soul under the moon

This past Sunday after our morning yoga class we drove up to Mt. Cotton for brunch at Sirromet. Instead of fine dining at the restaurant like we usually do, we opted for the more casual but equally cultivated Tuscan Terrace. We ordered the pork hock (which was my favourite), mushroom spaghetti, marinara pasta, marinara pizza (we love our seafood), and pollo pizza. After a week of long working hours, it was a relief to finally enjoy a tasty lunch overlooking a pristine view.

After lunch we made our way back to GOMA, where my sister and I had registered to participate in the "He Korero Purakau mo Te Awanui o Te Motu: story of a New Zealand river" exhibition by Michael Parekowhai. The exhibit is essentially a beautifully carved Steinway grand piano, complete with an accompanying chair. Because of the fragile nature of the artwork, it has to be handled extremely carefully- which means that you cannot play it unless you have exclusive permission. For example, either because you are part of the Griffith Conservatorium or because you have met certain criteria and applied prior online. And then before playing, you must to wash your hands to ensure the protection of the piano. 

It was the first time in at least four years since I had performed in front of any sort of audience who was not family or a close friend, so I was extremely nervous (and hence made countless errors). Even long after I finished playing my hands were still uncontrollably shaking from nerves. Overall, though, I am incredibly lucky and grateful to have had the opportunity to play on such a beautiful and unique piece of artwork.

Afterwards, because we still had some time before closing, we inevitably had to check out the 'Soul Under the Moon' exhibition again.

You can try to register here to play, but I have just checked the site and all sessions have been sold out.