Bathing Figure - Studio Sequence
Scape Festival, Christchurch 2016
A naked sculpture by Christchurch artist Samuel Harrison has been unveiled at the Christchurch Arts Centre.
Bathing Figure is the final piece to be announced for the Presence exhibition, run by SCAPE Public Art. Its Harrison's first public presentation in New Zealand. The work, in Market Square, is made of concrete and features a naked female lying on a boulder.
Harrison said the piece was exposed and vulnerable. "It is raw and it is naked, but it's not like a nude."
He was inspired when warming up on some hot river rocks after swimming with friends in the Okuku River in North Canterbury last Christmas. An image formed in his mind, but he had no reason to create it until SCAPE asked for a piece for Presence. Harrison cast the boulder mould at the river over two days, using the river water to mix the plaster. A model lay on a replica of the boulder while Harrison sketched her. He created a plaster figure from the sketches, made moulds for the concrete. The concrete casting was done in the backyard of Christchurch sculptor Llew Summers.
Harrison said using concrete gave the sculpture a lasting quality that would get better with time.
"I love it. It's durable, it sort of has the physical quality that I love about sculpture."
He created the work on a tight timeframe.
"I was a little bit terrified because there were only like nine weeks until SCAPE."
Managing curator of SCAPE Heather Galbraith said Harrison's pieces were "gutsy, but also very sophisticated". It was these qualities that meant they could hold attention in an outdoor space.
"I think that all of his works have quite an extraordinary presence."
REVIEWS
Bathing Figure by Sam Harrison for SCAPE Public Art Season 2016
Sam Harrison’s Bathing Figure to Complete SCAPE Public Art’s Season 2016 Exhibition: Presence