Horotiu Stream flows in Queen Street again

The latest feature in the Queen Street upgrade was unveiled Monday - an exciting new art work that depicts the historic course of the Horotiu stream.

"This is an absolutely stunning addition to our main street. The stream is a symbol of life, energy and new beginnings and it has been captured here in this beautiful piece of art," says Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard.

Source, by Elizabeth McClure, references the historic stream that once flowed down the Queen Street valley, by exploring the representation of water using glass and light.

"The inherent qualities of glass effectively encompass the qualities of water, such as movement, clarity, depth and reflective light," explains the Scottish-born artist.

Mrs McClure developed the concept design for Source in collaboration with Architectus (lead architects for the Queen Street upgrade) and HUB Street Equipment (industrial designers and preferred suppliers of street furniture for Auckland's CBD).

The concept is presented as a series of pale green and clear glass panes of varying widths.

HUB Street Equipment took an innovative approach to completing the work. Hundreds of glass panes were stacked in five, 3m-long glass blocks that were contained within stainless steel units. Each unit, weighing around 600kg, was then inserted into the footpath so that the art work is flush with the ground.

An abstract linear pattern, contained within the structure of the glass, was achieved by cutting a half circle into the base of each piece of glass.

The glass blocks are lit from below with LED lights in varying colours, to help represent the "water" running through them.

"The presence of this ancient and unique source of water gives this location its sense of place. By bringing this to the attention of both Aucklanders and visitors, we have the opportunity to acknowledge the heritage of our unique environment," says Mrs McClure.

Source is a key feature in the Queen Street upgrade, which forms part of Auckland's CBD Into the Future - a plan to revitalise the CBD as a centre of artistic, cultural and business activity.

Source is one of four proposed art works in the Queen Street upgrade. Each uniquely reflects Auckland's distinctive landforms, history and culture.

One of New Zealand's most distinguished poets, Hone Tuwhare, has written a haiku that is etched in stone at the southern end of the art work.