A new kinetic sculpture has come to life in New Plymouth nearly 60 years after the acclaimed New Zealand artist Len Lye came up with the idea.
The newly constructed 'Convolutions', now showing at NPDC's Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and Len Lye Centre. Photo: Supplied
'Convolutions', which is now showing at the Len Lye Centre, consists of a 28-metre loop of stainless-steel strip travelling through a series of rollers extending from a wall.
It fills a gallery space spanning over 10 metres long and 5 metres high.
Len Lye Curator Paul Brobbel said it was a unique work for the artist and one which could evoke many responses from viewers.
"Len Lye imagined the work during the 1960s and left instructions for its future construction. Never one to shy away from grand scale, his sketches envisaged the work to be about 150 metres long and those in Taranaki are the very first to get a glimpse.
Brobbel said at the time, Lye acknowledged his vision could be decades away from being realised, saying that the work would be "pretty good for the 21st Century".
The curator said the gallery has worked with the Len Lye Foundation and fund-raising group Team Zizz! to bring the artist's vision to life.
Team Zizz! have so far funded three large-scale kinetic sculptures on display at the Len Lye Centre - Wand Dance, Sky Snakes and now Convolutions.
Len Lye Foundation Chair Susan Hughes said the support was invaluable.
"The three works represent the diverse genius of Len - from the frenzied bell chiming shimmy of Wand Dance, to the beauty of the snake-like shadows of Sky Snakes and now the mesmerising beauty of Convolutions," she said.
Convolutions is showing to the public until 8 May 2022.
