I might be the only one who actually likes the idea of Weta making a rugby statue for Wellington. However, I do have two issues with it:
- what it is, and
- where it is.
Anyone who has been to The Caketin (or as it's affectionately known, Westpac Stadium) will know that the approach is rather, well, empty. The Fran Wilde Walk is a vast expanse of concrete designed solely for getting a large amount of people the fuck out of the stadium after an event.
The only bit of artistry to break up the grey is the Māori art work on the front that includes a mountain form that relates to Wellington for some reason. I actually quite like it. It's nice to see it as you approach along the "walk".
So it surprised me to find that the Weta sculpture was going to go on the Wellington waterfront. Why not on that long stretch of featureless pavement that most people hate walking along?
It's one of the many things I love about American sports, the honouring of history. Imagine if the pathway into the stadium was filled with statues of the great players from Wellington's sporting past (across all codes). The pillars for the lights already exist, so it wouldn't too hard to change it up with some sports-related artwork.
Making statues that are strongly-related to the city's sporting history also means that you can dispense with the symbolism that's been hastely stapled onto the Weta sculpture. "It's representative of the fault line…" I like Richard Taylor but he really lays it on thick sometimes.