My architect friend Hamish rang one day a year ago to mention that he had given his client advice that it might be a good idea to get one of our big bird sculptures as a feature instalment on a new dwelling being built on a beautiful high up property overlooking Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown.
And by the way - the bird wanted is a BIG HAWK.
Ok . Bring it on . We had one in stock. A 5m wingspan creature having just landed on an 8 ton schist rockā¦. Our we could be commissioned to make a new one, smaller or the same. Open to suggestions. And so went by quite a long time which included the pandemic lock downs and travel restrictions with all the outcomes and challenges associated with property owners from off shore building a house in this land during the times.
In the end we got there. It was worth the wait. Such a beautiful building and landscaped property to place a large rustic Hawk as pride of place, overlooking the home and feature of the incoming driveway.
A complicated install that went smoothly. Here s what the process looked like :
1. Request a hi ab to come to the existing bird on rock. Put strop on flight hook and take up tension.
2. Allowing the ankles of bird to be cut free, releasing the @ 800kg structure from its talons
3. Then position the talon less bird onto the original steel mount frame on the sculpture trailer.
4. Weld the bird to the frame and securely brace with timber to the deck, for safe travel.
5. Lift the 8 ton rock onto truck and travel to install site.
6. Use digger to shape a receiving platform on the moderate slope of the install site.
7. Lift rock off truck onto site
8. Cut off and remove old talons.
9. Calculate orientation and size of new talons then fabricate weld and anchor to the new position.
10. Bring in the sculpture trailer with bird and de brace.
11. Bring in the hi ab and lift bird from trailer to unite with its new talons on its new roost. Weld and fit tail mount.
Hi five. Walk away.
We look forward to one day meeting the owners and sharing some moments reflecting on when we stood on the site years before, with no thing there, dwarfed by the incredible broad views.
And now there is this a VERY SPECIALl well designed dwelling with strong features, superb fit out, with the BIG HAWK keeping an eye on things.