Graham Bennett Reasons for Voyaging 2007
Graham Bennett Reasons for Voyaging 2007
Ongoing
Graham Bennett's Reasons for Voyaging is a gateway sculpture which welcomes visitors to the Gallery.
It is not strictly speaking part of our Outer Spaces programme, but we include it here for the sake of completeness. It was designed and installed as part of the building itself and was a collaboration between local sculptor Graham Bennett and architect David Cole.
The seven stainless steel poles are fitted with an electronic mechanism that causes them to rotate every full moon.
At midday on the day of the full moon the sail on top of each pole rotates three times, then moves to its new position, one after the other. The sequence lasts approximately thirteen minutes.
THIS MOVEMENT IS NOT CURRENTLY WORKING DUE TO THE EARTHQUAKES.
The seven poles are positioned so that visitors walk through the sculpture conveying a sense of arrival and departure, invitation and challenge.
The work encourages visitors to consider the experiences and motivations of all travellers to New Zealand: Maori and Polynesian voyagers, European settlers and more recent migrants.
Read more in Bulletin 125 [PDF 5.6MB]
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Location:
Forecourt -
Exhibition number:
698
Related reading: Outer Spaces
film
Graham Bennett - Reasons for voyaging
A short film about Graham Bennett and the making of 'Reasons for Voyaging'
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In recognition of the anniversary of the move of Christchurch's public art gallery from its former existence as the Robert McDougall in the Botanic Gardens to its new more central city location (now eerily empty), I've been asked by Bulletin's editor to recall some highs and lows of the last ten years. So here goes — and stay with me during this reflection, which takes the place of my usual foreword.
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Justin Paton: As everyone who has seen your works at Christchurch Airport will know, you often make big sculptures with a geometric quality. Gnomes, however large, aren't the first things viewers might expect you to be interested in. What's the appeal of these figures for you?
Gregor Kregar: I'm interested reinterpreting mundane objects, shapes, situations or materials. In my large geometric works I do this by creating complex structures out of basic shapes—triangles, squares, pentagons and hexagons. And with the gnomes I am interested in how something that is usually made out of plastic or concrete and is associated with a low, kitsch aesthetic can be transformed into an arresting monumental sculpture.
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It’s our party and we’ll cry if we want to
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It's frustrating. And then some.
However, we're not going to let these little, ahem, inconveniences get in the way of our party. Populate! is our birthday programme, and it's our attempt to bring some unexpected faces and figures back to the depleted central city. Bulletin spoke to the Gallery's senior curator Justin Paton about what he really wants for the tenth birthday, what he finds funny, and what he really doesn't.
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Sian Torrington Call Out
Christchurch Art Gallery is excited to be working with Wellington-based artist Sian Torrington on a site-specific sculptural installation that will combine ideas, images and materials that relate to living in Christchurch now.
See below for a message from Sian to find out how you can get involved.
Notes
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Tricksters
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Notes
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Exhibition
The Inner Binding
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Notes
(Way Out)er Spaces
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Exhibition
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Rolling Maul
A lot of water, and Lord only knows what else, has flowed under the bridge since Justin Paton and I first hatched our plans for a fast-paced, post-quake showing of new work by local artists. Rolling Maul, so far, has been quite the antithesis of 'fast-paced', and despite our best efforts, it is yet to roll anywhere – rather it has been beset by the same delays, cancellations and frustrations as all of the Gallery's other in-house plans.
Our original concept, as outlined in B.165, was based around the use of one of Christchurch Art Gallery's ground-floor exhibition spaces, which we hoped to reoccupy as soon as they were no longer required as part of the City Council/CERA earthquake response. But as we are now only too aware, we won't be showing anything there any time soon.
Exhibition
Elliot Collins: For those who stay behind
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![Adam Willetts: Star Canyon 10.5.2010 [5:00 mins]](/media/cache/ce/fb/cefbe4b1f2f04e9000de04325214300c.jpg)
![Brian Crook: Anti-Clockwise Bride of the elevator [10:39] 2009](/media/cache/04/26/0426f04983adfe4d58c15bf0b50c47c3.jpg)
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Exhibition
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Notes
The ghost of studios past
In preparation for the next issue of Bulletin, Gallery photographer John and I have been out photographing some of the local artists who will be taking part in Rolling Maul when we reopen.