Artist's ECan protest
A new sculpture installed in protest outside Environment Canterbury’s (ECan) headquarters is likely to stay – for now.
Artist and activist Sam Mahon installed his new artwork, Vigil, on the forecourt of ECan’s new Christchurch offices yesterday.
About 30 people assembled in drizzly weather to watch its unveiling.
Vigil is a bronze-cast sculpture of Catherine Sintenie, a teacher and conservationist who died of cancer in 2014.
The sculpture served as a memorial to Sintenie and would remind the regional council of time past and promises broken, Mahon said.
‘‘Every promise made to us has been broken. They wasted her time, but Cathy didn’t have time to waste.’’
Vigil includes a pointed criticism of David Caygill, deputy chair of the ECan commissioners.
An inscription paraphrases a conversation Sintenie had with Caygill, in which he allegedly acknowledged that the council had broken promises.
Caygill said yesterday that he had not seen the sculpture or its inscription, but remembered Sintenie as a ‘‘lovely’’ person.
He said he recalled the conversation but could not confirm the accuracy of the comment attributed to him.
‘‘As a memorial for Cathy, I’m keen that we treat any sculpture of her with proper respect.’’
Vigil took several weeks to make, Mahon said. It is placed on an old culvert from the Waitohi river.
Sintenie’s husband, Ad, said the sculpture was ‘‘a beautiful symbol’’. ’’There’s a few people who speak out and Cathy was one of them,’’ he said.
ECan chief executive Bill Bayfield said that because the sculpture was placed on a public reserve, it could remain for some time and there were no immediate plans to move it.
"Every promise made to us has been broken. They wasted her time, but Cathy didn't have time to waste." Artist Sam Mahon