beacon
BEACON(2020)
Permanent Public Sculpture Commission, Milford Reserve, Auckland, NZ
Titled Beacon, the sculpture symbolises and reflects the significant and courageous achievements of suffragettes in the past and lights the way for present and future pathways for women.
“We are tired of having a ‘sphere’ doled out to us, and of being told that anything outside that sphere is ‘unwomanly’” Kate Sheppard in her fight for equal recognition of women in New Zealand in the late 1800s: the sentiment forms part of the inspiration for the artwork.
With a symbolic violet camellia silhouette at its core and standing 2.5-metres tall, the striking mirrored surface provokes and plays with light, colour and reflections during both day and night. The white camellia was a symbol of New Zealand’s suffrage movement and the colour violet was adopted by suffrage petitioners to represent dignity and self-respect. At night a soft violet hue washes over Beacon and shafts of light beam into the sky, honouring the vision, tenacity and leadership of Kate Sheppard, while speaking to contemporary themes of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Beacon conveys a message in celebration of the legacy of Kate Sheppard, the suffragettes and women everywhere.
