Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Wal & Dog get a sunny new home

Wal & Dog get a sunny new home

Watch the short behind-the-scenes featurette: https://youtu.be/FWn5Wl0VL_s

From this year, there will be another great reason to visit Gisborne. Two, in fact. Commissioned by the city’s Arts in Public Places Committee, Weta Workshop has brought the iconic stars from Footrot Flats, Wal and Dog, to life in bronze. Gazing up at his owner with adoring eyes and lolling tongue, Dog sits alongside Wal, who has his hands jammed casually into the pockets of his classic Kiwi stubbies, unsure what all the fuss is about.

Gisborne is the obvious place to house this detailed sculpture of the quintessential Kiwi farmer and his precocious pooch. It is the town that Footrot Flats creator Murray Ball, and his wife Pam, call home.

Back in Wellington, the sculpture was seven months in the making for the Weta Workshop crew. First, smaller 3D printed models were created, to see how Murray’s iconic graphic illustrations could best be translated into three dimensional characters. The models were then sculpted in plasticine at full size, before undergoing a complex moulding and lost wax bronze casting process.

Once the bronze components were cast, they were delivered back to the Workshop in fourteen pieces, into the hands of lead Mould Maker and Fabricator Bruce Campbell. Bruce was tasked with welding and fettling the 300kg sculpture, before giving Wal and Dog their striking burnished bronze coats, a process called ‘patination.’

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Weta Workshop CEO and Co-founder Richard Taylor was proud for his team to undertake this project. “It was an absolute privilege for us to have the opportunity to immortalise such a well-loved pair of Kiwi icons. May they find an enduring home in sunny Gisborne.”

So when and where can the public see these cherished characters? The pair’s permanent home, in front of the H.B. Williams Memorial Library, may not be ready until 2017, due to an extensive redevelopment. But fortunately, fans won’t have long to wait: all things going to plan, the sculpture will take up residence in temporary digs on the Gisborne riverbank in front of the Lawson Field Theatre, from January 2016.

Of course, no sculpture of Wal would be complete without his signature floppy hat. Next time you pass by, why not sneak a ‘cheeky’ peek under the brim?

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.