2007 To the Other Side

Creation stories and accounts of immortality are widespread among cultures throughout the world. Within New Zealand, Māui reigns as the demigod of favour, his antics and mischievous character a feature of many of this hero’s exploits. While God-like in his abilities, he is emphatically human in his emotions.

The figure in To the Other Side is an abstracted depiction of Māui, documenting his exploits to cheat death and obtain immortality.

The sculpture portrays the journey into an afterlife, a brave leaping, but also the stepping out into any unknown, overcoming fear and foreboding to find a better life beyond. It is thus a monument to courage.

Adorning the surface of the gateway are lizards, guardians in their mythical histories, giving luck to the voyageur on his journeys. At the very top is perched a strange bird, based in form on Korotangi (bird of sorrow), a sacred artifact carved in stone that is one of the most famous of tribal heirlooms. It is believed to have been carried on the ancestral Tainui waka (canoe) when it arrived in New Zealand. Korotangi is thought to be about four thousand years old of Asiatic - some believe specifically Japanese - origin. The bird’s appearance on the sculpture gives an undefined sense of time, of a history past and life stretching to the immortal.

Purchased by IPU New Zealand to mark their 20th anniversary, To the Other Side is positioned near the Administration Centre.