Go to The Arts Centre
Here’s a clear sign of the stature of the 7th annual Arts Centre Sculpture Festival: Kairos, by Simon Max Bannister, sits outside at the corner of Worcester Boulevard and Rolleston Avenue.
Bannister’s sculpture, a 3.5 metre high and 4 metre wide ‘Chronolith’ in corten steel, echoes the Gothic Revival architecture of the buildings behind it.
Once you enter the North Quad, there are up to 30 sculptures to explore outdoors before you encounter hundreds more smaller works in the Great Hall.
With almost 70 participating artists, curators Ryan Dewsbury and Melissa Reimer say the quality of three-dimensional art is high in Waitaha Canterbury, and New Zealand as a whole.
“We’re thrilled with how the festival is coming together. This is our second year as co-curators, so we know what works and can be more ambitious. We know the artwork is strong and we can be confident in our judgment, but there’s always a sense of relief when install happens and things really do gel,” says Reimer.
Dewsbury and Reimer have stretched the festival’s parameters with new artists such as Andi Regan, a multimedia artist living in Wānaka. A multiple WoW (World of Wearable Art) finalist known for her cable (zip-tie) creations, Regan has created a significant, suspended installation
– a sea of jellyfish – especially for the festival.
Meanwhile, there’s a foray into the sonic, with a four-metre kinetic sculpture by musician Gavin Buxton and luthier Peter Stephen, and a soundscape by Ivan Clayden, which will play outdoors throughout the festival.
But Dewsbury and Reimer mostly play to the festival’s strengths. Indoor works continue to include figurative as well as abstract ceramics, and an outstanding selection of glass by Philip Stokes, Luke Jacomb, Annabel Menzies-Joyce, Isla Osbourne, amongst others. For those who like their sculpture small scale and wearable, seven leading contemporary jewellers are showing new work.
Returning artists include North Canterbury sculptors Alison Erickson, known for her figurative bronzes, and veteran Sam Mahon. This year, Mahon will present a clockwork-driven sculpture partly inspired by Irish writer W.B.Yeats.
Another returning artist is master of illusion Mark Cowden. Cowden’s limited edition ‘Multiplane’ framed works on paper change dramatically depending on the angle of the viewer
The Arts Centre Trust Board Chair, Stella Ward, says that after seven years the Sculpture Festival has become an unmissable fixture in the city’s cultural calendar. “The festival is a significant undertaking for centre staff, but it’s well worth it to bring this breadth of sculpture to the people of Christchurch. Plus, as a charity, art sales during the festival provide essential revenue to support the centre’s operations,” Ward says.
The Arts Centre Sculpture Festival
10-26 October
Open daily, 10am to 5pm
Free entry: North Quad and Great Hall
Proceeds from sales go to the artists and Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre.