Funded by the Trust — With the Auckland Museum
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To coincide with the Museum extensions in 2006, the then director of the museum, Dr Rodney Wilson, conceived the idea of sculptural works to flank the south entrance. Having successfully worked with the Outdoor Sculpture 2001 Inc. Society on a sculpture walk in the Auckland Domain, the Edmiston Trust was very favourable towards assisting the Museum with funding. Artists were invited to present their concepts and two were asked to present maquettes. Brett Graham's Whaowhia, was chosen to proceed. The sculpture sits well on its site and compliments the sculpture walk. "The project posed a demanding problem for sculptors: how to create works that would maintain their own contemporary character yet not conflict with the museum's Greek Revival architecture, resonant with the monumental dignity of ancient temples. Graham's thoughtful design proposed the form of traditional urns, sculpted in stone, to complement both the classical style and the fabric of the building. Read against the measured rhythms of the bays of the south façade, the symmetry of the sculptural vessels seems as much a part of the building as the Doric columns of the north portico. Yet, however much these forms may integrate with the architecture, the viewer is alerted to their independence because equilibrium is undermined by the different granites used – flecked white for the left vessel and Shanxi black for the right. The white tones in with the building's Portland stone while the black echoes the basalt tiles of the steps, and each is tied into the architecture by corresponding cladding on the plinths. But their disconcerting colour 'mismatch' destabilises the expectation of absolute mirror images. While they pay homage to classical symmetry, their subtle lack of conformity plays against architectural consistency and asserts an autonomous aesthetic." Reference: Elizabeth Rankin, Professor of Art History, Auckland University, "Vessels of Memory: Brett Graham's Whaowhia at the Auckland War Memorial Museum". Essay for Art New Zealand. No. 124 / SPRING 2007. Domain photograph by Brian Moorhead, courtesy of Focus New Zealand Photo Library Limited.
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