Tuesday 20 March 2012

Autumn: Call & Response @ Sculpture Park, Hamilton

I was chosen to be part of the Autumn exhibition Call & Response at the Sculpture Park at the Waitakaruru Arboretum near Hamilton. I reinstated my macrocarpa flagpole, this time with Flags for the Locals. The first flag flying is dedicated to the humble blackberry.

Big thanks to Kate Darrow & Kim Paton for selecting my work for one of five Ebbett Prestige Seed Funding Awards of $500, and of course thank you to Ebbett Prestige for supporting the exhibition, much appreciated!

Blackberry


Concept: Rather than being ‘unwanted’, the weed could be regarded from a Darwinian perspective as a winner of an evolutionary process. For arguments sake the attributes of the local weeds, Pampas, Blackberry and Gorse can be seen in a beneficial light – beauty, food source, shelter etc. Though in hindsight the introduction of Gorse into New Zealand was an ecological mistake, the protection it can give native seedlings in their early stages of growth during ecological re-colonising is a valuable attribute. These oppositional ideas draw an analogy to and describe the cultural conundrum I am faced with as I address my need for pride in my cultural heritage as descendent of colonial immigrants. 






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