For the exhibition Untitled #1050 (25 November 2017 – 14 October 2018) this work was displayed with the following label:

In 1976, Matt Pine worked for an engineering works in Christchurch. “The manufactured forms interested me. The huge unfinished girders were just like minimal sculptures. As well, there were raw materials stacked around the back. That really got me thinking about sculpture again. There [was a] range of visual forms, from rusted scraps to manufactured products. I was thinking about combining basic geometric shapes with a combination of found and manufactured objects.

“Many other Māori artists don’t see the Māori content because they can’t get past the old carving methods. For me the idea is important. Everything in my work relates back to the idea. And there’s nothing sentimental in the work. I don’t think nostalgically about New Zealand. I would have stayed in London if I had been able to. However, when I got back it was a different story. I was amazed by the open spaces. I found I could work here.”

—Matt Pine, 1985