I have just returned from the Venice Biennial where I was assisting with the installation of Bill Culbert's Front Door Out Back. Recounting some of the highlights of my trip in the staffroom over a cup of tea, I was reminded of this as I reached for the milk.

When Bill Culbert travelled to Christchurch in April 2012 to receive his honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the University of Canterbury he was quite taken by the newly-released Anchor plastic milk containers.

Despite the public debate about the merits and shortcomings of the new plastic bottles that did not let light in, Bill was interested to see how these containers would look threaded onto one of his trademark fluorescent tubes.

Justin Paton managed to pack 8 bottles into his luggage and carried them to Venice for this purpose. Then I was charged with making a work from the bottles and a 5ft fluorescent tube under close guidance from Bill.

Working in Venice is not the same as working at the Gallery, where we have the luxury of a fully equipped workshop; you just can't pop down to Mitre 10 for tools and materials. So in true DIY style I quickly fashioned a crude template out of an old cardboard box and took to the bottles with a vivid marker and scalpel blade from the first-aid kit.

I just loved the simplicity of the final result. And every New Zealander that came into the pavilion chuckled about the in-joke with the light- proof milk bottles. While the work proved that the 'revolutionary' plastic was indeed impermeable to light, the caps still gave off a lovely diffused glow.

In any case, it was nice having a hand in Bill's newest work made with materials designed in New Zealand and recycled from Christchurch.