Mural brings life to wasted grey space
Nelson’s newest giant mural has transformed an unlikely location into a place of beauty – the local tip.
Artist Sean Duffell (Ngāti Porou) and his collaborators Thijs de Koning and Chris Zesk spent five days over Easter installing the work at the Nelson Waste Recovery Centre, which took inspiration from the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.
The mural features tuna/long fin eel, ¯ınanga/whitebait, kōkopu, and kōura/ crayfish, as well as titiwai/glowworms glittering at either end of the 60-metre long wall.
Duffell said the work was a ‘‘reminder of the fragile ecosystem that’s right on our back doorstep’’.
The wider message playing out across the mural, he said, was ‘‘becoming more aware of our footprint as human beings’’.
The design is influenced by the flow and colours of the Maitahi awa, said Duffell, who is based in Te Waiharakeke/Blenheim.
‘‘Looking after the hauora/health of our whenua/land, awa/rivers and te moana/ oceans are important elements in the visual story playing out across the mural,’’ Duffell said.
The $30,000 mural was funded by the Nelson City Council’s yearly arts budget and from the NCC’s Solid Waste account, the latter of which is self-funded from sources such as landfill waste levies.
Duffell, Koning and Zesk won the tender to do the artwork from a pool of over 20 submissions in February.
NCC Community and Recreation chair
Tim Skinner said the mural had brought life to an otherwise grey area. ‘‘Inspiring public art like this has the power to lift spirits and help people feel Whakatū Nelson is a place worth living in and visiting.’’
NCC Infrastructure chair Brian McGurk said the artwork was a ‘‘visual reminder of the responsibility we all have to keep our beautiful Maitahi awa full of life’’.
Responsible waste disposal and management, and recycling where possible helped improve air and water quality, he said.