The Flooded Mirror

This artwork tells an abstract sound-story about the connections and interconnections between the sea, geology and humans, located at the start of Wynyard Crossing pedestrian bridge between Karanga Plaza and Te Wero Island. It is one of a pair of artworks alongside Silt Line – a nearby architectural work, leading down to the water's edge from Karanga Plaza.

Shearer created a soundscape inspired by mineral structures, as a metaphor for processes that affect land formation, geological strata, culture and communities. The sound operates on 10-minute time loop every six hours, that matches the ebb and flow of the tide. Within the 10-minute loop, an ongoing wave of sound washes over the listener, with sections of sound that build, reach a peak and then recede.

This public art project was one of a series of commissions for the new North Wharf promenade leading in to Auckland's Wynyard Quarter. Shearer has described the work as, "an aural map of… ancient general histories and specific recent histories".