Bigger is better for sculptor

By RACHEL IVES Waiariki journalism student
For sculptor Allan Williams bigger is definitely better.

His series of human figures cast in concrete stand 1.5m high and clock the scales at a massive 500kg. When in the mould, the complete unit weighs a tonne and he needs a block and tackle to manoeuvre it.

"I have occasionally had to use a towrope attached to a truck, to pull rock up to a standing position."

He has given new meaning to larger-than-life with his outsized pieces and he finds them more powerful and dynamic than smaller creations.

"People are drawn to large pieces of rock by the gravitational pull wielded by the considerable mass. A larger sculpture is also more carving for the money spent. People feel they are getting more value for their dollar, so in that regard, they are easier to sell."

He has been sculpting since the first New Zealand Sculpture Symposium at Western Springs in 1986 and carved his largest piece overseas - a 3.5 tonne female figure in London.

Allan's sculptures are usually human shapes, carved in an impressionist style, with people appearing to emerge from rough-hewn stone.

He uses many methods to move the stone, including a crowbar and rollers and his own forklift.



The carving is hard on tools, after smashing numerous wooden mallet handles over time, Allan now uses a steel car axle as a handle for his mallet and the tip of his chisel was commandeered from a footpath jackhammer.

Allan manages to make a living from his art, selling mainly to private collectors.