An unrealised proposal for Waiheke’s Perpetual Guardian Sculpture on the Gulf 2027.
Pyeongsang: Whitu Taunga is a suite of seven functional sculptures made for coastal edges, designed not only to be seen but to be occupied. Each piece reimagines the Korean pyeongsang—a low daybed—as a vibrant, minimalist plane elevated on slender legs, inviting the body to sit, lie, gather, eat, or simply rest.
The works are activated through use:
- Sit on the edge, legs dangling toward the sea.
- Lie across its surface, framed by sky and canopy.
- Gather around it like a picnic table, defining a temporary social ground.
- Reposition the mobile units on wheels or sleds to follow the sun or shift the view.
- Step onto the floating platform, feeling the buoyant, tidal sway beneath you.
Three responsive typologies engage the coastline:
- Anchored – fixed discreetly in sensitive zones.
- Mobile – moveable and lockable, allowing visitors to leave their own imprint on the land through gentle relocation.
- Floating – a tethered, buoyant marker that turns inhabitation into a kinetic experience.
Over time, these interactions leave traces—flattened grass, skid marks in sand, the subtle reorientation of a sled—creating an ephemeral record of participation. The brightly coloured surfaces remain unchanged, acting as enduring beacons along the shore.
The number seven — whitu in te reo Māori — deliberately echoes Matariki. Just as Matariki is celebrated as a cluster of seven stars marking a time of remembrance, reflection, and preparation for the year ahead, these seven landings form a quiet constellation along the coast. Each brightly coloured platform becomes a place to pause, eat, rest, and reconnect.