Len Lye sculpture worth $300,000 broken in pieces by would-be daredevilAmber-Leigh Woolf·16:02, Oct 09 2018
SUPPLIEDThe Len Lye Water Whirler sculpture snapped at the base when a man decided to climb it.
A Wellington sculpture worth an estimated $300,000 has been broken in two by a would-be daredevil.
The Len Lye Water Whirler in Wellington has been under restoration for more than a year, but on Monday a man decided to climb it, breaking the 'wand' at the base.
Len Lye Foundation director Evan Webb said the sculpture was almost ready to be declared fixed, and it was planned to be re-opened this month.
WILL PALMERThe acrobat climbs out of the sea after swinging off the Len Lye sculpture.
Photos of the man emerging from the water after the stunt went wrong show blood coming from his head.
Webb said almost $200,000 had been commissioned in 2009 to fix the sculpture. One of the things they were trying to fix was the extent to which the wand could bend.
WILL PALMERAlmost $200,000 had been commissioned in 2009 to fix the sculpture, and restoration work was ready to be finalised this month.
It upset him greatly to hear that the wand had been broken, he said.
Wellington resident Will Palmer said about 70 people watched the man break it.
"Then he came out of the water quite slowly, and everyone saw him come out of the water with a big gash on his head."
Everyone was shocked, he said.
"They were saying it was very sad, and saying 'why would he do that'."
A Wellington Free ambulance spokeswoman said the man, who was in his 20s, was taken to Wellington Hospital with moderate injuries.
The Water Whirler was installed in Wellington 2006, with installation pushing the final bill up to $1 million. In 2016 it was turned off for repairs.
When the sculpture is operating the wand oscillates, revolves and gyrates, spraying water from jets.
Motors designed to work with a computer programme choreograph the movement and water patterns of the wand, playing in 10-minute cycles on the hour, but only in winds of less than 20 knots.
WILL PALMERAbout 70 people were watching the would-be daredevil bend the sculpture's wand when it snapped, an onlooker has said.
Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the sculpture was out of action for repairs when it was vandalised.
"It would be safe to say that everyone associated with the sculpture will be appalled by today's act. The bloke also appears to be lucky he narrowly avoided a Darwin Award."
The council would be speaking to the police and other interested parties about their options, he said.
Wellington Mayor Justin Lester tweeted "You break it, you buy it" - but said the comment was tongue in cheek.
"It will be covered by our insurance ... we're not going to ask them to pay for all those costs."
They didn't yet know how much repairs would cost, he said.
"It's a bespoke design, it's not something you can fix easily. It will cost a lot.
"It was a very silly act ... it's very unfortunate."
Wellington Sculpture Trust chair Sue Elliott said the trust was a "hair's breadth" away from getting the Water Whirler running again.
For over a year they'd been working to solve complicated issues with the sculpture's motor, she said.
"This has set us back for months."
The sculpture recently had an entirely new system made for it so that it could operate again, which they were just weeks away from installing, she said.
"It will need a whole new pole by the look of it now."
The cost of the sculpture's restoration to date wasn't known, because many people were helping with repairs "out of the goodness of their heart", she said.
"The team will regroup I expect, and decide what the next steps are."
There has been an ongoing discussion about if the sculpture's pier should be closed to the public.
"This really probably squashes that for good ... I think we have to take drastic measures now."
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