Angry artist wants City to relocate sculpture

Greer Twiss

Distinguished Auckland artist Greer Twiss has had a gutsful of Auckland City Council's art advisers and wants his damaged sculpture Flight Trainer for the Albatross removed from its perch on the waterfront and relocated off council land.

Fifteen months after former Mayor John Banks said he was "on to it" when the $150,000 aluminium sculpture at the entrance to Princes Wharf was seriously damaged, the artist has written a letter to Mayor Dick Hubbard, signed "a very disaffected citizen of Auckland City".

"Your team of 'art advisers', so called, seems incapable of resolving this situation.

"It would appear that there is absolutely no commitment, skill or energy to support their council's art programme for the city.

"It is my wish that the work be removed and possibly re-sited off Auckland City Council land."

The 68-year-old artist, best known for the 1969 bronze fountain on the corner of Karangahape Rd and Symonds St, yesterday said there was a "litany of misuse" by the council towards public art.

His anger follows a call by the creator of the threatened Khartoum Place suffrage centenary memorial, Jan Morrison, for public reaction to council plans to "decommission" the 12-year-old tiled artwork.

In the past few years, a number of public artworks have disappeared from view, including Michio Ihara's Wind Tree sculpture in Queen Elizabeth Square. It took a public outcry this year to stop council officials tearing down Terry Stringer's 25-year-old Mountain Fountain sculpture in Aotea Square.

Mr Hubbard said the council's behaviour was no way to treat one of New Zealand's most treasured artists and he planned to speak with the artist.

"I will personally ensure the sculpture is back next week and protected in the future," Mr Hubbard said.

The artist is not so sure about the location and has the backing of the Auckland City Sculpture Trust, which donated the $150,000 Flight Trainer for the Albatross as its first public sculpture in August last year.

Trust chairman Andrew Smith said Greer Twiss was commissioned to make the work on a busy site in front of Princes Wharf.

"That is what he has done and we love the work but if that site isn't going to work then we have to talk about relocating it but the first challenge has to be to try and make it work ... He is a senior artist and he must be shattered by a year it has taken him to get nowhere," Mr Smith said.

Arts, community and recreation general manager Dr Jill McPherson yesterday gave an assurance that no decision had been made to demolish the $75,000 suffrage memorial, unveiled 12 years ago by then Governor-General Dame Cath Tizard.

She said the winners of a design competition for Khartoum Place, architects Brewer Davidson and landscape architect Leo Jew, were working with the artists, local businesses and residents. Public consultation was planned in the New Year. The council was also working with an Australian "object conservator" about the possibility of removing the tiles and relocating them.

Dr McPherson said the brief for the design competition did not specify keeping the tiled artwork.

In a June report to the public art sub-committee, arts planner Warren Pringle said the design competition signalled a requirement to remove the tiled artwork.