For some time now Wellington has used Neil Dawson’s suspended sculpture Ferns as a symbol of the city and its cultural aspirations. The same strategy looks like it is taking hold in New Plymouth where Len Lye’s Windwand is featured on the sign welcoming you into the city.
Sculpture has always been used to mark historic moments for communities, but now it’s also being brought into play as a metaphor for culture. Like Ferns, Lye’s Windwand even has its own website with a cute logo that has the i in Windwand waving about like a mini-lye. Meanwhile in London there are plans afoot to build the biggest (and possibly ugliest) sculpture in the world to mark the Olympic Games. You can see a video and read all about it here.
