Spinning Top ... #45

This photo is taken from outside Beaujolais Wine bar looking towards Nest .. the homewear store

Dimensions: H 3.5m x D 2.9m
Sculptor: Robert Jahnke
Location: Woodward Street
Materials: Stainless Steel
Date of installation: 2002

Commissioned with funding from the Jack and Emma Griffin Charitable Trust and assistance from the Wellington City Council. Robert Jahnke had been working on a series of Maori spinning tops or potaka and decided to modify the design to include a pictorial history of Wellington.

"I wanted to go for something that was visually interesting, so I created a European version of the top and included Maori references through heiroglyphics. "

Spinning Top traces the history of Whanganui-a-Tara, the Maori name for Wellington. The major mythical story is that of the two taniwha in the harbour. The taniwha formed the harbour and the surrounding hills with their movements.
Robert Jahnke