Press release
A new public sculpture project has recently been installed at 39 Drews Ave. Entitled Peaceable Kingdom Whanganui, it consists of 3 sculptures of dogs sitting comfortably on wooden furniture high up on an outside wall of the building. The work is a collaborative project by Whanganui artists Brit Bunkley and Andrea Gardner.
The artists have stated:
Many historic cities have sculptures of animals imbedded in their architecture, whether it be in the form of grotesque gargoyles or impressive lions, bulls and horses perched on the facades of churches, palaces and government buildings.
We proposed to put some animals in the Whanganui CBD. The 3 dogs have been fabricated from 3D scans into a durable PLA plastic which then has been coated with epoxy. The indoor wooden furniture has been weatherproofed with polyurethane.
Our intention was for the sculptures to be unexpected, quirky, surrealistic and playful. The furniture creates a sense of “indoors” on an exterior wall. The animals might suggest city guardians or merely mischievous pets. And the fact that they are sitting on our furniture alludes to our close relationship with them.
The artists had previously installed an outdoor work with animal sculptures in the Auckland Botanic Garden also entitled Peaceable Kingdom.
The title comes from the Bible passage (often called “Peaceable Kingdom”) Isaiah chapter 11:
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The passage alludes to a peaceful, harmonious world where animals that are normally predator and prey sit side by side with each other. This passage can also be understood as a secular interpretation of eschatology (a part of theology concerned with the final events of history).
The artists wish to thank Duncan Matthews, Michael Cheyne, the Youth Services Trust, Ian Johnson at BPL, Ellen Young of the Town Centre Regeneration Project, The Public Art Fund and the Whanganui Creative Communities Scheme.
For further information:
Andrea Gardner 027 380 9061 dra.gardner@xtra.co.nz
Brit Bunkley 022 079 0242 brit.b@xtra.co.nz