Hamilton's iconic Riff Raff statue was re-unveiled at its temporary home at the Waikato Museum yesterday. Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate and former National MP Tim Macindoe couldn't help it but join Sandra Jensen and Adrian Holroyd in doing the Time Warp (again). Video / Danielle Zollickhofer
Hamilton's iconic Riff Raff statue has taken a jump to the left and found its temporary home in front of the Waikato Museum.
The statue depicts actor Richard O'Brien's character from his cult movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show and has been standing at Embassy Park since 2004. It was removed mid-October last year when work on the new Waikato Regional Theatre started.
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate re-unveiled the statue at a small ceremony yesterday and said she was glad to put this "iconic piece of art" back on display.
"It is one of Hamilton's most photographed pieces of art. It's engaging and creative, so I think it is in the right spot here in front of the Waikato Museum.
"It's a great place for a selfie ... [that provides] a good snapshot of Hamilton ... so I think we can expect another deluge of Riff Raff pictures."
The short ceremony took place with few guests, including former Hamilton MP Tim Macindoe (now an ambassador for Momentum Waikato), council staff and Riff Raff Public Art Trust representatives.
Before re-unveiling the statue, Rocky Horror fans Sandra Jensen and Adrian Holroyd performed the iconic Time Warp from the movie - an infectious performance causing Southgate and Macindoe to join in.
The statue, commissioned by Weta Workshop and organised by The Riff Raff Public Art Trust, commemorates the development and the writing of the movie. O'Brien lived in Hamilton and worked next door to the site of the now-demolished Embassy Theatre.
Chairman of The Riff Raff Public Art Trust, Mark Servian, said O'Brien himself chose the location in front of the museum.
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate and Rocky Horror fan Sandra Jensen with the re-unveiled Riff Raff statue. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
"We thought of putting it up at Clarence Street [Theatre], but Richard suggested the museum. He wanted the statue to go to a place with sufficient mana, so it was either here or at Garden Place."
Hamilton City Council facilities manager Brett Burley took care of the logistics and said the statue received a new concrete base.
"We couldn't save the previous concrete, because we had to chip him out. The statue is incredibly heavy, I don't know any exact numbers, but we needed nine men to move it."
Work is under way to also move the famous Riff Raff live webcam to the museum. The webcam was installed by the trust in 2009 so that people can see the statue from anywhere in the world.
With Embassy Park now closed through to early-2024 to support the construction of the new Waikato Regional Theatre, council is using the time to redesign the park to complement the new theatre's entrance, create another connection through the city to the Waikato River and showcase the Riff Raff statue.
