What does it take to be a headline artist for World of Wearable Art 2024?

Nikita Tu-Bryant collaborating with dancer Keiko Yamaguchi an URBANGUILD, an underground venue in Kyoto. Photo / Nikita Tu-Bryant
Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant is a Taiwan-born performer based in Aotearoa and singer for the vibrant pop band, KITA. As well as acting (Avatar 2, Far North), writing, directing and composing, Tu-Bryant is a headline artist for WOW 2024 and her work takes her all over the world.
Hi, please tell us a bit about yourself
Kia ora, My name is Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant. People call me anything from Nikita, Keets, Kita, Nisquish, to Ya-Han (my Taiwanese name), and my ma calls me Ya-Ya – she’s boss. As I like to say, I was made and born in Taiwan, and I am a multidisciplinary artist. Sometimes it’s a bit tricky to explain what that looks like, so I just say I am a storyteller. I love to tell stories through music, theatrics, film, writing, pictures – whatever form they come – to connect people. I believe stories connect us. And they can also do so through our differences. I am really passionate about finding common ground between our differences. I think it’s a gentler (and my preferred way) to be an activist.
What does your role as a headline artist at WOW involve?
I have been gifted the role of The Dream Maker. Not to give too much away, and leave you all with a feeling of mystery (I’m doing my best here to leave this interview with an air of mystique), I will be shapeshifting throughout the show guiding you all through the narrative of the show alongside The Dreamer played by the wonderful and beautiful Sharn Te Pou. I will be doing this through music and other theatrics – reincarnating myself into the different spaces that guests will be visiting.
What are you looking forward to the most about being a headline artist at WOW?
I love that I get to explore different characters. And though they are all an extension of my personality, it’s pretty fun when you get to push it to the extreme. I love those moments on stage when you’re dressed as a cat or something grooming yourself, and you have a moment of “What am I UP TOOOOO??”
How often does your work as an artist take you around the world and where are some of the places it has taken you?
To be honest, I struggle to go on holiday without a creative mission – it’s what really gets me excited. Even as someone who is very passionate about surfing, usually after a week or two (at the most) of surfing every day, I am pretty much ready to sink my teeth into making something. These days my travel feeds directly back into my creations, either as research or a collaboration. Luckily poetry, or writing stories only requires a pen. And even if I’m travelling without instruments, writing music simply requires my voice. I’ve also found music shops all around the world are pretty forgiving if you need to have a tinkle on a piano, or a strum when you’re on the road.
Pre-Covid, I had the privilege of collaborating with legends Kuang-Yu and Stephen in New York (they work with traditional shadow puppets) when I was researching for my own play, which led to a show in New York City’s PERFORMA Festival. Through them I went onto an apprenticeship in Vermont with the renowned Bread & Puppet collective; there we made giant puppets (sometimes as tall as buildings) that we would parade through the streets of Montreal, to different parts of the United States.
I’ve also collaborated with wonderful artists from all over Asia in multiple residencies in Okinawa and Tokyo, where we made non-verbal plays through multidisciplinary art forms.
Do you have any standout destinations that you’ve enjoyed the most?
Okinawa (an island south of Japan and very close to Taiwan) holds a special place in my heart. And of course my whenua, Taiwan. We had to leave for complicated reasons and every time I return home I feel more and more pulled to spend time there as an adult. The goal is to do a residency there next year, and take our band over. I’ll also be on tour for the film I am currently finishing.
Do your travels inspire your work?
Firstly, always. What we ingest is not just through the mouth. It’s the books we read, the music we listen to, the conversations we have, the experiences we live; when we allow ourselves to remain open. They all become our language and vocabulary that show up in our pages, our drawings, our films and our music. A more specific example is when I was leaving NYC after working with Chinese Theatre Works for six weeks, I headed to Santa Barbara to take some time off surfing. On the way there I met a lovely filmmaker on the five-hour plane trip. That lead to a love story, that lead to a heartbreak story. That then led to a (very lo-fi) album that I recorded in my van on the South Coast of Pōneke, Before, and After Joshua (as in Joshua Tree).
What do you like the most about travel?
How it teaches us to remain open and present. Travelling without preconceived ideas allows every interaction to feel fresh, and without judgment (hopefully). Every stranger is a blank canvas. What I love even more than that, is that through travelling so much for my mahi, I feel I remain with my holiday eyes on – all the time, even when I am home in Aotearoa. This also allows me to practice treating people I know very well, like my whānau or old friends for example – as blank canvases. We can all continue to surprise each other with growth, as opposed to expecting the same behaviours, forever.
What do you like the least?
I love traveling alone. But as a woman, that has been hard in some places.
What is your greatest travel hack?
Travel with no phone. That was one of my favourite trips.
And your greatest packing tip?
Roll don’t fold. And wetsuits can go in soft guitar cases as cushioning.
How do you deal with the boredom of a long layover?
If you’re feeling anti-social, headphones and some floor space to move your body. If you’re feeling social, I’ve made a lot of friends through public transport. From 12-hour bus rides to five-hour plane trips. You never know where you could end up when you’re open to it.
If you could live in any of the countries you’ve visited, where would that be?
I’d like to give home (Taiwan) a longer stint. We left when I was three years old, and apart from short trips, I haven’t lived there since we left. It would be a great way to speak my mother tongue every day, as well as being close to the coast and the mountains. I think I am very much an island human.
What do you miss most about home when you’re away?
Home has a different definition all the time. But perhaps, the feeling of being grounded, with people that make you feel comfortable. Because I travel so much, I do feel home is where the heart is. I mean that genuinely – no sarcasm.
WOW’s host city is Wellington, what do you love about the city?
Every time I talk about Te Whanganui-a-Tara I feel like I am an ambassador of this place. There are too many loves to list. I am in love with the whenua here. The steep hills that drop away to the coast. The coast itself. The people. The walkable nature of this place. I don’t think you have enough space in the Herald for me to list everything.
The World of Wearable Art returns to Wellington from September 26-October 13. For more information and tickets, visit worldofwearableart.com
To find out more about Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant’s art, performance and work, find her on Instagram and Facebook as kitasoundz + nikita_tu_bryant
To hear more from Kita, visit kita.co.nz