Kōrero: New Zealand culture overseas

Artist John Drawbridge kneels beside the mural depicting New Zealand as a country of light and sunshine that he created for Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. Fascinated by the aesthetic effect of point light sources after seeing the massed glowworms in Waitomo Caves, Drawbridge created a mural in which light is the main medium. The work consists of two panels. On one side round perspex rods, lit from behind, project glowing points of light above a painted background of red, yellow and orange circles. On the other side, moving light is directed on aluminium rods that flow in waves across the surface of the panel, evoking the effect of alternate cloud and sunlight. The mural, which was created in just 11 weeks, was eventually returned to New Zealand. In the 1980s Drawbridge restored and adapted it to fit into the National Library foyer. It was subsequently removed.