This Air is a Material

Ann Shelton left her hometown of Timaru in the 80’s on a mission. Her seminal project Redeye captured the zeitgeist of Auckland, New Zealand in the 90’s, and catapulted her to public notoriety. Ann has made many rich and complex bodies of work that unearth local mythologies, “ghosted” stories and characters and narratives previously written out of history.

This Air is a Material deepens the understanding of this important artist & her work. With interviews, high quality footage of Ann’s artwork and archival imagery, the documentary not only illuminates her practice but also the small towns, urban myths and creative communities that shaped it.

Artists, writers and curators speak with passion and insight about Ann’s work and its historical and contemporary contexts. Ann herself provides much of the guiding narration. The film explores the visual themes and motifs of Ann’s work, tracing its origins in the history and landscapes of Aotearoa / New Zealand.

A documentary by Becky Nunes