Colonial Fence – a modern day tinker, 2015
Number 8 wire, various other wire gauges, steel, wood
“The story of wire objects begins in seventeenth-century Slovakia, where thin strands of laminated iron forged by ironmongers were first used to repair broken pottery. Little by little, wire work developed into the making of everyday objects, a trade that swept throughout Europe, Russia and into America. As a trade, it never made it to New Zealand in the above form. The nearest equivalent is the number 8 wire mentality, synonymous with kiwi ingenuity and innovation. Instead of creating objects, wire was used to fence thousands of kilometres of farmland – ‘straight lines en-masse’. History has shown there are one hundred and one other uses for this iconic material beyond fencing.”