From New Zealand Department of Conservation website, 19 May 2004
Wellington Harbour goes to the wall
An educational mural being painted on the Oriental Beach seawall will highlight environmental issues facing Wellington Harbour and brighten the beach area for pedestrians and beach goers.
The mural is a joint venture between the Wellington City Council and the Department of Conservation (DOC), with work to start on Monday. The result will be a 70-metre underwater seascape on the curved retaining wall between Freyberg Pool and the Oriental Bay Rotunda, with marine creatures that visit or live in the harbour – whales, dolphins, seals, fish and seaweeds – painted on plywood and attached to the wall. It will be launched on June 25,.
Local artist Ellen Coup has been commissioned to paint the background element of the mural and is enthusiastic about the project.
“It’s the best sort of art, joining art, science and the community. For a lot of us on land, the marine environment is a mystery. This mural should make it easier to understand – as well as making the Oriental Bay pedestrian experience more colourful,” she says.
Another four artists are painting the creatures that will inhabit the mural. The artists have been working with local marine scientists from Te Papa and NIWA to make sure the creatures look as realistic as possible, and DOC will provide signs with information about the species on display. Resene has provided discounted paint for the mural, and Benchmark Building Supplies has donated the plywood.
Council Community Arts Co-ordinator Eric Holowacz says that while the mural will improve the appearance of the seawall, the key aim of the mural is to educate, and the ability to change the creatures on the wall will allow education to be ongoing.
DOC Community Relations Programme Manager Dairne Poole says the mural allows for a unique meeting of science and art.
“It’s a creative work of public art and an educational science tool. It will provide unique opportunities to develop in-school and community education programmes. The ability to change the creatures on it is a great opportunity to highlight local environmental issues as time goes by.
“I guess you could say that we’d rather have the mural than the harbour going to the wall. That’s really the point of the exercise,” she says.
For further details please contact:
Eric Holowacz, Community Arts Coordinator tel 385 1929 or mob 027 416 2190
Dairne Poole, DOC Community Relations Project Manager tel 470 8433
Phil Barclay, Council Communications, tel 801 3114 or mob 027 601 3121. 19 May 2004
An educational mural being painted on the Oriental Beach seawall will highlight environmental issues facing Wellington Harbour and brighten the beach area for pedestrians and beach goers.
The mural is a joint venture between the Wellington City Council and the Department of Conservation (DOC), with work to start on Monday. The result will be a 70-metre underwater seascape on the curved retaining wall between Freyberg Pool and the Oriental Bay Rotunda, with marine creatures that visit or live in the harbour – whales, dolphins, seals, fish and seaweeds – painted on plywood and attached to the wall. It will be launched on June 25,.
Local artist Ellen Coup has been commissioned to paint the background element of the mural and is enthusiastic about the project.
“It’s the best sort of art, joining art, science and the community. For a lot of us on land, the marine environment is a mystery. This mural should make it easier to understand – as well as making the Oriental Bay pedestrian experience more colourful,” she says.
Another four artists are painting the creatures that will inhabit the mural. The artists have been working with local marine scientists from Te Papa and NIWA to make sure the creatures look as realistic as possible, and DOC will provide signs with information about the species on display. Resene has provided discounted paint for the mural, and Benchmark Building Supplies has donated the plywood.
Council Community Arts Co-ordinator Eric Holowacz says that while the mural will improve the appearance of the seawall, the key aim of the mural is to educate, and the ability to change the creatures on the wall will allow education to be ongoing.
DOC Community Relations Programme Manager Dairne Poole says the mural allows for a unique meeting of science and art.
“It’s a creative work of public art and an educational science tool. It will provide unique opportunities to develop in-school and community education programmes. The ability to change the creatures on it is a great opportunity to highlight local environmental issues as time goes by.
“I guess you could say that we’d rather have the mural than the harbour going to the wall. That’s really the point of the exercise,” she says.
For further details please contact:
Eric Holowacz, Community Arts Coordinator tel 385 1929 or mob 027 416 2190
Dairne Poole, DOC Community Relations Project Manager tel 470 8433
Phil Barclay, Council Communications, tel 801 3114 or mob 027 601 3121. 19 May 2004