Whangārei's Camera Obscura sculpture gets international recognition

Whangārei's Camera Obscura has won international recognition from The Architecture MasterPrize, which recognises the best in international architecture.

Whangārei's Camera Obscura has won international recognition, getting an honourable mention in The Architecture MasterPrize, which celebrates the world's best architecture.

The Camera Obscure sculpture was opened a year ago on the Loop Walkway near Te Matau a Pohe Bridge, 10 years after the project was initiated in 2011 by photographer Diane Stoppard and architect Felicity Christian. Sculptor Trish Clarke joined the team in 2015 and the trio have since turned the dream into reality.

Christian, the architect of the sculpture, entered Camera Obscura in the Miscellaneous Architecture category in the Architecture MasterPrize, mainly to show the rest of the world what was being achieved on a small budget in Whangārei.

She said the team behind Camera Obscura is delighted that a panel of top international architects had given the project an Honourable Mention, ahead of thousands of other entries in the category from around the globe.

''It's really nice (to have that recognition). When I entered I just sent it off in good faith and to share what we have been doing here in New Zealand. I didn't really expect to win an award or anything, so to have the Honourable Mention is outstanding, especially when you see the calibre of the other entries.''

Christian said the team behind Camera Obscura has received plenty of positive feedback since the sculpture opened, but to get recognition from top international architects was the icing on top.

''When Diane (Stoppard) began she wanted the Camera Obscura to be internationally recognised. We could have just made it a simple box, but made it into a sculpture that stands up against any other Camera Obscura in the world,'' she said.

''And the site is just perfect. Now we've got an award-winning bridge (Te Matau a Pohe) that can be viewed from an award-winning sculpture - that's pretty cool.''

The judges said of the sculpture: "Camera Obscura Whangārei / Timatatanga Hou is an interactive, accessible art and educational experience for the public to enjoy. It was inspired by Diane's passion for pin-hole photography. The Design Team were the client, designers, negotiators, project managers and fundraisers.
"The Team engaged with local community businesses, groups, individuals and Council to bring this project to life. The design weaves together the Māori and European stories from the area.
"It is now an iconic local tourist destination, is free to enter and attracts a large number of visitors."

Some of the team behind Whangārei's Camera Obscura sculpture - Poutama Hetaraka, Trish Clarke, Diane Stoppard and Felicity Christian, at the official opening last November.

The Camera Obscura - which is open from dawn to dusk - will depict Te Matau a Pohe, the lower Hātea River bridge.

The art installation cost $991,000, paid for by donations and the Provincial Growth Fund.

■ Camera obscure - from the Latin camera obscura, meaning "dark chamber", also referred to as pinhole image - is the natural optical phenomenon that occurs when an image of a scene at the other side of a screen is projected through a small hole in that screen as a reversed and inverted image (left to right and upside down) on a surface opposite to the opening.

The surroundings of the projected image have to be relatively dark for the image to be clear, so many historical camera obscura experiments were performed in dark rooms. The term "camera obscura" also refers to constructions or devices that make use of the principle within a box, tent or room.