Cracks showing for city mirror
Auckland’s controversial new $260,000 mirror sculpture has cracked open less than a week after it was officially unveiled.
Two large cracks in its brass backing are clearly evident in photos taken by a resident in the nearby Britomart quarter, who described the artwork as “another enormous waste of money by council”.
The mirror has been hung between two heritage buildings in O’Connell St in a way that artist Catherine Griffiths says “brings to attention the sky, framed by the built environment, and the earth beneath”.
Auckland Council arts and culture manager Richard McWha said yesterday the cracks were “not unexpected and typical of many such art installations”.
After the work was put up, “there has been some minor separation between the brass and the substrate, most likely due to some expansion after initial exposure to the elements, resulting in what appears to be cracks. The contractor that installed the work will be going to go back and do some tidy-ups, which will address this.
“This is a normal part of the commissioning process and will be done at no additional cost to Auckland Council.”
Griffiths said last week the cost was put at $80,000 when the work was commissioned in 2012 and did not know how it had escalated. Her fee was “not anywhere near” $80,000.
The Auckland Ratepayers Alliance asked how Mayor Phil Goff could justify new taxes and levies when $260,000 was spent on a mirror.