Re:ACTIVATE Aspiring Artists is an annual competition open to young people aged between 5 and 18 in Canterbury. Entrants this year were asked to respond to the SCAPE Public Art Season 2023 theme of The Gift. There was an incredibly high level of creativity and sophisticated ideas displayed across all the record number of submissions received, and SCAPE Public Art is delighted to announce the two, sculpture and two mural winners for 2023.

"Free Like a Bird, Trapped Like the Worm" by Marcella King, age 11 from Chisnallwood Intermediate is one of the two Re:ACTIVATE Mural winners for 2023. 

Marcella's mural design depicts the idea of freedom as a gift, and one that is not given equally to everyone. In this artwork, the bird and its vibrant colours symbolise both the freedom to go where and do what you want and also the freedom to be creative, but the worm in the bird's beak shows that some people aren't as free as others, and some even have their gift of freedom taken from them. In partnership with industry experts, SCAPE Public Art mentors the winning artists to produce their designs for public display in Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre. “The Aspiring Artists programme is in its eighth year, and this year we are excited to see the winning works displayed at the Arts Centre,” says Helen Trappitt, director of Lewis Bradford Consulting Engineers, a long-term sponsor of Re:ACTIVATE.  

Two runners up, Logan Daly and Harrison Croot of Chisnallwood Intermediate have also been selected to attend a workshop where they will create their sculpture designs. These will also be on display at Tūranga Central Library between November 15 and December 8.  SCAPE Public Art Season 2023 runs from Saturday 25 November 2023 to Saturday 17 February 2024.