Monkey Hill Reserve

Location

Monkey Hill Reserve is situated between Onslow Road and George Street in Mt Eden. The reserve is a popular thoroughfare that links the Mt Eden community with Eden Park and Kowhai Intermediate School.

Upgrade

Auckland City Council is making improvements to Monkey Hill Reserve. The enhancements include a new artistically designed staircase by local artist Billy Apple. Upgrades to the footpaths and planting of garden beds with natives will also be undertaken. Overall, the improvements will significantly enhance Monkey Hill Reserve by providing a safer staircase and an aesthetically improved environment for everyone to enjoy.

Timing

Commencing 21 April 2008, the improvements will take approximately two months to complete. Construction will take place Monday to Saturday 7.30am to 5.30pm. During this time, the reserve will be closed. Auckland City Council will place signs around Monkey Hill Reserve to provide further information on alternative routes.

Staircase upgrade

We are improving the staircase within the reserve for the benefit of local residents and reserve users. The upgraded staircase will incorporate a design concept of Mt Eden local resident and internationally-recognised artist, Billy Apple. Working in conjunction with local architectural practice, Archifact Ltd, the cutting-edge designed staircase is based upon two ancient ordering systems:

The Golden section
The Tower of Babel

The Golden section

The Golden section concept has been a significant generator in Billy's life and work. A proportional mathematical system, that occurs in nature in biological structures such as nautilus shells and sunflower heads. Pythagoras believed it was the basis for the proportions of the human figure. Applicable as a proportioning system in architecture, the Golden Section has been used throughout history from the times of the ancient Greeks through to present day architects. This concept was used by Archifact the developing architects, as the basis for the design and proportions.

The Tower of Babel

The steps within the staircase structure will incorporate striking coloured granite strips based on the seven stages of the solar system. This celestial concept relating to the Tower of Babel has routes back to ancient Persia. To integrate this concept within the staircase, Billy Apple has designed the steps to reflect the seven stages of the solar system. Striking coloured graphite has been used to demonstrate the stages with Saturn (Black), Jupiter (white), Mercury (red), Venus (blue), Mars (yellow), the moon (silver) and the sun (gold). Their proportions has been developed to tie in with the Golden Ratio. The effect will enhance the concrete stairs and provide a beautiful creative celestial design.

Artists impression of the Monkey Hill Reserve steps.
The coloured graphite strips will run along the railing of the staircase.

Additional works

At the same time as the staircase upgrade, a number of smaller improvements will also be carried out in the Monkey Hill Reserve. These include:

refurbishment of paving and swing areas
new planting in some of the garden beds of native plants
an educational sign that showcases the design.

The artist

Billy Apple has been a practicing artist for more than five decades. He studied at the Royal College of Art, London, before moving to New York where he became the bridge between the American and British pop art movements. At the forefront of the new conceptual art movement, in 1969 he opened Apple - the second alternative space in New York.

Billy Apple returned to New Zealand in 1990 and in 2005 was appointed as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to art. He is currently working on a variety of projects.

Donations

We are delighted to have the financial support of the Eden Albert Community Board to help with the upgrade. Also, we couldn't have completed the creative concept within the staircase without the generous donation of beautiful coloured granite by local patron of the arts, Bruce Trethewey.

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Published April 2008