Sculptor steels himself for art project

Ihaia Crookes with his 3.8m tall steel art piece Eternal Flame that stands at the front of his Koutu Rd home. Photo / Ben Fraser

Love found and lost has been immortalised in a 3.8m tall steel sculpture by a Rotorua artist.

Ihaia Crookes has the piece named Eternal Flame in the front yard of his house which has attracted attention on busy Koutu Rd.

Mr Crookes is a fitter welder by trade but started weaving steel tube into artwork in 2000.

"It started off as a cauldron. I was in a relationship and she wanted a cauldron and I made it for her. That was a year and a half ago," he said.

"The relationship didn't last. It wasn't meant to be but it was made out of love and was also made out of love lost. I went and turned it around and immortalised it in corten steel and named it Eternal Flame.

The piece has koru shapes cut out and spotlights installed which can be turned on at night.

"It has kind of sorted those feelings out. I'm going to sell it anyway. You don't want to have those memories around and I'm working on a new project," he said.

Mr Crookes said he spent most of his spare time on the weekends creating the piece.

"I had a vision in 2000 of a helix column and couldn't get it out of my head until I made it. I had never seen it out there before, especially out of steel.

"From then on I have been visualising what to make. Being a fitter welder by trade I like steel, that's my medium," he said.

"I have to express what I visualise or it keeps on bugging you and the only way to get rid of it is to make it."