CULTURE Scape Sculptures on the Quad
For most of Term 3 last year, the hallowed ground of the Quad was visited by thousands of art lovers, fascinated by the installation of two large sculptures, The Kiss by Gillian Gatfield and Portrait of Mass Ascending by David McCracken. Scape is responsible for the temporary installation of art in Christchurch and the works were part of the 2016 project.
HOD Art Darren George, who is a member of the Scape committee, says the sculptures not only brought people into the College grounds, but also provided a focal point for the boys as they came and went from school each day. “The sculptures generated lots of discussion from the boys, who watched them being installed and were fascinated at the engineering required to get such large works in place, especially the large amount of concrete it took to secure them. The sculptures were a good profile for art. They encouraged the boys to think about the softer things in life and to understand what art can provide.’’ In the work The Kiss, by Gillian Gatfield, the X form has many cultural and symbolic references – the female chromosome, heraldic forms, a kiss in a text message and, of course, it marks the spot in mapping. In this work by the Whangaparaoa-based sculptor, the X form is rendered monumental in gleaming black granite. David McCracken’s work, Portrait of a Mass Ascending, examined the fissures that emerge when clay is stretched. These fissures were then recast into a hardened form of steel.
College Issue 32 2017
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