Giant 'mirror blobs' to be installed next to Te Papa

CAPTIVATING KINETIC WORK: An artist's mock-up of how Peter Trevelyan's Mimetic Brotherhood will look when it is installed on Wellington's waterfront. It is the second 4 Plinths Sculpture Project.

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Four moving amoeba-like "mirror blobs" will provide a warped and ever-changing view of the waterfront when installed next to Te Papa.

The Wellington Sculpture Trust has selected Mimetic Brotherhood, by local artist Peter Trevelyan as the second 4 Plinths Sculpture Project.

The scheme uses bollards between Te Papa and Circa Theatre to showcase large-scale sculptures which are replaced every two years.

Trevelyan, 36, keeps ownership of the sculptures. He will be paid $25,000 by the trust to make the four works from hinged and mirrored equilateral triangles.

Each plinth will be enveloped by a mirrored blob, with hydraulics to make them slowly change shape. They will be installed in time for the start of the New Zealand Arts Festival in February.

"They are an ever-changing translation of their environment as the constantly shifting surfaces reflect the surroundings of the harbour and central Wellington area," Trevelyan said.

The idea of creating objects whose form is hard to discern came last year while he completed his fine arts masters degree at Massey University. "I wanted to make something that was deceptively confusing."

Six sculptors were invited to submit proposals for the project. Trevelyan was selected by the trust and a panel of artistic advisers.

Panel chairwoman Sue Elliott said the project threw up challenges of "scale, robustness and rigour that come with working in a tough environment and a highly visible public space".

The sculpture is expected to be seen by at least 1.2 million people.

Sculpture Trust chairman Neil Plimmer admits the "hugely creative" artwork could attract vandals. "But 99 per cent of Wellingtonians wouldn't dream of attacking art and we would tackle that problem [vandalism] if it occurs."

Mimetic Brotherhood will replace Green Islands, a series of plants and trees made with No 8 wire by Regan Gentry, which will be removed in January.