‘‘Feathers 2020’’, Neil Dawson
(Milford Galleries Dunedin)
NEIL Dawson has long played with the paradox of his solid, heavy sculptures representing the most airy and lightweight of objects. Birds, paper aeroplanes, leaves, and — above all — feathers have been frequent motifs in his metal constructions, both in his largescale public sculptures, such as the large Chalice in Christchurch’s Cathedral Square and, more recently, in his smaller, more modest domesticsized works.
It is a display of sculptures in this more intimate scale which currently graces Milford Galleries Dunedin. The works, in acryliccoated aluminium, are exquisitely detailed replicas of bird feathers. The solidity of the structures is playfully at odds with the delicacy of the subjects, and at the same time is a salute to these wonders of the natural world.
As always with Dawson’s work, there is a thorough understanding and exploration of the play of light on the sculpture. The fine veins of the feathers form moire patterns with the shadows behind the works, shadows which can be seen as part of the works. Although this aspect of Dawson’s skill is partially eclipsed in this display by the beautiful use of colour, it becomes strikingly obvious in the simple, but elegant White Feather, which is a standout piece in this exhibition.