Public Art - Temporary Art Projects
The following temporary public art works have been made possible by the Public Art Fund.
Courtenay Place Park - Light Box Project
The light box project - in Courtenay Place Park - is an intense, highly public exhibition space featuring eight 3-metre high, steel and glass LED boxes.
With an urban backdrop instead of the traditional white gallery walls, this exhibition space is a New Zealand first.
Flânerie and Figments
May 2008 - October 2008
Curated by: Andy Palmer & Simon Bush-King
The inaugural light box exhibition - Flânerie and Figments - features 16 contemporary photographs inspired by Wellington's urban condition. Flânerie and Figments encourages people to consider their understanding of and relationship to the city.
Works by Wellington artists - Andy Palmer, John Lake, Victoria Birkinshaw, Shaun Lawson, Amelia Handscomb, Steve Rowe, Jessica Silk and Clare Noonan - reflect different photographic techniques and approaches: responding to the prominence of advertising billboards, examining identity, critiquing context, commenting on photography in New Zealand-Aotearoa.
The artworks are conversation pieces. Courtenay Place is a dynamic gateway to the city, and the light box exhibition entices people to reflect on this environment, even if just for a minute.
Toi Pōneke Stack Project
August 2007 - October 2008
On the roof of Toi Pōneke Wellington Arts Centre is a 'stack' - an architectural feature that covers the building's lift shaft. Artist / designer Andrew Shaw came up with the idea of painting the stack as a way to draw attention to the building. The Public Art Panel suggested that the stack design change every four months for a period of one year.
The first stack design was launched in August 2007. Andrew Shaw painted the stack with a face, titled the All-devouring-art-beast. After a second request for proposals, artist Victor Berezovsky's design, Junction, was selected. This work is a departure from Shaw's, and comprises black and white, abstract shapes.
A third and final request for proposals was sent out in January 2008. The next design will be completed in May and will be on show until late 2008, before the stack is painted black.
Solace in the Wind
12 February 2008 - February 2009, Te Papa promenade
Artist Max Patte is loaning his sculpture Solace in the Wind - a life-size cast iron figure - to Wellington for one year.
Solace in the Wind is personal to artist Max Patte in terms of the sculpture's subject matter and its chosen site on Wellington's Waterfront. Max has spent a lot of time at this site on the waterfront, seeking solace while coming to terms with lost love.
For more information see the Wellington Waterfront website.
Sound Circuits
21 March 2008 - 18 April 2008
Sound Circuits is a series of four sound / art installations located in public sites around Victoria University's Pipitea Campus, including Rutherford House and the Wellington Railway Station.
Artists, Kaleb Bennett, Dugal McKinnon, Rachel Shearer and Dion Workman, have created a soundtrack for the city that encourages audiences to rethink the urban environment. Sounds will be based on the rumbles of the city's walkways, transit routes and public spaces.
Sound Circuits, curated by Tina Barton and Frances Loeffler, is part of the Adam Gallery's annual Sound Check programme.
One Day Sculpture
June 2008 - June 2009
One Day Sculpture (ODS) involves a series of temporary sculpture projects that will take place in public spaces across New Zealand from June 2008.
Ten ODS pieces will appear in Wellington throughout the year. Works will last no longer than 24 hours and will feature a number of art forms from sculpture to performance.
Two public events will mark the launch of ODS:
- 7 March - Slovakian artist Roman Ondàk's celebrated work Good Feelings in Good Times, loaned from the Tate Collection in London, will take place in public spaces throughout the city.
- 8 March, 10.30am - 12.30pm - Claire Doherty, Roman Ondàk and members of the Council's Public Art Panel will take part in a discussion about art in public places at the Pacific Blue Festival Club, Frank Kitts Park.
One Day Sculpture is initiated by UK-based curator Claire Doherty and Massey University's Litmus Research Initiative.
Four Plinths
Commissioned by the Wellington Sculpture Trust, Regan Gentry's Green Islands is the first in a series of sculptural projects to be installed on the four plinths on Te Papa's forecourt. The installation will be changed every two years.
Each plinth displays a plant species made from number eight wire, from toetoe, pohutukawa, tussock, flax, cabbage tree and agapanthus. These are species commonly found on the main transit-lines into Wellington city. Green Islands was the artist's response to the lack of plant life in and around the Te Papa forecourt.
See the Wellington Sculpture Trust website for more information.
Past Temporary Art Projects
Nō Naianei
21 February 2008 - 12 March 2008
Nō Naianei (From this Moment) was the creation of With Lime - a cross-cultural collaboration between two Maori artists, Anahera Gildea and Eugene Hansen, and two Mexican-American artists, William Franco and Miki Seifert. Nō Naianei was a multi-media piece that comprised three aspects:
- a Butoh (Japanese dance) hikoi which travelled down Cuba Street to the James Smith Centre on 21 February 2008. Its aim was to draw attention to the land that used to be Te Aro Pa
- an installation that was presented in a retail space in the James Smith Centre
- a Butoh / VJ performance in the James Smith Centre combining live and recorded music.
Matthew 12:12
30 March 2007 - 1 April 2007, Civic Square
Matthew 12:12 was selected for the Telecom Prospect 2007: New Art New Zealand exhibition at the Wellington City Gallery. Matthew 12:12 was conceived and designed by artist Gregor Kregar.
Matthew 12:12 comprised photography, video work and live sculpture. The sculpture included twelve sheep wearing coloured woollen jumpers enclosed in white picket fences on either side of the entrance to the Wellington City Gallery.
Matthew 12:12 grew out of Gregor's interest in how livestock has shaped the landscape and culture of Aotearoa, New Zealand. The work was inspired by the biblical verse Matthew 12:12: 'How much better is a man than a sheep?' When the work was developed the ratio of people to sheep in New Zealand was 1:12.
Transplastic Bucket Fountain
March 2006, Cuba Mall
John Radford transformed Wellington's renowned Bucket Fountain in Cuba Mall, covering it in a layer of clay. The work included a clay covered car that appeared to have crashed into the fountain and was sinking into the pavement.
This installation lasted for four days and involved more than 30 people in its construction and deconstruction. The artist's objective was to draw attention to the iconic fountain and challenge our perception of public space.
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