Sean Crawford unveils his sculpture The Head of John Doe. It is outside Te Manawa Art Gallery. Photo / Judith Lacy
Sean Crawford unveils his sculpture The Head of John Doe. It is outside Te Manawa Art Gallery. Photo / Judith Lacy
Widows often have photos of their late husbands on a table or wall. But when you are a doe you might find your dead buck returned to you via the taxidermist.
The Palmerston North Public Sculpture Trust's latest addition to the city, The Head of Joe Doe, wasunveiled on Sunday by its creator Sean Crawford.
The Corten steel sculpture is made up of a doe fabricated from male huia icons and the trophy head of a buck, fabricated from female huia icons. The trophy head symbolises conquest over the natural world.
The sculpture is between the Palmerston North Conference & Function Centre and Te Manawa Art Gallery.
Sean Crawford and his sculpture. There is a direct line of sight from the raised head of the doe to the eyes of the buck, suggesting an almost Romeo and Juliet relationship. Photo / Judith Lacy
Crawford likes to juxtapose in his work the forms of introduced species with indigenous flora or fauna, reflecting the impact of human contact with the natural world. The last confirmed sighting of a live huia was in 1907 in the Tararua Range. He says huia have almost become the artistic poster child of our impact on indigenous species.
His rural Carterton studio looks on to the foothills of the Tararua Range. The New Zealand bush and the contradictions of our colonial past continue to be rich sources of inspiration for his work.
Wiremu Te Awe Awe and Nuwyne Te Awe Awe Mohi bless the sculpture on behalf of Rangitāne. Photo / Judith Lacy
Crawford has a Bachelor of Design and has been a fulltime sculptor since 2003. He could draw before he could walk, or so the family story goes. Growing up in Wellington and holidaying in Wairarapa, he spent his summer holidays helping out on farms with livestock and pest control.
Mayor Grant Smith said the public sculpture trustees were absolute stalwarts for public art in the city. He thanked them for their love of the city and for giving back in so many ways.
Since Numbers in Coleman Mall was unveiled in 2007 the number of sculptures in the city had been steadily multiplying, Smith said. "Image if we didn't have them."
The sculptures fit with the city's vision to be vibrant and appealing and Crawford has joined the exclusive and distinguished public art club.
