In the second of our posts on public art we look at Neil Dawson's Echo. Displaying a subtle orientation and reverence for site, Echo is one of the best pieces of public art in the country. Suspended 8m above the centre of the north quadrangle of the Christchurch Arts Centre, Echo appears to be drawn in the sky. As you walk around the quadrangle and look up the perspective reverses itself. At one moment the front of the building is seen from below and the next instant the view changes and the building is seen from above.
While Dawson is arguably our most experienced maker of public artworks, he is rarely consulted by the agencies that provide policy frameworks and funding for public art. Go figure.
Images: Neil Dawson, Echo, 1981, installation views, Christchurch Arts Centre
