Subconscious Restaurant New Zealand Release Event

White Fungus is about to hold the New Zealand release event for the 4th issue of its bilingual sister publication the Subconscious Restaurant. 

The special New Zealand issue – created for the Taipei International Book Exhibition at which New Zealand was the Guest of Honour – will be released at Pyramid Club in Wellington on Friday, February 20 at 7pm.

The event, curated by Samin Son, will feature performances by Antony Milton, Son, Mischancerie, DJ Two Lips, Noel Meek, and the Lost Weekend. Attendees will receive a free copy of the new publication which has thus far only been available in Taiwan. The publication was released last Saturday with a big New Zealand sound art event at Taipei's prestigious HuaShan Creative Park. New Zealand artists Jeff Henderson, Greg Malcolm and Campbell Kneale performed.

The New Zealand issue of the Subconscious Restaurant introduces to Taiwan some of the rich veins of New Zealand art, literature and music. The publication includes the first three chapters of a new short story “Forthcoming” by Wellington author Vivienne Plumb, a history of New Zealand DIY music by Bruce Russell,  plus James K Baxter's poem "The Maori Jesus. Wellington writer Murdoch Stephens writes about his project "Doing our bit", which was exhibited at Pataka and Waikato Museum. Controversial Nelson conceptual artists Tao Wells muses on the founding of the nation.

New Zealand was the Guest of Honour at the 2015 Taipei International Book Exhibition. A delegation of more than 200 New Zealanders converged upon the city, including authors Eleanor Catton, Witi Ihimaera and Joy Cowley. Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown attended and signed with Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je a Memorandum of Understanding between the two cities. Both mayors stated their desire for there to be more cultural and economic ties between Wellington and Taipei.