Papageno at Hamilton Gardens
The Picturesque Garden at Hamilton Gardens makes reference to the story of The Magic Flute. Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1791, just months before his death, the fairy tale opera tells of a hero’s journey through trials to enlightenment and love.
Anneke was commissioned to sculpt Papageno. He is a bird-catcher who sells his birds to the Queen of the Night. He’s a simple guy who just dreams of having a girlfriend!
Time Court at Hamilton Gardens
The first Three sculptures that were commissioned by the Hamilton Gardens were the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter and the Dormouse from the Alice in Wonderland book. The Time Court has a big sundial on the paving and is linked to several other gardens. The Mad Hatters tea party was to link all these areas with each other. The White Rabbit known for always being late has a pocket watch in his hand, but the pocket watch is melting in the Surrealist way of Salvador Dali. The mad Hatter has an Orchid in his lapel to link with the Tropical Garden and is holding a Chinesery teapot to link with the Chinesery Garden. The dormouse was happily pooping out of the teapot.
Then when next funds were available they commission Alice, she was sculpted in the same style with additional cups and saucers for the tea party.
Photography by Emma Brittenden.
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More images available upon request.
Tudor Gardens at Hamilton Gardens
Sculptures were commissioned by Hamilton Gardens to decorate the Tudor Gardens with Heraldic Figures. Eight themes were chosen and the design process started. Once designs were approved the sculpting commenced. As per Tudor custom, these sculptures that would have been wooden carved were painted afterwards by another contractor. In the case of the Hamilton Gardens Tudor figures, they are bronze cast and painted to resemble the effect with a much more durable material of construction.
The figures were chosen from the Tudor period and include Bottom from “a Midsummer night’s dream” by William Shakespeare. The shields are decorated by the family crests of the sponsors of the pieces.
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Dubai Mall Falcons
During Anneke’s second stint in Dubai she was commissioned to sculpt 8 lifesize falcons through a theming company, by Emaar for the Dubai mall. They are installed in the gold souk in an atrium.
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The concept was derived from the stages of Falconry: the falcon is at rest prior to flight, getting excited yet still hooded, unhooded, taking off, flight in different stages, coming in for the kill and finally, at rest catching its breath.
These sculptures were sculpted in Dubai and the moulds shipped to New Zealand where they were cast in bronze.
Auckland Plastic Surgical Centre
The commission had to do with creating a Corporate Identity for the Surgical Centre. The idea of a rebirth was presented to the client with 3 paintings to illustrate the rebirth and finally with a bronze cast imbedded in a resin pool as the main piece for their sign board. I was commissioned to both the sculpting and Painting for the project. Working with plastic surgeon on a piece like this was very insightful in terms of what beauty is and how we perceive it.
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Individual Commissions
A selection of commissions created for a range of individuals.
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Gabe was the beloved dog of a couple that wanted to have him immortalised in Bronze. He was a scaled down sculpture in high detail capturing the character of Gabe as he will always be remembered.
As one of the sculptors casing with the foundry, I was requested to sculpt a scaled up version of the Tongan crown as decorative pieces for the King of Tonga’s residence in Auckland. The crown was about 800mm wide.
The Marlborough research Centre commissioned Anneke to create a trophy with a strong link to the area. The New Zealand Falcon is a celebrated icon of the wining industry in Marlborough that was used as a central piece. Cast in bronze in sits in an egg shaped acrylic trophy.
This piece was hatched from a commission for a quirky sculpture with a use. The dragon holds a bottle opener in his teeth. He is a bit of fantasy, a bit of fun and a lot of use. Dragons puts a spell on us, we want to believe them to be real, how could they be not? Look deep into their eyes and you will believe them as real as Anneke did while sculpting this one. Edition of 11.
This piece was born from a commission for a quirky sculpture with a use. The concept is to reintroduce beauty to the household item. These heads can be mounted together or individually. Their treatment captures the movement and brings the wild outdoors inside .The style is loose and free. They are pieces that appeals to the lifestyle, reconnecting with nature, reconnecting with craftsmanship and having pride in what we surround ourselves with. Bronze. Open edition