Rory McDougall of Hokitika has been awarded the top prize at the 2018 Rotorua Sculpture Symposium, beating out 15 other sculptors from around New Zealand.
Rory receives $10,000 prize money and his sculpture will become a permanent part of the Rotorua Sulphur Lake Sculpture Trail.
Rory’s winning work, entitled Waters of Rotorua, was chosen by a panel of three judges; master carver Clive Fugall, artist Eugene Kara and sculptor Joe Kemp. Their criteria included relationship to the theme Ngā Wai o Rotorua – The Waters of Rotorua, originality, technique and suitability for placement in the public arena.
Waters of Rotorua depicts a map of the Rotorua region. Made from Taranaki andesite stone, the grooves and concentric rings represent the 13 main bodies of water alongside the rivers and hills of the Rotorua area. People may also associate the sculpture with water ripples, mud pools and topographical maps.
For the first time, a new People’s Choice award will be open for public voting from 7 December 2018 until 17 February 2019. The 16 new artworks produced during the 2018 symposia have been placed around the Sulphur Lake Sculpture Trail, alongside five permanent sculptures from previous symposia. Visitors can walk the trail in Rotorua’s Government Gardens and then head to the Creative Rotorua Facebook page to vote for their favourite.
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