2009 Under the Harbour
2009 Under the Harbour
“The sculpture needed to fit along the wall of the walkway, with a piece towering above to an overhead car park, so it could be seen … either from the store’s extension through the glass entrance, walking through the passageway, or looking down from the car parking areas above.”
Outside Moore Wilson supermarket, corner of Tory and College Streets, Te Aro, Wellington
Commentary
The Tory Street site on which Moore Wilson built their supermarket premises was originally home to Thomson, Lewis & Company Soft Drink Manufacturers, one of the main soft drink producers in Wellington.
When Thomson, Lewis & Company sold their business, the bore was capped, but the bore water was still accessible inside the Moore Wilson building. When the business modified their building, they made a walkway, conveniently sited to allow people to cut through when heading back towards the waterfront, effectively making a public venue created by private sponsors. Wanting to recognise the history of the site, they commissioned Dibble to make a sculpture that portrayed the story, and they installed a tap for people to freely take water.
Dibble’s final design was a sculpture in several components providing a loose narration. It includes a figure, referencing the sculptures of Matisse, with fluid languid lines. The figure leans upon a giant bottle scaled up from the ones that would have been part of the bottling plant. Next is a giant version of the divining rod, stretching up to the level above. And last a giant fish-head, referencing the legend of Māui fishing up the North Island, whimsically carrying in his mouth a ribbon that tells the story of the water travelling through its ancient route under seas and hills to reach this spot.