New Whanganui sculpture brings mountains to the riverside

Greg Tuthill's Ennead sculpture has been installed on the Whanganui riverside north of Kōwhai Park. Photo / Bevan Conley

A new mountain range has appeared on the east side of the Whanganui River.

The steel sculpture was created by artist Greg Tuthill and was inspired by his childhood memories of observing mountains from Waiōuru and Ōhakune.

“My mother was a midwife in Waiōuru during the 1980s, and my childhood was spent largely in the Waiōuru and Ōhakune area at the base of Mt Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngāuruhoe,” he said.

“The clouds on the mountains, the rain and snow they produced would flow to the river and out to sea.”

Tuthill has named the sculpture Ennead after the nine deities of Egyptian mythology.

“I’m not much of a mathematician, but I had the number 9 in mind when I was planning the work.

“The side has a complete concentric nonagon shape — a snowflake and all the shapes I used are nine sided.”

Tuthill began working on the steel sculpture in 2020 and, although there had been delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the artist made productive use of his time.

He planned the structure using 3D printing technology and used weathering steel, which has the chemical composition to withstand atmospheric corrosion. Rust colours the surface, giving it an organic appearance while the structure remains resistant to the elements.

“I’m delighted with the location of the sculpture,” he said.

“People drive past it on their way to or from the mountains and lots of people walk past it every day.”

Tuthill said he recalled thinking about how the river flowed from the mountains during childhood visits to Whanganui.

Sculptor Greg Tuthill's sculpture Ennead seen from the riverside path. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui District Council creative community adviser Anique Jayasinghe said the sculpture was created with $8200 from the council’s public art fund.

“[The] fund supports emerging and established artists and promotes the delivery of contemporary and diverse public art to celebrate the distinctive environments, histories and communities of Whanganui,” she said.

“To receive funding, projects are required to have external match funding. Greg received funding to the value of $6000 from Extol Mastercraft Engineering for materials, fabrication and installation of the sculpture.”

Tuthill said he was grateful that Whanganui company Extol was willing to support the project.

“They do all my laser cutting for me and they’re a great business to work with.”

The artist, who lives in Palmerston North, plans to transition to Whanganui. His family own the century-old brick Plunket building in Campbell St, and are in the process of transforming it into their home.

An official opening and blessing for Ennead will be held when the plaque is set in the ground this year.

Liz Wylie is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. She joined the editorial team in 2014, and regularly covers stories from Whanganui and the wider region. She also writes features and profile stories.