Splore Festival is hot on our heels! Liv caught up with Elise Sterback, the creative spirit behind Vibracorp, as she prepares her interactive art installation for the upcoming festival.

If Vibracorp was a human being... describe them to me

Vibracorp is that slightly sleazy guy at the party (wearing an incredibly suave bespoke suit) who you feign annoyance at when he grabs your arse but are secretly flattered by the attention. You then might encounter him on the couch later in the night in a far more inebriated state - rambling about deep metaphysical questions or blowing your brains with his wealth of factoids. He’s also got some pretty impressive dance moves.

How did Vibracorp come about?

Vibracorp was born into the world after being conceived in the sweaty and fervent throes of Vibracamp 2010-2011, a New Years Eve festival held over five days in the Kaimai Ranges.

Who are the creative brains behind this project?

Elise Sterback is the self-anointed Thought Leader of Vibracorp. A different team of creative geniuses and keen beans come together on each project and together create experiences that have never before been attempted. We’re like Edmund Hillary crossed with Dr Dre.

Tell me about your project for Splore...

The Fluxus Funhouse is a sideshow ride we’re putting on in the Living Lounge (5-7pm Friday) and then again (with an entirely new show) in the Portavillion (9.30-11pm Saturday). It’s named for its influence from the fluxus movement of the 1960s where artists used instructions to bring the audience into the artwork - using spectators as props in an artistic scene, or even putting the brush in their hand. Fluxus Funhouse brings this idea into a festival setting for a fast-paced 20 minute ride of instructional creative mayhem using text messages to instruct the audience. It is accompanied by an audio-visual spectacular designed to produce a unique atmosphere for each instruction.

Describe an average day working on this project...

No day is ever average working on this project. Vibracorp currently lives in the Biz Dojo, a creative co-working space on K’Rd, where Splore HQ also happens to be based. This means lots of running across the room to talk to one or another of the Splore team. Today I sat down with Amanda (Director of Splore) and another artist who is bringing a ‘moving maze’ to Splore - where dancers carry around a living and responsive series of walls (painted by Cut Collective). We brainstormed a way to use the maze as an entrance to our ride, which is really going to add an awesome element to our experience!

What are some of the challenges involved?

I can’t deny that I’m a little bit nervous about the turnout for the ride. Our team just creates the atmosphere for the experience, but it’s the audience that is the real attraction in the Funhouse, so without them it wouldn’t be the same! We’re now really focusing on getting the word out there, without losing any of the mystery of the experience at the same time.

Where did you get your inspiration from?

Most of ideas really are just like a light bulb moment, someone will say something, often in jest, and I’ll just jump on it and take it to the most extreme level I can. The idea for the Funhouse came from a friend who was telling me about the fluxus movement, and also my fascination with the pivotal roles our cell phones play in most of our lives.

What other projects are you working on this year?

Vibracorp helps bring CreativeMornings to Auckland - a breakfast talk series that features a different creative in a new cafe each month and is free to attend (creativemornings.com). I’m also working on a video arcade-type experience with Damian Golfinopoulos, Kim Newall, and Sketch as part of the next First Thursdays coming up on March 6th on K’Rd.

In an ideal world, you would create...

This is an ideal world because I am living out my dreams creating projects like the Funhouse. I know that sounds cheesy, but I think people often don’t realise what they can do if that just get up and do it. It’s not about money or connections; it’s just about having the idea and getting other people to share your enthusiasm to make it happen.

By Olivia Young

Check out www.facebook.com/vibracorp for more info!

Splore Festival
Tapapakanga National Park (south of the Bombay Hills)
17-19 February 2012