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Weta Workshop has unveiled its design for a proposed sculpture in Wellington to commemorate the 2011 Rugby World Cup. 

“Not every New Zealander is in to rugby but I hope that we’ve designed a sculpture that is not too abstract, not too contemporary, that celebrates figurative art and will hold its own place in the eye of the general public,” said Richard Taylor.

Weta was approached by the Wellington City Council to put forward a proposal for a sculpture, which will cost $350,000 and is yet to get final approval.  A maquette (scale model) of the sculpture was unveiled on Monday at Weta Workshop in Miramar. 

Taylor said it was designed to celebrate rugby, represent Wellington, stand as an edifice going on into the future and be a platform for rugby team and tourist photos. The concept is a lineout representing the celebratory pursuit of the ball.

“That’s what we tried to capture in this sculpture. The feeling of the two teams coming together and in turn creating a rift in the collision of the two teams that is representative of the earthquake fault of Wellington.”

It shows the tides crashing together through the channel between the two islands, Island Bay and the City sky line with clouds roiling over the city and forming the figures.

Taylor said the form is representative of the prow of the Waka coming into the shore, the crashing waves and weather of Wellington.

The central figure would be in wrought iron or bronze, and the rugby players would be ‘generic’ figures in historic costuming. Once the go-ahead was given Weta would photograph rugby players to capture the stance and moment of the lift, to drive how the figures are represented.

The ball will be highly-burnished bronze, and Taylor said he hoped the sculpture would be placed so it captured the morning sun.

The location is yet to be decided, out of three possible locations, near the Wellington Waterfront. Taylor said it needed to complement the existing and future plans of the Wellington Sculpture Trust.

When asked if the sculpture would have more public support than the ‘Wellywood sign’, Taylor said he was sure there would be some debate about it.

“Art is there to be debated at some level and we’ve tried to design something that is appealing and has acknowledgement that it sits in a city that a broad spectrum of the general public and tourists are going to enjoy.”

Taylor said he hoped it received support as it would be a "wonderful reminder of a moment in New Zealand’s sporting history that is worthy of celebrating."

It would be a ‘huge build’ involving 25-30 people, including four sculptors. It would be fabricated in parts, delivered on the back of trucks, lifted in with cranes and then cast into the site. It would take all of the time between now and kick-off to build.

Funding for the sculpture - $350,000 over two years - was recently agreed by Councillors for inclusion in Wellington City Council’s Draft Annual Plan (DAP). Inclusion of all funding proposals under the DAP is subject to signoff at a Council meeting on Wednesday 17 March and, following public consultation, the final Annual Plan will be agreed in June.