MIKE: Last Friday I was privileged to be invited to attend an event at the Milbank Gallery, when Hamish Horsley officially handed over to the WDC his sculpture, Transient Being, made out of Portland stone. The piece was created in the late 1990s, a period during which Hamish was working
on a prestigious project requested by the Tibet Foundation of London. Since 2001 the sculpture has stood in the foyer of NZ House, but, due to changes there, relocation became necessary. Hamish's own preference was for Whanganui, though the logistical problems involved seemed daunting, especially the transportation costs. However, the required $12,000 was raised by individual donations and a grant from the Leedstown Trust of Whanganui. After the Friday ceremony, Transient Being was on view to the public over the weekend, then re-crated, prior to its being placed in its new setting, the courtyard area behind the Davis Library. There were suggestions that it should be in a gallery, but Hamish is adamant that it needs to be outside.
"Stonework comes alive outdoors, showing light and shade much better than in a gallery indoors."
It was good to see Bill Milbank back, presiding over the realm of his intimate gallery, his short introduction followed by the official handing over by Hamish. The sculpture was accepted by Councillor Helen Craig, whose emotional thanks emphasised to all of us the importance and generosity of such a gift for our city. The ceremony concluded with a brief address by our MP, Harete Hipango, who reminisced about her childhood days in Putiki, the Horsleys and Hipangos being both neighbours and friends. When Hamish spoke, briefly outlining his travels in Tibet, and consequently his love for the land and its people, despite his quiet, low key delivery, I could feel a latent energy and his burning passion for that part of the world. So I asked if I could talk to him about it.
After a stint at the aviary, a stroke of my galah and a fleeting visit to the Bird Show, Saturday noon found me sitting on the deck behind Hamish's home, a magnificent view stretching away into the distance. Hills, valleys, trees — all refreshingly green, along with Mt Ruapehu standing proudly on the horizon. It was breathtaking. "Soul food," we agreed. As he talked, his love for Tibet was blindingly obvious, particularly when he described a spiritual journey he had undertaken. Mt Kailash, at 6638 metres about three quarters the height of Everest, is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. Nobody is allowed to climb to the summit. Nobody does. Pilgrims walk round the foot of the mountain, in a clockwise direction. Some actually constantly prostrate themselves — step forward, prostrate, stand and repeat! The circumambulation of one or two days can take them weeks. Nearby is Lake Mansarovar, also a spiritual location, and often the two are combined in a double pilgrimage. The lake is more than 4000m above sea level, and the plateau forms the source of five of the major rivers in Asia, including the Brahmaputra. For the Tibetans, land, light, rivers , mountains — all exemplify the power, grandeur, beauty and obvious importance of nature. Maori have a similar view of the world which we can understand especially here, where the awa now has its own identity.
Nature has the same impact on Hamish, who feels that we are aligned with it. Man is not its superior. It must be respected. These spiritual emotions are transferred into his sculptures, his ideas derived from the land and the four elements. In all his travels, landscapes have been predominant, and, coming home to Whanganui, he feels the same reverence for our mountains and rivers. When suffering from a serious back problem a few years ago, he told me, he would lie in bed, deriving so much comfort from his view of Ruapehu in the distance.
