May 1 - July 1, 1979 Flight Fancies

“The idea of human flight has engaged the waking and the sleeping thoughts of many men since the beginning of history….. This exhibition and its associated activities will give viewers and participants an insight into some of the dreams and achievements and will hopefully lead to further individual pursuits and investigation.”

From the exhibition catalogue, 1979

There were a number of shows the Manawatu Art Gallery hosted to build an artistic community and encourage inclusion. “Flight Fancies” was one, this exhibition supplemented with a kite building workshop outside the gallery.

Keeping Alive Ancient Dreams of Freedom Through Flight, 1979 (often simply called the “Icarus” for ease) used the dye moving by circulating with a pump in attached tubing, around a figure cut from flat Perspex sheets, a row of feathers delineating wings. This work was re-birthed in 1995. The artist’s insistence on these pieces not just being repeated but retained shows the importance he placed on them within his work practice.