New Zealand sculptor John Edgar is of Scottish ancestry. Thus this exhibition ballast: bringing the stones home is in part his own personal homecoming; it tracks his journey of discovery through his heritage. The stones are ballast; they provide balance, stability and support, be it emotional or physical. The works, the material and the imagery are all about finding a way back home, universally, individually and for the stones themselves. Having been to the furthest reaches of the Empire, they have now found their way back home
John has collected stone from a number of Scotland’s historic quarries and has combined them with New Zealand stones. ballast is a metaphor for the experience of all emigrants on their journey to a new land. The stones reference the departures and arrivals of such journeys which marked the experience of Scottish emigrants in the 19th century.
The ballast used to keep the emigrant ships upright was often the stone from the city of departure; it was usually simply discarded on arrival. ballast is a celebration of the strong and continuing cultural connections between Scotland and New Zealand. In the Year of Homecoming, when Scotland celebrates its great contributions to the world, ballast allows us to consider the way in which the influence of the Scots who left our shores has been felt both at home and abroad.
Click Here to Read the Exhibition Catalogue.