Hamilton Sculpture - Te Poumanawa O Te Whenua ‘Beat Connection'

Catherine and I recently attended the donating of a wonderful gift from MESH – Sculpture Hamilton to the city of Hamilton. The gift, funded by the MESH Trust through the generosity of many corporate and private donors, was created by multimedia visual artist Oh Seung Yul, a Korean born artist based in Auckland. He is an 'emerged' artist and has been a previous winner of the NZ Painting and Printmaking Award, here in Hamilton.

Citizens help with Blessing (Photo: David Edson)

Sculptor (Oh Seung Yul) Relaxing (Photo: David Edson)

What you are able to see, touch, or play on is a substantial stainless steel sculpture a representation of a heartbeat which has allusions to the sporting activities at Claudeland’s Events Centre, human emotions, animal activities (I wonder if the artist realised that the cause of facial eczema was discovered on the field next door) – and then there were the earlier heartbeats (both human and avian) associated with the hunting of birds by Maori in the traditional bush hunting area nearby, Te Papanui.  There is the suggestion of excitement and climactic activity in the varying heights of the 'lub, dubs'. So it goes on – as with every great artwork there will be more and more layers of meaning taken from its form. 

Korean Traditional Dancer
Sat Byul
(Photo: David Edson)

The blessing comprised a public laying on of hands and greeting one another as they followed local Kaumatua for the traditional blessing and karakia up and down both sides of the sculpture.  Great idea. This was followed by kapa haka from schoolchildren, the presentation to the city by Nancy Caiger on behalf of the MESH Sculture Hamilton and a heartfelt grateful response from the Mayor, Julie Hardaker. The finale was the superb and elegant traditional dance from Korean dancer Sat Byul, here in NZ on a residency programme.

When you looked at the participants and onlookers at this event you thought – multicultural – one common heartbeat – it made you proud to be a kiwi – and a Hamiltonian. 

And it looks great at night.

Sculpture and Event Centre (Photo: Catherine Smith)

Sculpture at Night

Ekphrastic Poem

Here in Hamilton, New Zealand, we have a group of lively poets who meet once a month. Sometimes we set ourselves a little task.  This time someone suggested that we write an ekphrastic poem - one stimulated by a work of art and which attempts to bring out the essence of the art work. Here is my effort, "From Stone", inspired by a sculpture in marble created by a friend, artist Robyn Douglas.  My son Warren couldn't resist it and so parted with some of his worldly wealth.  When he shifted to the South Island he left it with us, on loan - it is VERY heavy.

It has a curious difference in appearance at night - hence the poem.

Aretes and Cirques

Nun in a Position of Prayer

From Stone

It’s not often you see a woman

mash and chisel armed

dust and sweat streaked

searching a stone for soul

the lichen-blackened

skin has gone

a meta-structure of  marble

exposed in crystal

ice white in glacial cirques

the scoops of hanging valleys

reveal curves of breast, buttock

daily we watch it grow

the sculptor is Robyn

her smile of recognition

hidden under the mask

of goggles and task

at last the valleys are sculpted

their sensuous heft and shine

inviting the stroke of hand

a wish to protect, to own

different angles, different lights

reveal aretes and valleys

or folds of a wimpled woman

nun in a position of prayer

or is she saying ‘namaste’

in day a nunatak

at night a nun, from stone

the soul of a sculptor.

GibbsFarm - Al Fresco Art

Some may see it as a display of wealth but I view this magnificent al fresco art display as public service. Irrespective of whether or not the wealth comes from hard work, clever innovation or just old fashioned inheritance, it doesn't matter. To conceive and then share this grand idea with the world is just too good to be true. Can you imagine any local authority trying to create art on this scale!  Think of the uproar it would create.  Not only does Alan Gibbs ask some of the best large scale artists on the planet to give their best efforts to this project but he then invites them to supervise (with help) their installation while he foots the bill. That is called supporting the arts.  There must have been great excitement among those involved in all of these projects - imagine the risks of erecting some of the works - imagine nearly sinking a ship loading it with iron?

In the middle of June the 'Friends of the Waikato Museum' filled a bus and journeyed up from Hamilton in dubious weather.  The rain never eventuated and, with winter now evident, the lack of foliage added to the already present sense of space so essential to this project. And at times the threat of squalls from the west across the Kaipara added to the dramatic sense.

The farm was green, the landscape manicured, the animals (and the staff) looked happy and the public were all smiles.  What did we see?  Iron work in massive curved vertical and horizontal forms, a red funnel to talk through to friends in Australia (well, you could pretend with your cell phone), an ejaculating fountain, a wind wand and a clever work representing a giant bent sheet of corrugated irion resting on a hilltop - all part of the day for us.

Corrugated Iron Resting (Neil Dawson work)

Iron Wall (Richard Serra work)

Talking to Australia (Anish Kapoor work)

The final entertainment for us was at the exit.  A tame ostrich could not be herded off the road in front of our bus.  It took ages for the staff member to get him to take off, which the ostrich did with huge display of pique and show. I suspect that the animal was intent on admiring himself (or was it a prospective mate he/she was eyeing up) in the front window of the bus - once I had a nerve wracking moment or two with a tame emu in a Melbourne zoo - I was too scared to turn my back on him!