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Phantom Canoe,1995, Passage Series.
Macrocarpa, acrylic stains, beeswax and dammar resin, 3200 x 550 x 400mm.
Collection of Deutsche Bank, Auckland.
For both Maori and European the gateway to the land has been the shore. All our ancestral history began this way. The work relates to the way migratory canoes became superfluous after arrival in the new land, Aotearoa, New Zealand. Phantom Canoe alludes to an empty seed pod, transported by water and discarded on the shore. The vessel, a recurrent theme in my work, becomes a metaphor for life and survival and embodies the metaphysical concept of leaving behind what is no longer necessary.
Tir na n’Og, 1995, Passage Series.
Macrocarpa, Stockholm tarred rope, screw eyes and acrylic stains, 3200 x 700 x 40 mm. Private collection, Auckland.
During the making of Phantom Canoe I saved each negative wood section in order to make Tir na n’Og.The pieces were connected with screw eyes and Stockholm tarred rope so that, when floated, the three-metre work gently rolls and sways. The intention of this work was to embrace the concept of dislocation and reconnection, the tradition of oral histories and ancient chants
The work references the linking of destinies, the hopes of new immigrants and my Irish relatives, who came to New Zealand during the potato famine. New Zealand was seen as the ‘island of plenty’ of the ancient Celtic myth, a floating island. ‘Floating Island’ was also a term Maori used to describe the white-sailed European ships.
Stem, 1994, Passage Series
Macrocarpa, acrylic and oil-based pigments and copper wire, 1200mm diameter x 30mm. Private collection, Auckland.
Stem was created during a short-term residency at Taradale Polytechnic in Hawke’s Bay in 1994. It was constructed from twelve macrocarpa segments and became the first work of the ‘Passage’ series. Initially I made by huge paper drawings, then cut paper patterns to cut the sections of wood
The sculpture alludes to magnified cross-sections through plant stems. Two specific events contributed to the work. The first was that I had previously been viewing computer-generated images of a cell being attacked by the AIDs virus. The organic shaped intriguing patterns rippling on our kitchen ceiling, caused by reflections from a neighbour’s pool. Although my main objective at the time of making Stem, was to warn my teenage children about the AIDS virus, I also wanted to create works that connected to water.
Heartwood, 1994
Macrocarpa, beeswax, copper and brass wire, 900mm diameter.
Collection of the artist.
I saved each small section as I cut the macrocarpa panels, during the making of Stem. The material removed reminded me of the heart-wood of a tree. With assistance from several students, I joined the pieces using brass screw-eyes and fine wire to allow movement when the work was placed in water. Once completed, Heartwood was floated in a local Napier river.
The image of this first floating work changed my thinking and approach to sculpture. It led to my awareness and intrigue with the micro-sphere, the structure of cells, viruses and micro-organisms.