Meet the “swimmingly” ladies

Created by Recca Rose

In a previous exhibition “The Outfits” I had some of the figures wearing stylish bathing suits based on the ones that my grandmothers wore. I loved the cut and sculptural form and have long wanted to explore these vintage swimming togs further. My time in the studio creating these sculptures has been enriching. The combination of freedom and joy that swimming has given me is infused into these works. 

These sculptures use Greywacke metal in the concrete mix and I like the synergy of them being sited in a former Greywacke quarry. Just as the Waitakaruru Arboretum has taken what was left by the quarry and transformed it, I have used the Greywacke gravel and morphed it into these sculptures. 

The quarry altered the landscape leaving pits, and exposed cliff faces. Some of these have been used to create water features. I see these sculptures alongside the ponds contemplating taking a dip.