Neil Finn made a surprise appearance at headland Sculpture on the Gulf on Thursday evening last week.
The famous Kiwi musician, who was a lead singer in Crowded House and Split Enz, is friends with architects Nicholas Stevens and Gary Lawson, who designed the gateway to the pavilion at Matiatia.
A crowd of about 50 people who had supported the gateway were stunned as Neil Finn played two songs within the wooden structure, says headland Sculpture on the Gulf cultural programme manager Kelly Carmichael.
“It was pretty cool,” she says.
After Neil had performed Private Universe and Distant Sun, Nicholas Stevens gave a talk about finally seeing the gateway become a reality.
The work, which is made from 255 pieces of laminated timber, was originally conceived for the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2012, but had never been constructed.
The Oyster Inn owner and headland Sculpture on the Gulf director Jonathan Rutherford-Best was a “driving force” in bringing the gateway to Matiatia.
The 34 sculptures and participatory art projects in the exhibition will be on display on the Matiatia coastal walk until 19 February. • Rose Davis
