1001 Spheres is a celebration of Aotearoa New Zealand’s evolving journey towards gender equality and gender diversity, an acknowledgement of all that has been achieved and a positive projection into the future.

Aotearoa was a global leader as the first country in the world where women won the right to vote. This event in 1893 catalysed a chain of social changes, some imagined, some unimaginable at that time, bringing us today to an expanded idea of gender and a more complex notion of equality. Envisioning a gender equal society in the 21st century requires a shift from a binary female-male perspective, to seeing a spectrum of gender identities. It means placing gender within a broader socio-cultural context of sexuality, race, class and life experience. It calls for an openness to gender diversity and new ways of thinking about gender identity.

1001 Spheres speaks to the theme of gender equality through several defining features:

The first feature is the vibrant corona of spheres at the core of the sculpture. This element, that gives the title to the artwork, is a celebration of women’s contribution across all spheres of life and an expression of infinite possibility. 1001… meaning an uncountable number. Conceptually, the naming of the sculpture wants to overturn the way in which historically women, girls and other minority genders had their influence and contribution to society restricted to spheres considered ‘appropriate’ to their gender, typically spheres of domesticity and low paid employment. Instead, the exuberant presence of the spheres emanates energy and a joyfulness of spirit. It suggests the countless spheres of activity, of influence, of self-determination that everyone should be able and free to occupy, unrestricted by gender. 

Another defining feature is the double hemisphere formed by hundreds of wire-strands, half assembled clockwise and half anti-clockwise, generating 22,000 intersections welded at 2,500 crossings to create a structural form. The hemisphere can be seen as a metaphor for the strength achieved through collective action. It refers to the crossing paths of communication, support networks and awareness raising created by the various waves of feminism and activist groups working for gender equality.

Overall, the double wire hemisphere is an open, embracing form - partly ethereal, partly optical. It encloses the bright corona of spheres as a halo, amplifying the radiant core forward, towards a future of unlimited possibilities.

The other side of the sculpture presents a reflective dome, an element to integrate with the environment, allowing viewers to see themselves reflected within the sculpture and subliminally participating in the gender equality journey. The large red sphere at the base is physically anchoring the sculpture to the ground, and symbolically anchoring the journey to the land of Aotearoa.

Spheres, hemispheres, domes, discs … every component of this sculpture is designed with the language of circles; the circle being the ideal form to represent inclusivity and equality.

1001 Spheres is projecting toward a future that we don’t yet know, but that we want to empower with strong and bright intentions for a society where all genders are valued and everyone can fully realise their human potential.