NOise Vacancy

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NOise Vacancy Noise Vacancy is a community art project by Tairāwhiti creatives. In 2024 it has taken to the streets!

From Friday 27 September to Friday October 4, keep your eyes peeled for pop up performances and installations designed to bring fun and love to our C*D.

NOise VACANCY would like to hug and thank all of our artists.What a joyous three days that was and we are so grateful to...
06/10/2026

NOise VACANCY would like to hug and thank all of our artists.

What a joyous three days that was and we are so grateful to everyone who got involved. From the creative sparks who performed, held workshops and space for our community, and made art for strangers and friends alike, to all of you that showed up, joined in, queued, made art, clapped, whooped and supported us to activate these previously vacant spaces.

NOise VACANCY 2026 reminded us what a cool community of creatives we have here. It demonstrated the appetite amongst our people for creative spaces and acts in our C*D and showed us the exponential effects of a little imagination on a city block or two.

Stay tuned for a whole bunch of highlight reels, and please, if you’ve got any great footage to add into the mix, send em through to [email protected].

Thanks to Art in the City Tairāwhiti and Creative Communities for their support.

Nikki, Katy and Sarah.

We’re all filled up from Day Two, and there’s one to go!What’s happening on Day Three?! Cactus Garden, Gisborne Botanica...
02/10/2026

We’re all filled up from Day Two, and there’s one to go!

What’s happening on Day Three?!

Cactus Garden, Gisborne Botanical Gardens.
10am-1pm Cactivate: 10am - 1pm Cactivate: .sunshine will be positioned as an artist/kaitiaki in residence, whilst hosting a transient audience for our cast of Cacti. They enjoy shared moments, and are quite partial to having their portrait photographed or illustrated.

11am - 4pm NOise Vacancy HQ Interactive Art Projects: Drop in and join in our interactive art projects Black Out Poetry, City in the Future City Collage or paint a watercolour to add to our living room wall.

2-5pm Personal Billboard Project at HQ: Bring an idea and a blank T and lets transform that empty shirt into something great. We'll provide the art materials and the know how to help you print your wearable billboard.

11am - 1pm Sock Monster Making: Join us with your favourite old socks for a couple of hours of cutting, stuffing and stitching, where old socks become one-of-a-kind creatures with plenty of personality. No sewing experience needed, materials provided.

11:30am-12pm Human operated Dance Bots: You get to program how the Dance Bots move from the safety of the street.

12-1pm Midday Matinee at Sparkle Teatre: Junkman's Jukebox, Out of the Box & Dylan Haley. A matinee performance like no other. A trifecta of acts all squeezed into one magical hour and phonebox!

2-3pm 5 Minute Portraits at HQ: Speedy portraits. Small in time, but big in character.

3-3:30pm Kirst Cards at Sparkle Theatre: Practical Advice for Life in the 21st Century as chosen by you!

3:30-4pm Crap Tats at Sparkle Theatre: If you want beautiful tattoo this isn't the time or place. If you want Crap Tatt, you won't be disappointed. A pop up felt pen tattoo experience for the brave.

5:15pm -5:30pm Dynablob at HQ: Dynabee makes the music - Tube Blob makes the moves. Watch, listen, join if you dare..

5:30-7pm Unheard Corridors Immersive Listening Sessions: HQ becomes a space dedicated to sound - a comfortable welcoming place to slow down and listen deeply. Experience the unexpected and experimental.

NOise Vacancy HQ Closing Party: BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer) is our closing event for this year's NOise Vacancy. This worldwide phenomenon is a creative jam with projections and lights. Find yourself a projector, an OHP, a torch or something to beam your ideas into space or just come along and enjoy the spontaneous patchwork of VJs, projection artists, and experimental creatives.

What a wonderful Day One. Thanks for everyone who joined in! Can't wait for Day Two. Here's the low down..11am-1pm Botan...
01/10/2026

What a wonderful Day One. Thanks for everyone who joined in! Can't wait for Day Two. Here's the low down..

11am-1pm Botanical Gardens. Cactivate is a micro-artist residency at the Cactus Garden. Local artist .sunshine will be positioned as an artist/kaitiaki in residence and you're invited to come show your regards for our Cactaceae friends. They're quite partial to having their portrait photographed or illustrated.

11am-2pm Personal Billboard Project at HQ
Bring an idea and a blank T-shirt and transform that empty shirt into something great. We’ll provide the art materials and the know-how to help you print your wearable billboard.

12-12:30pm Daisy Chain Exchange at Sparkle Theatre: Welcome to a small moment of unproductivity. Please hold while we connect you with inner childlike wonder. Estimated wait time: one daisy chain.

12:30-1pm Tiramisu Happy Hour at Sparkle Theatre: While every hour involving Tiramisu is likely to be a happy one, this Tiramisu dining experience is likely to be quite unlike any other..

3-4pm Proficient Polaroids at Sparkle Theatre: Polaroids capture memories, moments in time. Just like in any self-respecting photo booth, you can sit down, strike a few poses and wait to receive your portraits. Koha welcome.

4-4:30pm The Kirst Cards at Sparkle Theatre: are back with more practical life advice chosen by you!

4:30-5:30pm Cactivate with Junkman's Choir: Artist in Residence Kelly Spencer is joined by The Junkman's Choir who will play an intimate concert for the diverse residents of the Cactus House. You are invited to bear witness to this special event. Cactus Garden, Gisborne Botanical Gardens.

6:30 - 7:15pm MAINSIES & The Main Stage - Gladstone - Peel St Traffic Lights. The main drag will come alive with tunes and cars and pimped out rides as we bring some cruising to the C*D. Check out the live entertainment at the lights, which for one night only, is transformed into The Main Stage! Be amazed as performers cram all manner of amazing feats into 30 seconds and 25 metres worth of asphalt.

7:30pm - 8pm Human operated Dance Bots at HQ
You get to programme the Dance Bots’ dance from the safety of the street.�

8pm - 9:30pm Unheard Corridors at HQ
HQ becomes a space dedicated to sound: a place to slow down and listen deeply. Unheard Corridors shines a light on creative audio practices that often go unnoticed, opening new ways for you - the audience - to experience, appreciate and engage with sound. Corridors 1 and 2 will be exhibited in this sitting. (koha welcome)

For the next three days we have our very own NOise VACANCY Headquarters on the Main Street. We’ve made it to the big tim...
30/09/2026

For the next three days we have our very own NOise VACANCY Headquarters on the Main Street. We’ve made it to the big time!

Come on by to experience pop up performances, join in interactive art projects using collage, poetry or painting or check out one or more of our scheduled sessions:

Thursday October 1

12-1pm Kiyoji's Kaiju
Choose your favourite scene and give Kiyoji 1 element you'd like your kaiju (monster) to have: spikes? two heads? creepy claws? See what kaiju you’ve helped create to wreak havoc in Gizzy, and take it home as a memento.

1-4pm Personal Billboard Project
Bring an idea and a blank T-shirt and transform that empty shirt into something great. We'll provide the art materials and the know-how to help you print your wearable billboard.

3:30-4pm Human operated Dance Bots!
You get to programme the Dance Bots’ dance from the safety of the street.

Friday October 2
11am-2pm Personal Billboard Project
See above

7:30-8pm Human operated Dance Bots!
See above

8-9:30pm Unheard Corridors
HQ becomes a space dedicated to sound: a place to slow down and listen deeply. Unheard Corridors shines a light on creative audio practices that often go unnoticed, opening new ways for you to experience sound. Corridors 1 and 2 will be exhibited in this sitting. (koha welcome)

Saturday October 3
11am-1pm Sock Monsters: How many old socks do you have in your house? Give them a second life in this sock monster session. Join us with an odd sock for some cutting, stuffing and stitching to transform old socks into one-of-a-kind creatures. Materials provided.

11:30am-12pm Human operated Dance Bots!
See above.

2-5pm Personal Billboard Project
See above

NOise VACANCY HQ - 5 Minute Portraits
Speedy portraits. Small in time, but big in character!

5:15pm -5:30pm - Dynablob
Dynabee makes the music - the Tube Blob makes the moves. Watch, listen, join if you dare.

5:30 -7pm Unheard Corridors
See above
Corridors 3 and 4 will be exhibited in this sitting.

8:30pm - 9:30pm BYOB Closing Party
This worldwide phenomenon is a creative jam with projections and lights. Find yourself a projector, an OHP, torch or something to beam your ideas into space or just come and enjoy the spontaneous patchwork of experimental creatives.

Noise Vacancy HQ is at 67 Gladstone Road, next to famous-in-Gizzy Grant Brothers.

Open
11am-4pm Thursday
11am-9pm Friday & Saturday

Only one sleep to go til NOise VACANCY 2026 kicks off!Just in case you haven’t found a flier or made it to www.noisevaca...
29/09/2026

Only one sleep to go til NOise VACANCY 2026 kicks off!

Just in case you haven’t found a flier or made it to www.noisevacancy.nz yet, here’s a little run down of times to get yourself along to the Sparkle Theatre these next few days…

Thursday October 1

3:30 - 4pm Kirst Cards: Drop by the Sparkle Theatre for some practical advice to help you do better in the 21st century. These cards have been to more parties than their maker, but luckily with glasses on she can still read them..!

4 - 4:30pm Crap Tatts: If you want a beautiful tattoo this isn't the time or place. If you want Crap Tatt, you won't be disappointed. A pop up felt pen tattoo experience for the brave!

Friday October 2

12 - 12:30pm Daisy Chain Exchange: Welcome to a small moment of unproductivity. Please hold while we connect you with inner childlike wonder. Estimated wait time: one daisy chain.

12:30 - 1pm Tiramisu Happy Hour: While every hour involving Tiramisu is likely to be a happy one, this Tiramisu dining experience is likely to be quite unlike any other..

3 - 4pm Proficient Polaroids: Polaroids capture memories, moments in time. Just like in any self-respecting photo booth, you can sit down, strike a few poses, and wait to receive your portraits. Koha welcome.

4 - 4:30pm: The Kirst Cards: are back with more practical life advice chosen by you!

Saturday October 3

12 - 1pm Midday Matinee: Of course it’s entirely reasonable to hold a three-act concert from a phone box.. Featuring Out of the Box, Junkman's Jukebox and Dylan Haley.

3 - 3:30pm Kirst Cards: one last chance to get some really solid life advice from these cards and their maker.

3:30 - 4pm Crap Tatts: If you want a beautiful tattoo this isn't the time or place. If you want Crap Tatt, you won't be disappointed. A pop up felt pen tattoo experience for the brave!

The Sparkle Theatre is on the footpath at approximately 39 Gladstone Road. See you there!

Gizzy Local
Gisborne District Council
Sarah Cleave
Katy Wallace
Nikki O'Connor

For Unheard Corridors our NOise VACANCY HQ will become a space dedicated to sound: a place to slow down and listen deepl...
29/09/2026

For Unheard Corridors our NOise VACANCY HQ will become a space dedicated to sound: a place to slow down and listen deeply.

Unheard Corridors shines a light on creative audio practices that often go unnoticed, opening new ways for you - the audience - to experience, appreciate and engage with sound.

We invite you to get comfortable, slow down and listen deeply to our immersive listening session. Each carefully curated “corridor” brings together emerging and established artists, creating a space where sound works can be heard, shared and celebrated.

We have selected 24 pieces that range from the peaceful calming sounds of Waihirere Domain to electromagnetic field recordings conveying data centre doom.

Each corridor is between 20-30 mins and there will be a 15 break between corridors.

8pm Fri 2nd Oct: Corridor 1 and 2
5:30 Sat 3rd Oct: Corridor 3 and 4

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Gisborne

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