In Our Community /
Behind the scenes at Sculpture on the Peninsula
The South Island’s largest sculpture exhibition opens this November at Loudon Farm, Teddington on Banks Peninsula. As organiser Gill Hay explains, staging an arts event of this scale on an historic working farm comes with its own unique challenges and opportunities.
Every two years, a sprawling country garden surrounding an historic farm homestead is transformed into a not-to-be-missed sculpture exhibition showcasing works by over 100 experienced and emerging artists.
No one understands better than event organiser Gill Hay the intriguing installation possibilities that a rural landscape like this presents. ‘Loudon has cool farm sheds where we can do really interesting installations, along with a diverse outdoor environment which includes a formal garden, a woodland area, an open paddock and a high ridgeline,’ says Gill, whose background as an artist, art historian and caterer/food consultant has proved ideal over the years since she first began organising Sculpture on the Peninsula in 2001.
This November, she is looking forward to seeing a collection of carved swamp kauri heads installed in the farm slaughterhouse and a series of water tanks with faces on them take their place on the ridge. ‘This is Hannah Kidd’s latest work – they’re like Easter Island statues!’
A mixed media installation of bugs by Julie Hamby will invade the chicken coop while the milking shed will be repurposed by Rewa Nolan as an interactive 1880s photography studio.
Sculpture on the Peninsula’s feature work this year is a cast bronze piece called Portent by Waikari artist Alison Erickson, who is not alone in contributing a work reflecting disquiet about climate change and other environmental challenges. Graeme Bennett is presenting a series related to concerns about water, while Rob Upritchard has created a chain of recycled plastic monkeys, suspended from trees. Final selections were made by Christchurch Art Gallery curators Lara Strongman and Gwyn Porter.
Placing works is a logistical challenge, but Gill says a combination of hire trucks with cranes, farm utes and careful preparation invariably gets the job done.
Christchurch chef Abby Taylor will present a mouth-watering line-up with a fresh local focus for the gala opening on Friday 8 November with gourmet fare and live entertainment continuing over the weekend event (9–10 November).
Sculpture on the Peninsula is a fundraiser for Cholmondeley Children’s Centre, a residential care facility for children of families in crisis, with $100,000 donated from the 2017 event.
For info including booking details, go to sculpturenz.co.nz