Foxton artist Sonja Hart's mural on the telecommunications box on Main St.
Foxton artist Sonja Hart's mural on the telecommunications box on Main St.
More streetside telecommunication boxes in Horowhenua are being turned into works of art.
The latest mural, by Foxton artist Sonja Hart, gave a drab old grey box on Foxton’s Main St a facelift, and three more boxes will be painted at various locations soon.
The old Chorus box in Foxton prior before artist Sonja Hart got to it.
The Chorus cabinet art initiative began in 2010 with a test pilot in Auckland in an effort to reduce vandalism of the telecommunications cabinets. It proved successful so it was extended throughout the country, with an average of 170 murals each year.
There are more than 11,000 telecommunications cabinets in New Zealand.
Artists were compensated for the materials used and their time, paid anywhere from $600 to $1700 depending on the size of the cabinet.
Hart’s work features an abstract interpretation of Horowhenua using vibrant colours to capture the beautiful landscape. She gained inspiration for her design while helping her elderly relatives on Denman Island in Canada with their organic garden.
“This artwork is called Lay of the Land and is my abstract interpretation of Horowhenua ... the sky, the ranges, the river/awa, the estuary and the ocean/moana. The ebb and flow and rhythm of our whenua,” she said.
Foxton artist Sonja Hart.
Horowhenua District Council was supporting Chorus in the Cabinet Art programme. Mayor Bernie Wanden said it gave artists a chance to showcase their talents to the local community.
“We always look forward to partnering with Chorus through their Cabinet Art programme and this year we’re happy to say that, once again, we received high-quality designs,” he said.
Designs chosen for this year’s murals include a colourful illustration of the Māori creation story of Ranginui and Papatūānuku, a Māori Pasifika pattern design, a Kiwi bird and teddy bear sitting near the SPCA centre, and a fantail nestled in ferns.
Chorus said the partnership with Horowhenua District Council had been a success. Community relations manager Jo Seddon said the collaboration with the council helped local artists to bring artwork to the community.
“Our ongoing partnership helps us to work with more local artists and bring their creativity to life,” she said.
