Sliver

Large in size yet delicate in its detailing, this artwork adds visual interest to the busy retail corner of Khyber Pass and Broadway in Newmarket. The reflective stainless steel disc is marked with hundreds of elliptical spheres that both frame and reflect back the surroundings. In the centre of the sculpture is a circular opening which, according to sculptor Virginia King, plays on the concept of a lens.

The look and feel of this artwork is very utilitarian, referencing man-made machinery parts like wheels and plough discs. It is also inspired by microorganisms found in nature, which is a recurring theme in King’s sculptural works.

Sliver was created in 2007 and originally installed in the rural farmland of Brick Bay Sculpture Trail in Matakana, north of Auckland.This artwork was the second project to be completed by the Newmarket Arts Trust and gifted to Auckland Council in 2014.

"The work can be seen as a meditative form, of silence and of the Zen void. It is a symbol of life and of death, good and evil, an archetypal symbol of time, of the cosmos and eternity," says King.