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10 November, 1997 |
SCULPTURAL EXHIBITION FEATURES
NZ’S MOST FAMOUS MASTER OF KINETIC ART
McDougall Art Gallery’s Sculpture in the Gardens
featuring the work of Len Lye, Sam Mahon, Evan Webb & Randall Watson
26 November, 1997-5 April, 1998
For the third time since its inception, the Robert McDougall Art Gallery and the Christchurch Botanic Gardens present the biennial ‘Sculpture in the Gardens’ exhibition which opens on 26 November. This collaboration between the Gardens and the McDougall was first initiated to illustrate the rich diversity of contemporary sculptural practice in New Zealand. The works in this year’s display all exhibit some sort of movement thus the name - ‘kinetic’.
Randall Watson recently exhibited his quirky kinetic work Table Unstable in the design show ‘Part of the Furniture’ at the McDougall Art Annex. Known for his dynamic and witty interactive sculpture, Watson describes his method in “working with invisibles” like wind and gravity as “a dance”. His piece for this show Target will be positioned on the Archery Lawn which extends out in front of the Gallery.
Intended to reflect the “messy reality” of human life, Sam Mahon’s Regret is over ten metres high, rising out of the water of the small pond on the Archery Lawn, this spider-like tower is made up of moving elements generated by wind, such as a bird, revolving masks and a reclining figure partially submerged in the water. Materials for Mahon’s project were generously supplied by Fenwick Reinforcing Ltd.
Also powered by wind, Evan Webb’s three sculptural pieces, are positioned on the Pine Mound, and through this wind activation the pieces seemingly “call to each other.” Linking nature to the machine in this installation, Webb refers to the practice of naming cars after birds (eg. the Falcon). As the Executive Officer for the Len Lye Foundation, Webb has been instrumental in the completion of numerous Len Lye sculptural projects.
Len Lye was internationally renown for his work, particularly in kinetic sculpture and film making. Born in Christchurch in 1901 Lye was also a painter, genetic theorist and experimental prose writer who in 1980. The McDougall is delighted to be able to have a Len Lye piece featuring in this exhibition. Large Blade, built this year by the Len Lye Foundation using the artist’s design, previously only existed in sketches and models and will give its first ever public performance here in Christchurch. Large Blade will join the exhibition a few weeks after the official opening for Sculpture in the Gardens. As a part of his “Bounding Steel” series, Large Blade is made up of a large rotating titanium shaft which is repeatedly hit by a ball creating an erratic and beautiful display of sound and shimmering vibration . It will perform once a day at varying speeds, and at its maximum velocity will create the visual pattern of a double helix. The first performance of Large Blade will be on 12 January.
The Robert McDougall Art Gallery, located in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, is among the country’s most visited public art galleries featuring regularly changing exhibitions of international and New Zealand historical and contemporary art. The McDougall Art Annex, located in the Christchurch Arts Centre, features international, national and local contemporary exhibitions. Both galleries are open daily except Christmas Day and Good Friday. Hours are 10 am. to 5.30 pm. (Summer), 10 am. to 4.30 pm. (Winter). Free daily guided tours are available on request and admission is free.
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