Peter Cramond: Trust Buys Rena Sculpture

Peter's heartfelt response to the greed and stupidity by those responsible for the disaster talks about the mass destruction of wildlife and damage to his beloved, usually pristine, Papamoa Beach.

The Papamoa Beach gateway.

Depicted are dead birds made of clay nailed to the gateway and a small sculpted head of the artist alongside.

The gateway managed to survive over the Summer of 2011-12 but in another act of stupidity unthinking vandals destroyed a meaningful work that had a timely message for all New Zealanders.

In November 2012 at the Craig's I.P. Strand Sculpture Symposium Peter publically sculpted an evocative frieze style piece depicting the release of the Rena damaged penguins at the Mount Beach in February 2012.

The sculpture has been purchased by the Garden and Arts Festival Trust to be gifted to the people of the Bay of Plenty for public display.

It is hoped that other interested parties, including the Tauranga City Council, will also help contribute to the cost of the sculpture and its installation.

Peter Cramond's sculpted frieze depicting the release of the penguins.

It's an important work of art for our local area and can be seen as a thank you to all those who helped with the Rena clean-up.

It is also a powerful reminder for those in government, specifically those who have the power to regulate, that we need to take care of our precious environment.

I look forward to seeing the sculpture again when decisions have been made for its blessing and placement.

You can see more of Peter's work at http://www.petercramond.com/

by Pete Morris (December, 2012)

Pete Morris is an occasional painter and an art lover. He is a freelance writer with a particular interest in promoting the visual arts in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty.