Winning entry from student musician
Westlaker 2018-2022
This sculpture was inspired by William’s choral composition Flames. His composition is the first work created by an attending student to be selected for the Writers Project collection.
William Squire was the winner of the 2022 NZCF-SOUNZ Choral Composition Competition with his work Flames. The piece sets text* by William’s friend Hunter Haynes and addresses the topic of the 2019-2020 Australian wildfires. Competition adjudicator Anthony Ritchie wrote that the work was “a stunning piece of choral writing”. The composition also won the Under 25 category of the Compose Aotearoa Competition later the same year.
It was performed in 2022 at the NZCF Big Sing Finale in Ōtautahi Christchurch by Choralation (Westlake Girls’ High School and Westlake Boys’ High School choir), under director Rowan Johnston.
Audio was recorded by RNZ Concert, and video recorded by JX Live. Click here to listen to the performance of Flames.
Since leaving Westlake, William is studying engineering and music at the University of Canterbury, and is a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir.
* Poem written by fellow student and friend, Hunter Haynes.
Information about the sculptor
Jeff Thomson was born and raised in Castor Bay, Auckland. He attended Westlake Boys High School from 1971 – 1975 and went on to study at the Elam School of Art attached to the University of Auckland. Although he studied painting and printmaking, he made his move to become a fulltime sculptor in 1986 with a particular focus in using corrugated iron.
Jeff’s work often appears as large-scale sculptures of corrugated iron animals, birds, cars, and people, and include public works and commissions installed in towns and cities throughout New Zealand. Ten of his sculptures form part of Allan Gibb’s Kaipara Sculpture Park, known as “The Farm”. To date, Jeff has participated in nine of the “Sculpture on the Gulf” biennial exhibitions held on Waiheke Island.
Jeff has exhibited in New Zealand, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and the US and has works held by the Heide Museum of Modern Art, Museum of New Zealand and a further two major public national galleries. He is recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading and most original contemporary artists today.
Jeff was instrumental in designing and constructing the archway (waharoa) that takes pride of place at the main school entrance. In 2017, when it was installed, the school began the tradition of welcoming Year 9 students and farewelling graduating Year 13 students as they walked beneath the arch.
You can read more about Jeff and his career here.
