FEATURE 001: Max Nasmith's Interactive Environments

Practitioner: Max Nasmith

Location: Kirikiriroa

Discipline: Sculpture / Interactive Installation

We shared a high school of 2,500 students, but it took six years to connect. While developing 'Here Together', a communal gallery and makerspace prototype, conversations with gallerist Tim Melville led to an introduction at the recently disestablished Laree Payne Gallery. Max was interning there. We crossed paths again later that evening at a Ramp Gallery opening, and finally connected over the local arts sector.

Over the last six months, Max's practice has shifted decisively from bold geometric paintings to uncanny, three-dimensional objects. He intercepts mundane, second-hand furniture and entirely dismantles its traditional utility. You cannot sit on his chairs; you cannot write at his desks.

Instead, the furniture is reimagined as sculptural infrastructure. Rather than relying on gallery lighting to stage the work, Max’s pieces perform as their own staging, occupying both the physical dimensions and the light-space of the room. Electrical cords are deliberately littered across the floor, generating a physical tension for the spectator. The installation forces viewers to ask, "Where can I walk?" making them hyper-aware of how they navigate and touch upon the space.

This methodology leans into a strong local tradition of found-object art and adaptive reuse, driven by his own advocacy for sustainability (he currently manages the Hamilton East Recycle Boutique). But the technical execution of the work is anchored by his past life as an electrical apprentice. The exposed circuits represent a departure from the traditional grind of the trades, translating commercial electrical skills into a search for deeper conceptual meaning.

That background gives him a highly pragmatic view of arts education. Currently in his third year of a Bachelor of Contemporary Art at Wintec, Max notes a distinct operational gap in how institutions prepare practitioners. "From my apprenticeship, I learned how to deliver finished, high-quality work for a paying client," he notes. "That is an experience you don’t get a lot of opportunity for as a student until your studies are finished."

His immediate trajectory involves sending exhibition proposals to various artist-run spaces across Aotearoa, but his ultimate ambition requires heavier infrastructure.

When asked what resource he is currently one grant away from, his focus remains strictly on the ecosystem of Kirikiriroa. He is looking for the funding to establish a new artist-run space in the city. For Max, the goal is not just individual output, but systemic growth: "The more people who actively engage with the arts in Aotearoa, the more we build vibrant communities that people can take pride in."

Selected Works:

Bureau (2025). Repurposed bureau, cable ties, swivel polypropylene wheels, electrical components, motion sensor. 1010×623×310mm.

School desk (2025). Repurposed school desk, cable ties, electrical components, motion sensor. 720×600×520mm.