A new work of public art arrived into Potters Park by crane overnight on 13 June, causing walkers, runners and commuters to double-take as the sun rose across the park on 14 June.
Created by New Zealand-born and internationally-acclaimed artist Ronnie van Hout, Boy Walking stands 5.6 metres tall and depicts a child striding confidently.
Artist Billy Apple lives in the neighbourhood. He is a friend of van Hout, and the much-admired creator of the 2011 Rugby World Cup public artworks: Wairepo Swamp Walk and Corner Post at Eden Park.
“I think Boy Walking is great for the kids who play there. I’d like to think they may put down their cell phones and take a walk in the park,” says Apple, “and maybe do a bit of daydreaming.”
“Boy Walking might also stimulate conversations among children about art,” he says.
Potters Park was gifted to the city more than 100 years ago by philanthropist Frederick Potter, for local residents and especially children to enjoy.
Boy Walking will join the city’s smallest work of public art by John Radford, called The Sound of Rain. It is a tiny house with a whimsical crooked chimney in the north-west corner, a playground and an apple grove – also in Potters Park.
Van Hout says the Boy Walking figure is a confident young person in a liminal moment; a moment of transition and movement.
“In literal terms, this is an eleven or twelve-year-old child, but it could be anyone. We’re all constantly becoming. We’re always learning. Always moving forward.”
Billy Apple applauds Local Board Chair Peter Haynes who has long championed the arts. The Albert-Eden Local Board is a strong supporter of public art in the area and has major works by Apple, Seung Yul Oh (OnDo, a much-loved work soon being returned to the area) and now van Hout.
“Public art enlivens our neighbourhoods, helps build a sense of identity and encourages connections in our communities,” says Haynes.
