Gone with the Wind: The Story of a Changing Art Culture

By Ashleigh Hutchinson
 

With the arrival of sculptures including Morpheus 2 by Phil Price, Blenheim is being dragged into the 21st Century. For those of you in Wellington, if you don’t recognize the name, you will certainly recognize Price’s sculptures including the ‘Space Needle’ that was famously shot down by lightning in Wellington last year, called Zephyrometer. You may also have seen the sculpture consisting of four oscillating green discs on Lambton Quay called Protoplasm and been enthralled by its mesmerizing wind-driven cyclical movement. Price also has some very impressive work on display in both Sydney and Melbourne. Nelson-born Price was recently commissioned by Marlborough Lines to create a kinetic sculpture for a pocket park opened in Blenheim. Pocket parks are part of an initiative to bring more communal green spaces to the Blenheim Town centre, small enough to fit in a car park, but big enough to facilitate 20 or so people. As a distributor of power, Marlborough Lines saw it fitting to commission a sculpture that relied on an energy as renewable and endless as the wind, the same way some of their suppliers rely on dams and wind turbines for energy. The synergy between these two outlets of power forms a truly seamless connection when channeled into a sculpture.

Aptly named Morpheus 2, this sculpture can induce a dreamlike state, much like its namesake- the Roman God of sleep and dreams. With its flawless confluence of machine and living organism, Morpheus 2 inspires contemplative reflection whilst relaxing in one of the many pocket parks that have recently popped up around Blenheim. Its hypnotic shifting through horizontal and vertical planes is something the likes of Blenheim has never seen before. With only about 5 sculptures on display in public spaces, Blenheim is behind the times with the significant absence of a Sculpture Trust. Years in the making, the Marlborough Sculpture Trust constantly faces the conservative nature of Blenheim citizens, and the political enmity of handing over power to only one source. Currently, decisions are difficult to come to due to the sheer number of people wanting to weigh in on the decisions. By having a Sculpture Trust, a select number of people with the town's best interests in mind and equipped with the knowledge and tools to make the best choices involving public space and council collections. The trust will prioritize the monitoring of donation of sculptures to the council collection based on their practicality for future public projects. This saves the pileup of unnecessary pieces in the council collection, and encourages more artwork to be taken out of storage for the public to see and enjoy. Unfortunately it has not succeeded thus far in realising these ambitions. In my opinion, Morpheus 2 marks the impending modernisation of the small town, along with the emergence of pocket parks, it signifies a forward-thinking, art-appreciating and contemplative mentality being adopted by most of its inhabitants.

Price demonstrates the universality of sculpture designed for nature by which his art can feel at home in urban jungle Wellington, and equally so in rural small-town Blenheim. For the first time, we see a prominent, bold sculpture that does not conform to any sort of stereotypical, patriotic form. Far from the classic grapes Marlborough is known for, Morpheus 2 brings a sophistication to the town and association with more advanced urban centres such as Wellington.  Ultimately, Morpheus 2 represents a paradigm shift in Blenheim’s artistic sphere, which is equally exciting and terrifying for its conservative citizens. It is a beautiful piece that has sparked discussion and growth- which is exactly what a good piece of art should achieve.

Photo taken by Germari Hersleman for the Marlborough Express. Phil Price with his sculpture Morpheus 2.