Public art

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Recent works

Waharoa by Selwyn Muru

Waharoa

The Waharoa sculpture by Selwyn Muru has been temporarily removed from Aotea Square for remedial work to strengthen the sculpture. It is due to be reinstated in April 2011.

The Corner Post by Billy Apple

The Corner Post

Billy Apple
Wairepo Swamp Walk and corner of Sandringham Rd and Walters Rd, Kingsland

The public art project 'The Corner Post' by Billy Apple in Kingsland is located at two sites adjacent to Eden Park. Wairepo Swamp Walk is the first road in New Zealand designed in it's entirety as artwork. The second site, at the corner of Walters and Sandringham Roads, is a pedestrian plaza linking Eden Park with Kingsland Station, which features a scaled up corner post.

Conceived as a site-specific work, the function of each space is underlined by a mathematical concept called the 'golden ratio' ­- a numerical ratio defined as 1:1.618 that often occurs in nature and was first recognized by the ancient Greeks. Billy Apple often uses this proportional system in his art practice. In this instance, the golden ratio dictates the overall dimensions as well as the location of elements within the geometric design.

Wairepo Swamp Walk is a three-dimensional space consisting of large black and white slabs of poured concrete, which reference rugby and cricket, framed up on either side by volcanic dry stone walls. The area is designed as a shared space for use by vehicles and pedestrians, and incorporates a series of lampposts running the length of the road. At the corner site Billy Apple's golden ratio calculations give rise to another black and white footpath and a scaled up corner post topped by a flag is located at the centre of a green 'field', created using a product called Synthite that consists of recycled glass imbedded in resin.

Billy Apple worked as a key member of the project team, which included design engineers OPUS International Consultants, and key contractors Fulton Hogan and Contrax, as well as a number of other specialist suppliers.

Mountain Fountain by Terry Stringer

Mountain Fountain

Terry Stringer

The sculpture Mountain Fountain by artist Terry Stringer was originally sited in Aotea Square in 1980 following a competition for a new water sculpture sponsored by Auckland City and the Auckland Savings Bank.

The sculpture was removed from Aotea Square in October 2008 prior to the square's redevelopment and re-sited in the forecourt of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell in mid 2010. The Parnell site was selected from a number of suggested locations following a process of public consultation and liaison with the artist, Terry Stringer, the Holy Trinity Cathedral and Council's Advisory Panel for Public Art (APPA).

The artist has described the sculpture as "suggesting another of Auckland's volcanoes pushing up through the ground. The work offers all the delights of hills and mountains. It has waterfalls, pools and streams and the pleasant sound of falling water is an integral part of it".

Bystanders by Richard Wedekind

Bystanders

Richard Wedekind
Essex Reserve, Mt Eden

The figures comprising Bystanders have a common focus and interest in their immediate environment and the activity surrounding them.

This work is relates to shared community experiences. It was commissioned by the Maungawhau Mount Eden Community Arts Trust with the support of Auckland City Council.

Globgob

Globgob by Seung Yul Oh

Seung Yul Oh
Osborne Street, Newmarket

'Globgob' is a fun and playful artwork that consists of nine sculptural forms mounted on the pavement in Osborne and Teed Street in Newmarket.

Seung Yul Oh's art practice often explores relationships between organic and linear forms. His interest in the dynamic contrast between curved and straight edges was influential in this project where he has chosen to set the brightly coloured egg-like forms against the colours, edges and surfaces of the surrounding urban environment. The artist's hope is that people will think twice about what they are seeing.

The Newmarket Arts Trust initiated and funded this public art project with the support of the Newmarket Business Association and Auckland City Council.

step touch stone

step touch stone by Steve Woodward

By Steve Woodward
St Patrick's Square, Auckland CBD

Steve Woodward's step, touch, stone is a large granite work that anchors the lower level of St Patrick's Square, and links it visually to St Patrick's Cathedral. A feature of the work is the juxtaposed inverted staircase elements that suggest light and darkness, hope and despair, and yin and yang.

The site of the sculpture generates biblical resonances, particularly to Jacob's dream in the Book of Genesis, where he saw angels ascending and descending a ladder that reached from Earth to Heaven. But while step, touch, stone is sculpture that embraces the spirituality of the Cathedral, it is equally open to interpretation by all cultures and beliefs.

The work creates a focal point in the square, offering a place where people can reflect, remember and celebrate.

Font

Font by Mary-Louise Browne

Mary-Louise Browne
St Patrick's Square, Auckland CBD

Mary-Louise Browne's text based artwork Font is a meditation on time and eternity. The words of Saint Julian of Norwich 'BUT ALL SHALL BE WELL AND ALL SHALL BE WELL AND ALL MANNER OF THINGS SHALL BE WELL' are inscribed on the edging around the shallow granite pool, designed to be read in a circular manner as people move around it.

The work connects with St Patrick's Cathedral, thereby linking a contemporary secular use of the Square to its historical religious use - the pool is located so that it aligns with the baptismal font inside the Cathedral, and leads the gaze towards the water feature further down the steps, drawing people into the Square.

Font creates a space in which constant interaction between spiritual and poetic sensibilities is perceived, allowing people to find their own associations and connections.

Updated December 2010