Seventy-nine twinkling, galavnised steel stars, arranged to reflect the southern constellations above the natural beauty and human-made grandness of Ross Creek Dam, are a clear demonstration of the DCC’s Art and Creativity in Infrastructure Policy aims.

The artwork’s creators, Katrina Thomson and Ross Sinclair, secured their series of multi-dimensional stars into the dam face — mirroring our night sky.

Katrina and Ross say, “The art installation at Ross Creek is inspired by the reflective water surface of the reservoir.

“Stars and the cosmos provide a great sense of who we are, they remind us of the beauty of our own human make-up, and of our own reflection in the vastness. The intention for the composition is to look as if the stars have been showered down onto the landscape, embedding into the rocks, symbolising the world above, and the reflected world below.”

The first stage of installation involved the creation of three plinths beside public walkways in the area. The plinths each hold one or two stars, allowing members of the public to get close, see and touch the stars.

"We are so happy to have had the opportunity to create an artwork for such an awe-inspiring site. We love the stark contrast of the magnificently engineered industrial dam face within the beauty of the Ross Creek reservoir surrounds,” the artists continue. “We're incredibly grateful for the rare experience of making a public art installation on a grand scale within a nature setting.

“The dam face is a huge blank canvas, it's the perfect setting for our concept.”

It is also the first time either artist has worked on an installation of such scale, requiring the pair to develop new technical and planning skills, supported by DCC staff in the 3 Waters Team and Ara Toi.

The journey has been a long one, starting with an expression of interest submitted to the DCC in 2018. A six-month contract development process followed in 2019, including production of concept plans and the design and fabrication plans for the artwork. Multiple meetings with the fabulous engineering team from WSP ensured careful negotiation between respecting the complex form and function of the new dam face, and the ambition of transforming the surface into the reflection of the night sky.

Each of the 79 stars were then hand-fabricated in Ross and Katrina’s studio from late 2019 and through 2020, to meet a February 2021 installation deadline.

The artists have worked closely with Victoria Campbell (Kāti Irakehu, Ngāi Tahu), whose knowledge of mātauraka Māori and astronomy has helped ensure the star-scape encompasses mana whenua narratives. Together, they developed the star clusters to represent the dominant constellations and markers of our night sky from a mana whenua perspective — specifically linking back to what people will see from Ross Creek.

The final piece of the puzzle is now underway, as signage panels are created to enhance understanding and knowledge of our star-scape, enriching the experience for the public and visitors to this magnificent recreational treasure.