Sculpture’s shift still unresolved
The shift of a prominent inner-city sculpture remains up in the air, with its owner intending to hit up the New Plymouth mayor in a bid to get some traction on the issue.
The work, called Halamoana and created by Tongan artist Filipe Tohi, was originally commissioned by New Plymouth architect Terry Boon.
Since 2003, the sculpture has taken pride of place at the intersection of Powderham and Brougham streets but needs a new home after Boon sold the land where it is located.
While the new development planned for the site remained under wraps, Boon has not been shy about his preferred place of re-location for Halamoana, which in Tongan means ocean pathway.
Boon hoped to secure agreement to move the 14-metre high artwork to the intersection of Liardet and Molesworth streets, near the Coastal Walkway, but the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) put the kibosh on that.
The council’s reasoning cited the sculpture would block the Liardet St view shaft, or the gap between buildings or other obstructions that allows for a scenic view.
This week, Boon said there was no update regarding progress of the sculpture’s shift but that he intended to talk with New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom in a bid to get it sorted out.
He said the urgency to move it from the Powderham and Brougham streets site had abated for now but what will happen to the sculpture is something people continuously asked him about.
Boon was aware there were a couple of options in the pipeline, but he could not divulge any further information.
Terry Parkes, chairman of Arts in Public Places Trust, said the organisation remained committed to paying for the relocation costs, and previously said it was willing to spend its annual budget of $50,000 to do so.
He said the trust wanted the artwork to stay in New Plymouth, so he hoped a decision about the sculpture’s fate was resolved quickly.