Elizabeth Thomson: Another Green World

Another Green World is a culmination of years of Thomson's exploration of botanic themes. Central to the installation is her latest piece, North Star Parterre, which currently fills the main wall of the Atrium. This large-scale 6.4m x 2m work sits alongside some of Thomson's earlier works, Planets and Not Far From Home, which together, complete Another Green World.

Thomson gained inspiration for North Star Parterre from the Lady Norwood Rose Garden in the Wellington Botanic Gardens. She worked from aerial photographs of the gardens, which were then transcribed into hand drawn renderings and then computer-generated drawings. The intricacy and orderliness of the work mirrors the symmetry of a traditional parterre, emanating from the gallery walls in neat rows, paths and quadrants; its spherical form reflects the shape of the Polaris, the northern star in our night skies, and from which it draws its name.

Central to Another Green World is Thomson's use of circles, spheres and ellipses, which provide a cyclic flow between the works. Her innovative use of materials add dimension and movement as the light plays across their surfaces. In particular, the rose gardens in North Star Parterre are made up of millions of tiny glass beads, with the grass from green and yellow flock especially imported from Britain. The process of assembling these in such a large-scale work was intensive and time-consuming, but together they add contrast, colour and differing texture.

Wellington-based Thomson is represented in major public and private collections both in New Zealand and overseas.

Sponsored by Friends of the Gallery.

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