Scaling up's no problem for this artist

BROAD BRUSH: Siv Fj restad at one of the parks where she is creating a giant-scale painting. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

A Featherston artist is transforming two Wellington parks into a huge, colourful painting, creating possibly New Zealand's largest public artwork.

Siv Fjaerestad has already started the temporary painting, which will be spread across Berhampore's Macalister and Liardet St parks, and the public is invited to celebrate the artwork with a community picnic and day of activities on April 19.

Fjaerestad collaborated with public art producers Letting Space and Wellington City Council to explore the field markings of sports grounds and the way communities use the parks.

Originally from Norway, she has lived in Featherston for four years but used to live in Berhampore.

"Every morning, I would take my eldest, who was 2 at the time, and my dogs, and go up there and find the lungs for my existence in the city."

As she walked around, she became fascinated with the field markings for various sports played in the parks.

"There are all these different markings overlapping, it's a wonderful visual I wanted to build on."

She was also interested in how people used the public spaces, especially after living in London, where the public commons were heavily used.

"I'm also trying to inspire new uses."

Fjaerestad is not a painter - most of her work is in sculpture, installation and video.

She says she has always been interested in grass as a social material and the different forms and ways in which it can be manicured.

"It's the grass I'm working with and the space, the paint is the medium I am using this time."

The artwork is based on infographics and visual representations of data collected by Letting Space and Fjaerestad on how people use the parks, their memories of the parks, and ideas for future improvements.

Fjaerestad has never done an artwork this large and her original proposal was for a 100sqm painting but she was encouraged to go bigger - it is now going to fill the area of two football fields.

She is using a water-and-chalk-based paint - the same used for sports-field markings.

The public is invited to play on the painting and do some painting themselves, at the opening day on Sunday, April 19, from noon to 3pm.

There will be a community picnic and a programme of family events, including a dog-walking parade, hula hooping, ki o rahi, face painting, tai chi, music, kite-making, and a history booth.

-For details on the event, visit www.lettingspace.org.nz/projected-fields