Britt Bunkley's sculpture Hear my train a comin' has been chosen to emerge from the ground on the Whanganui riverbank.
At least 100 people crammed into the central room of Wanganui's new information centre to hear the Sculpture Wanganui 2011 judge's choice last night - and open a new exhibition upstairs at the Quay Gallery.
There were cheers when Bunkley's name was read out. He is a senior lecturer at Whanganui Ucol and has lived in Wanganui for 16 years. He will receive $50,000 to make the sculpture, which will be placed on the riverbank near Daniel Clifford's Balancing Act.
Judge Mercedes Vincente, the curator of contemporary art at New Plymouth's Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, said Bunkley's work was tight and rigorous, formally and conceptually. She liked its references to local history.
"What ultimately drew me to this work is its site specificity to Wanganui's historical context, both in its subject (referencing Wanganui as the former centre of the railroad workshops) and use of materials (the pavers of Main Street that resonate with the bricks found along the riverbank)."
The work was a nostalgic and celebratory embracing of local history, she said, as well as being about the potential rejuvenation of an old form of transport.
Waharua/Two mouths, a sculpture by Phil Murray and Diccon Round, got the most votes from Wanganui people and won the Community Award, a prize of $5000. This year's contest drew 24 entries, and Wanganui Mayor Annette Main said its momentum was growing. "I've had lots of feedback on how much people are enjoying them," she said.
Bunkley artwork wins riverbank spot
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