Flour Power, 2008
Flour Power, by Regan Gentry, was the first new public sculpture to be commissioned by the Christchurch City Council’s Public Art Advisory Group. Funding for the work was made available from the Council’s Public Art Fund and a substantial donation from Adrienne, Lady Stewart and the Estate of the late Sir Robertson Stewart.
Flour Power is the Trust's seventh permanent artwork in Christchurch. Gentry describes his work fondly as a ‘centerpiece’ for Stewart Plaza, “….as if a friendly giant has walked through the garden city gathering lampposts like flowers and tying them into a bunch with a car tyre.”
Flour Power is an impressive artistic statement; distinctive for both its formal qualities and commentary on the changing nature of New Zealand cities. As Gentry describes, “In Canterbury, fields of crops have given way to fields of houses. Rows of wheat have been replaced by rows of streetlights. Farm tractors have grown smaller and multiplied exponentially, growing sleeker and faster, modified to ‘pull chicks’ instead of ploughs.”
Adrienne, Lady Stewart says, “the funding support confirms this city’s commitment to develop quality public artworks."
Flour Power was generously supported by:
Christchurch City Council's Public Art Fund
Adrienne, Lady Stewart and the Estate of the late Sir Robertson Stewart
With special thanks to:
Anderson Lloyd Lawyers, Beca, Boffa Miskell, Chambers PR, Fletcher Construction, Heritage Management Services and Phil Price
Image: Flour Power, Regan Gentry (2008)
Photographer: Brendan Lee
SCAPE 2008 Christchurch Biennial
Copyright Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu