2013 Waiting for Godot

Birds have long been a part of Dibble’s work. But there is a period when they became the central part of his sculptures, the primary focus within the artworks.

Dibble’s birds have distinct personalities, and we sense they coexist in their own discussions, in a world we’re not part of. In Waiting for Godot, named after the famous Beckett play, two birds sit on a Corten steel framework. The fabricated beams and circles suggest an urban environment, locating the birds on architecture rather than in native forest.

The higher is the kererū (woodpigeon) in regal repose, while a huia crouches lower down. We sense that they are aware of each other but without an obvious conversation or perhaps talking past each other.

Purchased by Bronwyn Zimmerman, the artist’s gallery representative in Palmerston North, the sculpture sits at Zimmerman House in Church Street, on view for anyone passing.