Neil Dawson has hung a lot of sculpture in the air over the years. In Wellington there are at least three works suspended in public places, The Rock, Ferns and, until this weekend, Majestic Earth. One of the reasons Dawson can hang works in the air is because he insists on a regular maintenance schedule as part of the initial contract.
The last time we saw Neil was in Wellington late last year while he was doing a maintenance check on Ferns in Civic Square, so when we read in the newspaper that the earth part of Majestic Earth has fallen to the ground, we were surprised. Still, being in the when-good-sculpture-turns-bad business and having helped Neil install Majestic Earth, we went down to have a look.
The globe part of the sculpture had been removed, although it was pictured in this morning’s Dominion Post, but the cloud section remains along with a few hanging wires. As we took a couple of pics we were approached by the building manager who was not a happy camper. As he, Neil and the owners had all refused to comment to the Dominion Post, we asked if the work had had regular maintenance. In fact, we asked three times. His answer? A very firm, “YES IT HAS.”
Images: Left, Majestic Earth this morning, right, as reported in the Dominion Post
