The saga of Nelson’s most controversial sculpture is set to continue after it was revealed that the Welcome Cloak’s home is not ready for it.
Almost a year ago, it was announced that the Welcome Cloak would be relocated to the outside of the Millers Acre building after it was taken down from Saltwater Creek in April 2018.
But a meeting between Nelson City Council staff last Monday revealed that, although the Welcome Cloak is ready, the building is not.
“The Welcome Cloak is fully repaired and is ready for attaching to the building. However, the building has been inspected recently and it was discovered that the cladding needs maintenance before it can be hung,” Roger Ball, group manager community services, told Nelson Weekly.
“Repairs need to be assessed and completed before the cloak can be installed. The timeframe for those repairs is still to be finalised.”
The Millers Acre building on Halifax St is owned by the council – so they will be fronting the repair costs, which are “still being confirmed”.
The most recent cloak costs came in at $83,043. This includes an artist fee of $39,200, an installation cost of $28,821, and $15,022 worth of maintenance and moving costs.
The Welcome Cloak was originally installed over Saltwater Creek approximately three years ago, but it did not fare well in the windy location. After two years of tangled strands and bent bars it was taken down last May with council announcing it would be searching for a “more sheltered” location.
Millers Acre Centre was deemed the “most suitable” by council as it would still allow the sculpture to move but is not prone high winds.
The Welcome Cloak was designed by Nelson artist Adi Tait and is made from strands of gold and anodised aluminium.
It was designed to reflect the water and symbolises the historical importance of Saltwater Creek as a landing site for iwi and the boundary of where the land and sea met.
