Sculptural Engineering
Sculptural forms are found everywhere at Zeal Steel. Partly due to the materials we work with and partly due to the environment of Zeal Steel including its collaborative approach to design inputs with clients and artists. Something magical can happen when all involved are thinking along a common path. We create sculptures for locally, nationally and internationally recognized artists. Each one has their piece of a story to tell and it is our job to fulfil this in the making.
Transpower Tohu Whenua
In 2023, we were proud to be involved in the fabrication of a Corten sculpture commissioned by mana whenua-owned consultancy Aukaha. The sculpture is a Tohu whenua (landmark) that tells the Waitaha story of Kōpūwai, a giant ogre with a pack of two-headed dogs. Designed by Ōtākou’s Ephraim Russell, as part of a partnership between mana whenua and Transpower, the Tohu whenua was installed near Oturehua, overlooking the Otago Rail Trail.
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Animation Research Waru Sculpture
In 2020, Lawrie was asked to come up with a concept for a sculpture for Animation Research Ltd to celebrate Sir Ian Taylor’s vision and guidance. Lawrie then came up with Waru, a 2.5-metre-high figure 8 heavy-duty pipe sculpture showcasing the ideas of continuity and never-ending innovation. As the project progressed, Lawrie felt the need to animate the sculpture, which he made to rotate 30 degrees in either direction over the course of a minute.
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Morgan Jones Keyhole Sculpture
In 2011, Zeal Steel built an all-steel keyhole sculpture for the internationally recognized sculptor Morgan Jones. The sculpture weighed nearly 3 tonnes and measured 5 metres long by 3.3 metres wide and 1.9 metres high. The sculpture had to be made in two pieces for it to be shipped to Denmark for the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Arhaus. Because of this, Lawrie also wrote a methodology for the reassembly of the sculpture. He also designed the packaging frames and the restraints for travel in the 40-foot shipping container.
