In 1974 Led Zeppelin staged a media party at Chislehurst Caves in Kent, to launch their Swan Song record label and release the label’s first album, Silk Torpedo by The Pretty Things. Dominated by extreme performances and scantily clad (if at all) female models, Zeppelin’s launch was extreme, lavish, hedonistic, media heavy and excessive. 40 years later, inspired by this event and the format and ambitions of media and industry parties, artist Cushla Donaldson created Supergroup, a performance and installation event at The Audio Foundation, Auckland.
“Comprising a live performance by all female group Las Tetas, film screenings by Laure Prouvost and larger than life “homage” sculptures by Donaldson herself, Supergroup unfolds as a necessarily eclectic yet entwined, female dominated show. It is a project that intriguingly embraces the notion of shame and takes ownership of it. It is an exemplification of the use of mythology and legend to imbue new art with historical status. It is celebration via exaggeration of corporate support—big wig and otherwise. It is neuro-aesthetics personified. It is an all girl led fest of gender swapped, multi media madness.”
