Brian Rudman: Talking sense about rehoming Wind Tree scuplture

The good news is that the resurrection of Michio Ihara's sculpture Wind Tree was top of the agenda for Auckland City's new Advisory Panel for Public Art when it met recently. But don't hold your breath in anticipation of it emerging from its Onehunga storeroom prison anytime soon.

Six years ago the council reassured us the work would reappear at a new Tank Farm park as "high priority" in two to five years' time. At the time the great tapestry of stainless-steel tubes, Auckland City's 1971 centennial birthday present to itself, was being moved from the bottom of Queen St to make way for the new Britomart kauri forest.

Following the meeting the advisory panel chairperson, art consultant Trish Clark, said the panel "had a unanimous and strong preference" for investigating a site at Wynyard Quarter - the Tank Farm destination originally proposed. "We all love Wind Tree and we want it sited as best as possible and in as true a way to the artist's original intentions as possible."

She said both Jim Allen, former associate professor of sculpture at Elam School of Fine Arts, who had chaired the organising committee that chose the sculpture, and sculptor Greer Twiss, who was appointed by Mr Ihara to represent the sculpture's interests after it was removed, agreed with the Tank Farm proposal. "When I outlined the site ... both Greer and Jim felt it was a superior site." Superior, that is, to the Western Springs pond which had, because of the absence of activity at the Tank Farm, emerged as the preferred alternative site.

The enthusiasm for the site is understandable. Adjacent to the planned Jellicoe Plaza, which is the main intersection of the whole Tank Farm development, it's a grand site for an art work. But it's just a dream at this stage. There's not even a development plan for the area yet.

To be included in the plan will require further consultation with stakeholders, such as adjacent land owners and serious competition with other potential users for this prime site. If all goes well, Ms Clark concedes Wind Tree might not go up until 2013 or 2014. She argues that erection in Western Springs couldn't start immediately anyway. There is strong opposition from Ngati Whatua and from some locals who want to leave it as a "natural" reserve. There was also the problem of shag guano on the cross bars.

"For the last five years I've supported the idea of Western Springs," she says. But after considering the Wynyard Quarter alternative, "I've done a 180 degree turn on it". She says "nobody wants any more delay, we'd love it to come out of its storage box tomorrow, but that's not realistic".

Greer Twiss agrees the Wynyard site sounds "pretty good" and is trying to look on the optimistic side. "The only trouble is it could be five years before they start that site and probably another two years after that before the work goes up. So you're looking at 14 since it was taken down which is amazing." He doesn't mean in any wondrous way. He also says if the council had got working on the Western Springs site three years ago, the sculpture would be up by now.

It's a point not lost on councillor Greg Moyle, chairman of the arts, culture and recreation committee. Two weeks ago he called Western Springs a "fantastic" new home for the work. His concern about Wynyard Quarter is timing. "If it isn't going to happen for 10 years, what certainty can anyone give me that in 10 years' time the Wind Tree will come back then?"

His bottom line is "I'd like to see the sculpture up. It's just pointless to have it sitting in a cupboard. If it can be delivered within a realistic time frame in the Wynyard Quarter I'd be happy with that, but I'd like to see a Plan B."

He wants the planning process to begin now for the Western Springs site so that if the Tank Farm proposal falls over, there's no more delay. It sounds like a sensible idea to me.