KiwiRiders sculpture now installed
The KiwiRiders sculpture is now proudly on display on a grass berm on the corner of Marine Parade and Kapiti Rd, Paraparaumu Beach.
The sculpture, made of stainless steel under bronze casting featuring two children riding a stylised kiwi, was unveiled on Thursday.
Ka¯ piti mayor K Gurunathan noted there had been some controversy surrounding the artwork “but in public art a lot of the time there’s controversy”.
“What it does is heightens the community’s awareness of what public art is all about.
“This has engaged people’s minds about what art is.”
He said the sculpture was “inspirational” and “a fantastic achievement for the community and I wish everyone can enjoy it”.
There was also an opportunity to raise money so the sculpture was on permanent display, he said.
Paraparaumu Raumati Community Board chairman Jonny Best said, “We look forward to more public art in this area.”
In May 2014 Bee DoughtyPratt, from Scape Sculpture Park in O¯ taki, on behalf of the artist Will Clijsen, invited the council’s Public Art Panel to buy the sculpture for $42,500 but the offer was declined.
In January this year DoughtyPratt contacted Mr Gurunathan and offered the sculpture to the council as a free loan, for installation on a long-term temporary basis not less than one year.
The sculpture, made of stainless steel under bronze casting, has been looked after by the council, because the sculpture park property had been sold, while the free loan offer was discussed.
Paraparaumu Raumati Community Board backed the loan offer but council’s Public Art Panel didn’t, stating the sculpture didn’t meet the criteria established in the Public Art Policy, didn’t offer anything of special note to Ka¯ piti, didn’t have a sensitive connection to the environment and wasn’t convinced of its overall quality.
But the loan deal was sealed when council’s operations and finance committee backed the sculpture’s installation.
KiwiRiders was the recipient of the 2011 Gold NZ Sculpture Design Award.
■ Check out a video of the sculpture on the website www.kapitinews.co.nz