Aetherium Ancestral Vale.
1999 -2019
My first public commission, in 1999, was to create a work for the Atrium at Botany Town Centre. My brief required the work acknowledge Kauri that had formerly grown in the East Tamaki area; I was to create a Kauri Forest Canopy and Forest Floor. The installation of Kauri trunks and canopy included seven Nikau Fronds. The complex work was suspended to begin 4 metres above the floor. Below each trunk, a corresponding bronze spiral was installed in the forest floor of Terrazite, as an invisible connection to the growth rings within the suspended trunks. Kauri forests have been significant throughout my life. Growing up in Ohaeawai, Northland, the nearby Waipoua Forest was a place I treasured. I was allowed a day off school on the days my dad visited the forest, to protect the the illegal removal of Kauri Gum.Kauri Forest Canopy and Floor was an exciting commission and took around a year to complete. I have footage of my two sons and I having jigsaw races cutting the macrocarpa components.
The forest is one of my favourite places. It always seemed to be Summer with cicada song. I loved the dark green canopy blocking out the sky, the coolness of lush ferns and the leafy smell of the bush. I loved its beauty, the strength and majesty of the trees. The visits introduced me to the spirit of Kauri. After his return from WW1 my dad, Frances Leo Ryan lived in Northland. In 1929 he was appointed to the Northland Maori Council with Sir Aparina Ngata and was reappointed every four years until 1940. It’s my understanding that their role was the protection of the Northland Kauri Forests and to provide Marae with fresh drinking water. He remained committed to the protection of Kauri until his death.
In August 2019 I was contacted by the Botany administration who advised my work was to be de-commissioned. This gave me the opportunity to retrieve, modify and revive the work.
The canopy and trunks have now become a new work… a spirit forest Aetherium Ancestral Vale, installed in the Kahikatea grove at Brick Bay
Dimensions: Height varies between 9.5m and 5.5m x 900mm tapering to 600mm.
Materials: Aluminium and perforated 3mm Aluminium sheet, laser cut. Five individual suspended ghost trunk works.