The sound of Moon River could be heard echoing around a Dunedin retirement village yesterday.
Dunedin singer Sophie Morris serenaded Yvette Williams Retirement Village residents with the song, made famous by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, in the village’s gardens.
The performance was a part of an initiative called Random Acts of Art that brings art to unexpected places with the aim of making people smile.
Residents enjoyed the performance and sunny day from the courtyard, and some chose to sing along.
The music brought happy tears to the village’s gardener, who was moved by the sound of Ms Morris’ voice filling the garden.
Theatreworks director Cindy Diver started the initiative after the Covid-19 lockdown as a way to reconnect the community, and random acts of art have been popping up around the city ever since.
An inflatable dinosaur was seen being chased down George St by soap last Friday, and dinosaurs playing football with a giant ball in Queens Gardens received about 300 smiles, waves and cars tooting — a few people even stopped to join the game.
The programme and the 20 to 30 performers taking part aimed to bring kindness, connection and hope to people, Ms Diver said.
"When the world is in a dangerous place and we are all feeling a bit isolated, that is where people start disconnecting, so we want to connect our city again using art ... it is a beautiful way of making people feel something."
It was also supporting artists who were struggling due to Covid-19 restrictions causing many performances to be cancelled.
Ms Morris said she was happy to be a part of the initiative, using music to lift people’s spirits.
"This year has been very different for all of us, nobody has been untouched by what has been happening in the world."
Dunedin residents can expect to see more art in unusual places for the next six months, at least once a week.
