Riff Raff appears
Hamilton’s iconic Riff Raff statue has taken a jump to the left to a temporary home in front of the Waikato Museum.
The statue depicting actor Richard O’brien’s character from his cult movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been at Embassy Park since 2004.
It was removed when work on the new Waikato Regional Theatre started in October.
Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate re-unveiled the statue at a small ceremony this week and said she was glad to put this “iconic piece of art” back on display.
“It is one of Hamilton’s most photographed pieces of art.
“It’s engaging and creative, so I think it is in the right spot here in front of the Waikato Museum.
“It’s a great place for a selfie . . . [that provides] a good snapshot of Hamilton . . . so I think we can expect another deluge of Riff Raff pictures.”
The short ceremony took place with few guests, including Momentum Waikato ambassador Tim Macindoe, council staff and Riff Raff Public Art Trust representatives.
Rocky Horror fans Sandra Jensen and Adrian Holroyd performed the Time Warp and Southgate and Macindoe to joined in.
The statue commemorates the development and the writing of the movie.
O’brien lived in Hamilton and worked next door to the
site of the now-demolished Embassy Theatre.
Chairman of The Riff Raff Public Art Trust, Mark Servian, said O’brien himself chose the location in front of the museum.
“He wanted the statue to go to a place with sufficient mana, so it was either here or at Garden Place.”
City Council facilities manager Brett Burley said the statue received a new concrete base.
“We couldn’t save the previous concrete, because we had to chip him out.
“The statue is incredibly heavy.”
Work is under way to also move the famous Riff Raff live webcam to the museum.
The webcam was installed by the trust in 2009 so that people can see the statue from anywhere in the world.
Embassy Park will be redesigned the to complement the new theatre’s entrance, create another connection to the Waikato River and showcase Riff Raff.