2004 Featherweight
2004 Featherweight
The feather … belies its materiality in that it looks suggestively light despite being cast from bronze….
Outside Performing Arts Building, University of Waikato, Hamilton
Commentary
Following Dibble’s practice of combining local culture and European art history, a huia feather leans elegantly against a vertical rod in Featherweight.
Huia feathers were prized as treasures by Māori and Pakeha, revered objects standing as symbols of mana and beauty. They were stored by Māori in wakahuia (wooden treasure boxes), were worn as head adornments, and became part of European ornithological collections.
The feather in Featherweight belies its materiality in that it looks suggestively light despite being cast from bronze and almost three metres tall. It is this perfect balance of form, material and composition that lends Featherweight its striking efficacy.
The artwork was commissioned by the University of Waikato to mark its 40th anniversary. It stands on the Hamilton campus beside the Performing Arts Building.