Len Lye sculpture guy tells all
The man who climbed a Len Lye sculpture only for it to come crashing down under his weight says boredom and an encouraging crowd were behind the stunt.
But historian Roger Horrocks, who was Lye’s personal assistant in the final year of his life, said the artist would have been ‘‘deeply hurt by the sheer idiocy’’ of any person who saw the Water Whirler as a climbing frame and not a work of art.
Hunter Macdonald said he was ‘‘bored out of my mind’’ while walking along Wellington’s waterfront, when he came across the sculpture – which cost about $300,000 at the time of its installation in 2006.
It is very similar to Len Lye’s famous Wind Wand in New Plymouth – although the Taranaki attraction is on a much grander scale. In a video interview Macdonald, who lives in Wellington, said: ‘‘I decided to stop and sort of attempt some sort of gymnastic, acrobatic stuff on the sculpture’’.
Macdonald said he had no idea that Lye, ‘‘who is clearly a big deal’’, had actually done the work. ‘‘Obviously that is his work, his art, so obviously I apologise for defacing that, that wasn’t my intention. To the people of Wellington, it’s such a beautiful city and everyone sort of takes pride in the city, so I do apologise to them.’’
Wellington City spokesman Richard Council MacLean said it was too early to estimate how much the fix would cost, but it looked likely to be covered by insurance.
A police spokeswoman said police have been in touch with Macdonald.
Macdonald said after falling from the sculpture he struggled to the nearby rocks.
‘‘At that point I’d realised that I’d made a serious mistake.’’
He said he couldn’t really fathom the cost of fixing the sculpture.
‘‘They were throwing big figures at me, ‘that’s a hundred thousand dollars, that’s taxpayer money’, figures that I couldn’t even fathom. I’m never going to receive a pay cheque of that magnitude.’’
He said he expected repercussions.
Horrocks said the incident showed ‘‘complete disregard’’ for art.
‘‘[Lye] would’ve been absolutely devastated, not just by the damage to the sculpture, but mostly to the act.
The Water Whirler was turned off for repairs in 2016.
Horrocks said this month, the sculpture was scheduled to be returned to full operation. ‘‘Now it’s going to be months.’’ The cost to fix would be six figures, he said. It would require specialist knowledge to fix the wand, which was extremely complex.
Len Lye has been said to be more well known overseas than he was in his home country of New Zealand.
His career as an experimental filmmaker, poet, painter, and kinetic sculptor saw him lauded by his peers, and his work is in some of the most renowned galleries in the world, while in New Plymouth the Len Lye Centre/Govett Brewster Gallery continues to promote his work. to face