Tall Hut

The “Tall Hut” rises from the foreshore of Matiatia Bay, a beacon to the arrival of the 2021 Sculpture on the Gulf Exhibition. The pavilion is extroverted in its presence, ambiguous in its meanings.   A light-weight bamboo frame, cloaked in fabric and woven with pattern & colour, the pavilion is a collaboration between Moller Architects and artist Areez Katki. “Tall Hut” is a celebration of its surroundings and the traditional construction techniques of the Pacific. Deeply rooted in its place on the Hauraki Gulf, the pavilion takes on a volcanic formation; a vertical shaft spirals upward drawing together the land, the sea and the sky. The pavilion is cloaked with a protective shawl, enwrapping the structural frame beneath and resilient to the Hauraki Gulf’s changing environments. Semi-open, the pavilion interweaves light and shadow as the interior compresses towards an oculus at the high point. Seen from the water, the pavilion is read twofold; a dancing figure leaning towards the shoreline, while viewed as a solitary lighthouse. It is this multiplicity of its readings that excites & draws attention. The project, as viewed through the lenses of individual interpretations lends itself towards the sculptural and the iconic.