Upcoming Event

Next on:

Hātarei 13 Tīhema

Saturday 13 December

2025

11:00 AM

Blue Oyster, 16 Dowling Street, Ōtepoti Dunedin

A stack of tufted rugs by Jessica Covell, with a yellow branch pattern on top. — Jessica Covell, Stacking Memory / PŌKĀKĀ (working image, detail), 2025.

Saturday 13 December, 2025
11am-2pm, Tree Talks at 11:30am and 12pm

Drop in to celebrate our new exhibition with artist Jessica Covell. Stacking Memory / PŌKĀKĀ is a tactile textile exhibition inspired by the pōkākā (Elaeocarpus hookerianus) trees that once could have been plentiful in the area.

This is a family-friendly event, all ages are welcome. A creative hands-on activity inspired by the artwork will be available all day.

The 30 minute Tree Talks feature local people connected to the artist who have contributed to the regeneration of native bush around Ōtepoti.

11:30 Peter Cooke of Hereweka Garden will talk about pōkākā trees and his experience transforming paddocks into bush over 40+ years on the Otago Peninsula.

12:00 Hugh Lindsay is a ranger for The Halo Project: Beyond Orokonui and will speak to his experience there.

This is a free event. No bookings are required.

Event accessibility information

Access to the gallery is via a slope and three steps.
A wheelchair ramp is available!
This exhibition is designed to be visible (and partially touchable) from the street.
Refreshments are provided at all events.
Seating is available.
There is a toilet on-site (not wheelchair accessible).

Do contact admin@blueoyster.org.nz with any access questions or requirements, we’d love to have you with us.

Jessica Covell

Jessica Covell is an Ōtepoti Dunedin-based installation artist, curator, and project director exploring the intersections of art, community, and play. Through a series of Spectacle and solo projects, Covell has created collaborative experiences that celebrate accessibility and connection.

Covell’s playful, immersive works invite interactivity. Her fibre-based tufted installations explore colour, texture, and pattern and often double as social experiments.

Recent site-specific works focus on the connections between plants, people, and place. Covell’s practice is continually shaped by memories of nature.

Peter Cooke

Peter Cooke is passionate about the natural environment, gardening, organics and sustainable practices. He and partner Anna Moore have been working on Hereweka Garden since 1983. Peter is the Vice President of the International Dendrology Society in New Zealand, and is also a GP.

Hugh Lindsay

Hugh Lindsay is the Source to Sea Operations Lead Ranger for The Halo Project: Beyond Orokonui. His work focuses on improving waterways in the Orokonui catchment, with the help of community members.

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Upcoming Event