New sculpture exhibition linked to the landscape

Harbourview Sculpture
Harbourview-Orangihina Walkway, Harbourview Peoples Park
Te Atatu Rd (opposite Gloria Ave), Te Atatu Peninsula,
Auckland - March 5–28 open daily: Mon to Thurs 10am-6pm, Fri to Sun 10am-7.30pm 

Just as the outdoor sculpture exhibition at the Botanic Gardens in Manurewa closes, a new one opens in Te Atatu.

Harbourview Sculpture, which is now in its third biennial event, has grown in popularity, with 13,500 visitors to the Trail in 2014. Organisers are expecting that number to double this year.

Many outdoor sculpture exhibition attempt to develop the notion of site-specific sculptures but this one really succeeds at that.

Nearly all the works relate to the environment in a specific or general way acknowledging the history of occupation, by humans, animal and plants. It makes an entertaining, educational and reflective one hour stroll.

Among the works, which refer to the history of the area, is Penny Howards' The Kumara Planters ($11,500), which features seven silhouettes of farmers who worked the land planting crops. The figures are overlaid with images of the kotuku.

Danielle Ferreira Beckner and Matt Williams have created a ghostly skeleton of scrap steel boats with “When Boats learned to walk’ (($2500 ea) in a link back to the canoes and boats which used the upper harbour.

The tactical Magic team of Kenneth Merrick, Nate Savill and Niki White have created an archaeological dig where groups of people (Saturdays 12–2pm) can discover “artefacts” hidden within the roped off areas.

The works by belladonna + salt and Sharonagh Montrose work cleverly together. Billaadonna  + salt have constructed a couple of partial galley spaces with White Cube”($300es), which are used to surround some old existing, ivy covered fence line posts, turning them into pieces of found sculpture. Close by, Montrose has created The Dawning ($4500), a farm gate, out of recycled railway sleepers, set to  a soundscape of dense bird calls.

The wildlife of the area is referenced in several installations including Fiona Rennie Schweiters'  Kotare Te Te Atatu” ($390ea) with several cast kingfishers sitting on poles, nestling among some cabbage tress while Rose Patterson has a couple of dozen white delicate little birds in Piwakawaka Grove ($65 each). Adding a dramatic element to the acknowledgment are a couple of women dressed up as kotuku and tui, who will be strutting around Friday and Saturday from 5pm until last entry at 7.30pm.

The plant life is of the peninsula is depicted in Mary Paton’s ceramic Grove of Nikaus ($630ea) and a tent construction protects a number of at-risk plants in Wetland Protection Agency ($1750)  by Diane Atkinson. Philippa Nielsen provides a simple work, partly concept, partly installation with Tree Support consisting of bright red plastic ties supporting three cabbage trees.

Another group of works address social and political issues relevant to the area.  Margaret Johnston’s Links to the Land ($3500) consists of hundreds of sliced and knitted plastic bags forming chains through part of the walk while Audrey Boyle’s Flowerpower ($13,500) is made of tubes of material forming a vast creeper. In among the tendrils of material are shapes of guns alluding to the presence of violence hidden within the domestic environment.

Nicholas Mans’ Playpill ($6900) initially seems like an out-of-place bright green and purple shape with a straining face. This is a large scale version of the anti-depressant drug Tiazac widely used for the depressed living in West Auckland.

The biennial Harbourview Sculpture Trail is the flagship activity of Peninsula Arts Inc. The Trail is produced and delivered by a committee of volunteer members and contractors. A portion of the funds raised from the Harbourview Sculpture Trail is committed to the sustainability of the event. Funds generated from the Trail also support Peninsula Arts Inc’s broader mission to support emerging and established artists with opportunities, funding and advocacy. In the longer term Peninsula Arts aims to work alongside Auckland Council and the community to commission artworks for local public spaces.

The works were selected by event curator Sally Lush,  with Andrew Clifford and Monique Redmond.

The 40 artworks are set in and around ponds, amongst native flaxes and bush, with harbour and Auckland city views.

For more information
www.harbourviewsculpture.com

Tune into NBR Radio’s Sunday Business with Andrew Patterson, launching this Sunday morning, for analysis and feature-length interviews.