Renzo B. Larriviere (Peru) and Zara Pasfield (Australia), 2022
Evanescent is a temporary light-based sculpture installed across Pukekura Park’s Fountain Lake and Palm Lawn during the 2022-23 TSB Festival of Lights. Comprising 52 bubble-like forms constructed of iridescent dichoric film and lit from within by LEDs, the artists – Renzo B. Larriviere and Zara Pasfield, working collectively as Atelier Sisu – were inspired by the natural forces shaping the world around us.
The work responds to the recent pandemic and represents the temporary and transient nature of the world around us. A term that took on new meaning during lockdown, the idea of the bubble is, according to the artists “something fragile and beautiful that you need to appreciate in the moment.”
The glossy and multicoloured surface of the bubbles – resting fleetingly on the surface of the lake or piling up on the nearby lawn – recall the childhood sense of wonder at blowing soap bubbles, which had a similar luminescent surface but only a momentary lifespan. While the bubbles of Evanescent are more permanent, they capture that same sense of joy and amazement, and remind us that despite the challenges of recent years, there remains much to marvel in.
Evanescent is on display from 7 December 2022 – 22 January 2023 as part of the TSB Festival of Lights. The New Plymouth Art in Public Places Trust supported the work with $40,000.
