Sorry this event has been and gone
Auckland born artist Finn Ferrier has long been exploring his
city with the eyes of a collector, picking up rocks and tracing
their genealogy. Drawn from the environment of Auckland itself,
this basic material has been quarried, crushed, cut and
redistributed to build and re-build the urban landscape. This
physical transformation both shapes and reflects human modes of
engagement with the land.
Through image and text, in the
attached pages Ferrier offers us a walk, a stroll through
parts of the central city which, in turn, becomes a stroll through
moments of the wider city's history. Stone fragments and
observations collected along the route are offered as souvenirs, or
perhaps evidence, encouraging us to experience the city as a
landscape strewn with clues to its past.
The phrase 'written in stone' usually describes something fixed
- inflexible and unchanging. Ferrier's ongoing and obsessive
interest in this material highlights the city as a landscape in
continual flux, constantly changing to accommodate its inhabitants.
His interest in details of street design and landscaping draws
attention to often overlooked elements that inform our daily
engagement with the cityscape and often embody deep emotional
connections. Hovering between the factual and the romantic,
Ferrier's observations highlight the blurred line between the
landscape as a source of stories and a vehicle for our own.
Download the image and text for
Ferrier's work, Look, Here.
Artist walk: Join Finn Ferrier for a city
walk, 2pm, Sun 20 March. Meet at Emily Place Reserve.
IMAGE: Courtesy of the Artist
Commissioned by Auckland Arts Festival.