HARTIGAN, Paul, 1953-
Colony (Sculpture)
Challenged by Art Collection curator Michael
Dunn to make his best work for the
Engineering atrium in 2002, Elam-graduate
Paul Hartigan surpassed his earlier, multicoloured
forays into neon. Named the best
public sculpture in Auckland in 2006, Colony
has its origin in the artist’s memory of drifting
in a long boat beneath the vaulted ceiling of
glowworm lights on a childhood visit to
Waitomo Caves. Despite the quotidian nature
of the commission, Paul's sculpture still
impresses with its energy and impact, the
hectic squiggles of persimmon-coloured light
miraculously produced by bent glass tubes
mired in cement.