Sculpture makes music
A sculpture made from donated instruments sets the right note for the revamped Nelson Centre of Musical Arts.
The sculpture, created by Benjamin Clark from Benjamin Black Goldsmiths, was constructed of violins, violas, clarinets, flutes and trumpets, all donated by the Nelson public.
And unlike other works of art it’s a hands-on experience.
‘‘It was made to be interactive so that people could pick up a bow that was sitting next to it and have a play. It’s just a bit of fun,’’ Clark said.
The sculpture has been placed in the main foyer of the NCMA, which reopened this year after an 18-month redevelopment costing $8.5 million.
Clark said the sculpture was his representation of what music was all about. It had violins rising up two sweeping arches — ‘‘that’s kind of about music transcending cultures and countries, coming together and being a universal language.
‘‘The centrepiece coming down with the flutes and the clarinets at the bottom and the tapering violins and violas looks a little bit like a campfire. It’s about sitting around the campfire in the early days of music.’’
Clark said the location of the sculpture was perfect. ‘‘It looks so much better in place than I could have imagined.’’
The Nelson public are urged to get along and see the artwork that they had helped to create.