You are here: Home > Recreation > Good Reads > Literary Prizes > Montana New Zealand Book Awards

Recreation

Montana New Zealand Book Awards - Lifestyle and Contemporary Culture - 2008 finalists

The Montana New Zealand Book Awards are organised and administrated by Booksellers New Zealand, the trade association for booksellers and publishers.

InForm: New Zealand Graffiti Artists Discuss Their Work

Elliot O'Donnell, Raupo Publishing
InForm is a cutting edge, highly illustrated publication examining 17 influential and innovative graffiti artists working in New Zealand. Each artist is profiled by a contributing writer alongside photography of their work, with an emphasis on showing their technique through the progression of a single piece, showing their work from initial sketches through to application to their surface of choice.

Mau Moko: The World of Maori Tattoo

Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, Penguin Group (NZ)
In the traditional Maori world, the moko, or facial or body tattoo, was a sign of great mana and status. Male warriors wore elaborate tattoos on their faces and bodies; women took more delicate chin tattoos. After almost dying out in the twentieth century, Maori tattooing is now experiencing a powerful revival, with many young Maori wearing the moko as a spectacular gesture of racial pride. Mau Moko is probably the most magnificent book ever produced about the moko, from pre-European times to the present day. It examines the use of tattooing by traditional and contemporary Maori and links it to other aspects of Maori culture. Gender issues are considered along with tattooing techniques both old and new. The book features case studies of modern Maori who have made a personal decision to be tattooed; the role and status of the tattooers; exploitation of the moko in popular culture around the world by figures such as rock singers and football players.

Shot In New Zealand: The art and craft of the Kiwi cinematographer

Duncan Petrie, Random House NZ
Much of the visual impact of New Zealand films can be attributed directly to the cinematographer, the creative individual primarily responsible for the look of a film. The cinematographer is both an artist and a craftsman, combining a fine aesthetic sensibility and visual eye with a deep technical understanding of the properties of light, lenses, film stocks and processing. Their contribution to the visual representation of the nation is as significant as that of other visual artists such as painters and photographers. Drawing heavily on in-depth interviews with a dozen of this country's cinematographers, Shot in New Zealand profiles their careers and creative contribution to New Zealand cinema, charting their creative achievements, experiences working with local and international film-makers, and resourcefulness in dealing with often limited resources and the harsh New Zealand light.