A spaghetti junction?

Featherston's main street could have a new $40,000 sculpture in place by Christmas - but only if the community gives the nod.

Artist Konstantin Dimopoulos has been selected by the Aratoi Foundation to create the sculpture, after the organisation decided to up its presence outside Masterton.

The Foundation is raising money for a series of sculptures - Featherston's will be first.

"We wanted to involve others, to get people in South Wairarapa and Carterton interested in Aratoi," said board member Jane Terpstra.

The proposed sculpture, which would be built in the small park between the library and public toilets, is a series of seven to eight metre ochre-yellow metal rods tipped with golden brown which would be lit from underneath and around.

Mr Dimopoulos said in his concept proposal that he wanted the sculpture to reflect the Wairarapa wetlands in their "dynamic and mesmeric nature".

Mrs Terpstra said the Foundation was lucky to have Mr Dimopoulos involved in the project, as he was quickly gaining an international reputation.

"Some of his works are absolutely unbelievable, we're getting pretty much a bargain price for that work, as he is becoming very well known throughout the world."

Featherston councillor Solitaire Robertson said South Wairarapa District Council would be chipping in for some costs, such as landscaping, but thought they would be minimal.

The council's role, said Ms Robertson, was to get the community on board with it.

"If there's bitter opposition to it maybe there would be a rethink ... it's art, so it's never going to be to everyone's liking."

Ms Robertston said she loved the concept, particularly the idea of people being invited to push through the sculpture.

"All too often we get that, 'don't touch that, it's art' thing."

Ms Robertston also said the sculpture, made of non-corrosive metal composites, would withstand Featherston's wind and not need a lot of maintenance.

A Facebook page has been set up for community to give feedback, and has already attracted some comments.

"Personally I don't like this. It looks more like vermicelli pasta than wind grass. But to each their own," said one person.

"I don't like it, but art's in the eye of the beholder, to me it looks like what aliens would beam down to pick someone up," said another.

Other comments were more positive, with "eye-catching" and "cool" used to describe it.

The Featherston Community Board would like feedback on the designs before August 10 - forms are available from the library, or comments can be left on www.facebook.com/FeatherstonPublicSculpture.