'Manzo' is the musical alias of Wellington artist Alan Hodgetts, and his 11 track debut album Ultramarine is currently being prepared for release.

Primarily a visual artist who has been emerging on the Wellington art scene since 2012 he uses any medium or materials at his disposal to get his ideas and stories across.

More about the album: The 11 tracks cover a range of styles, genres and experimental music. There are some recurring themes, such as the increasing use of technology to control the lives of ordinary people; the minions that work for the Corporate and Government machines where thinking for yourself is not a good career move. It also questions the unsettling intolerance, terrorism and ongoing regional conflicts around the globe today. A little fun, love and civil disobedience are also thrown in for good measure.
 

Linda MacManus is a visual artist living and working in Wellington. This photo is part of an ongoing photographic series that uses ordinary tap water as the subject of intense portraits as an exploration into how art can challenge perceptions, suggesting different ways of looking at the world around us.

In a studio setting, against a black background, the tap water is transformed into a mysterious and exquisite substance, alive with energy, seductive and entrancing. How often do we turn on a tap to wash our hands or pour a cup of coffee and not notice the stunning beauty of this life giving substance in motion.

Enquires: Linda.Wgtn@gmail.com