Red Cross

Red sandstone forms a cross that intersects the large basalt rock and also wraps and encircles the stone like a ribbon. A commonly used symbol, the cross brings to mind a plus sign or the marking of a crossroads.

This sculpture is intended to be viewed alongside the artist's nearby stone pillar, Transformer. At first glance, the pillar and the rock appear as very different things, but Edgar draws our attention to their similarities, and how something large-scale will eventually reduce to dust or sand. This reflects his fascination with long-term geological processes.

These two artworks are related through their use of common materials, but also complement each other through contrast; one has a hard, formal structure, the other is softer and more accessible. Transformer was commissioned by Waitākere City Council in 2006 for the new Waitākere Civic Centre, followed by Red Cross which was unveiled in June 2008.

"This serves to remind the viewer of how even the greatest markers of our civilisation will in the end erode away, leaving only fragments, and then dust…But unless we carefully remember to preserve that past, all signs of it are worn away…we need reminding that human time (especially in this land), is so short compared with geological time. We need to understand and acknowledge the past in order to plan for a sustainable future, and my sculpture is a reminder of this," says Edgar of the artwork.