Wellingtons largest sculpture "Lightwing" is now installed and has been officially unveiled.
The $250,000 sculpture, located on the Seaview/Gracefield roundabout, is a result of a five year collaboration project between the Hutt City Council, the E Tu Awakairangi Hutt Public Art Trust, the Seaview Business Association and local businesses.
Lightwing stands 6 metres high, 10 metres wide and is made of 20 tonnes of steel. The concept of Lightwing came about when the Seaview Business Association and Hutt City Council were searching for a way to create an identity for Seaview.
The artist behind Lightwing is Andrew Thomas who describes the sculpture “Lightwing draws itself from many aspects of the environment. Each feather form is a stylisation of the finer feathers that make up the wing of the Matuku Moana (White faced Heron), which can be found at the river mouth and shoreline of this area. From the soft repeating curves of the layered hills that recede beyond Wainuiomata to the Wairarapa - to the many curves forming the Waiwhetu stream that winds its way through the valley - on to the many shifting curves of the waves reflecting the movements of the tides".
Due to the large expense of the sculpture,local business from the Seaview/Gracefield area were approached to see if they could contribute, MJH Engineering, Seaview Blasting, Dulux and GK Shaw Seaview helped keep costs down by building the steel work, doing the installation, painting and blasting.
A lighting plan is currently being worked on so the sculpture will be illuminated at night.