remains happily hitched, and is a father to three daughters and one mokopuna.
The Creative New Zealand/NZSM/Toi Pōneke Sonic Artist-in-Residence 2024 is a three-month position that runs from 23 September to 15 December 2024. During this time, Kieran will develop a body of innovative and substantial work in the domain of sound art. His work will include a new album, performances and an installation of vegetable.machine.animal. He will become an employee of Victoria University of Wellington for the duration of the residency and may use NZSM facilities and recording equipment over that period. In addition, he will be provided with studio space at Toi Pōneke and his residency will culminate in a 4-week exhibition in June 2025 at Toi Pōneke Gallery.
For more information on other Toi Pōneke Residencies click here
