My first outdoor sculpture commission for Riverhaven Artland (Sculpture Park) in Clevedon, Auckland opened over Anniversary Weekend on the 24th January 2020.
Owned by the Blundell family for three generations the farms aim is to be “A place where nature greets art”, encouraging visitors to interact and respond with the living environment.
Upgrade, 2018 (discarded bridge railings, steel, dimensions variable)
These mundane moulded structures once supported the railing of Hingaia Bridge in Karaka, however their fractured frames were removed and replaced during it’s upgrade. They sit confidently now as sculptural forms, indicative of a potential that exists for matter and life to constantly transform, never complete, but continuing to unfold, to become something other than it was once intended to be.
This action examines what we value and what we choose to discard, seeing the importance of interrogating social convention and tradition to suggest the potential held in alternative perspectives.
I drive over Hingaia Bridge almost every day. After the install it was discovered this bridge was originally built in 1955 by a close Blundell family relative Uncle Whit, adding an uncanny, but beautiful family historical link to the work and its current site at Riverhaven in Clevedon.
Relevant to their original position in Karaka these works have been upgraded and now sit at an elevated datam level exactly 100% higher than their original site.
These are the materials in their found discarded state on the roadside where I first encountered them. 
Full size marquettes were made to test out vari installation strategies.
This project was thoroughly enjoyable. The Blundell family allowed me complete freedom, I even got to choose where on the farm I wanted my work to go. The farm has open days during the year and can be viewed by appointment.
I am proud to have been offered the opportunity for my work to sit in this picturesque environment amongst other talented artists, where it has the potential to be viewed by a larger audience. This experience taught me a lot about the considerations required to plan and install an outdoor permanent work, it seems to me that an artists practice takes time to establish and each show, each project teaches me something new adding to my experience and confidence along the way. I am looking forward to see how the work develops over time as it settles into its new site.
Mel Arnold 