Sudima Hotels has commissioned celebrated Aotearoa artist Judy Darragh to create a New Zealand first for public sculpture. Ether has been installed in the atrium of the central Sudima Auckland City hotel.
At 11 metres in length, Ether is an epic work for the 4.5-star Nelson St hotel and is believed to be the first permanent artwork of this type and scale in the country. The sculpture is said to redefine the heart of New Zealand’s largest city with adventurous colour and form.
Bold Artistic Vision
Known for her embrace of unconventional materials, found objects and bold colours for her sculptural assemblages, Judy Darragh played a major role in the development of ARTSPACE, Teststrip, and Cuckoo galleries. Her works are held in various major collections including Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetū; Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington; Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki; and Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth.
Inspired by Location
Describing the artwork, Darragh says: “Like a great cloud or galactic nebula expanding to fill its space, Ether takes its inspiration from Sudima Auckland City’s location on the Nelson St ridge and its spectacular views facing westward over the Waitematā Harbour to the Waitakere Ranges, particularly as experienced from Sunset, the hotel’s stunning rooftop bar.”
The sense of site-specificity and local relatability are very important to the overall concept. The sculpture’s rich fluorescent palette of yellows, pinks, reds and purples are suggestive of the sunset from one of finest views in Auckland. Ether is a bright enhancement to the city’s urban environment and acts as an important focal point and attraction for the hotel.
Judy Darragh says of Ether “The Sudima Auckland City hotel has an uninterrupted view to the West. The view from its Sunset bar on the rooftop during sunset is explosive with colour. I wanted to reference this lightshow in the work Ether, filling the atrium with a riot of hot reds, yellows, and blues. It’s an attempt to capture and contain the fleeting moments of a sunset. Sudima hotel’s atrium entrance sits on a corner and is visible up and down the streets, at night Ether will light up like a beacon in the city.”