"Crossroads; Childish Adult Stuff" installed in Quad

The latest sculptural installation in Otago Polytechnic’s Four Plinths Project dabbles in the past while pondering the future.

“Crossroads; Childish Adult Stuff” is the title of the project by Dunedin School of Art graduate Dillon Gamble, whose work was officially opened at Otago Polytechnic’s Hub on Thursday, 7 April.

Located in the quad at Otago Polytechnic’s Dunedin Campus, “Crossroads; Childish Adult Stuff (2022)” is the third iteration of the Four Plinths Project, which provides an opportunity for graduates from the Dunedin School of Art to have their work shown in a public setting.   

In describing his work, Dillon describes himself as at a crossroads.

“Now that I’ve completed postgraduate study at Otago Polytechnic, I find myself wanting to make art about that idea: ‘Where to next? ‘, Dillion explains.

“Looking back over my last four years of study, I’ve noticed certain themes and styles emerging from my practice – my engagement with the history of Aotearoa and its material legacies, the ‘old stuff’, objects that I, a New Zealander, view with nostalgia and affection.

“Now that I’ve reached the end of my degree, I find myself with time spare to reflect on my choices leading to this point.

“As a child, things felt as if they would be simpler, clearer, and would fit more neatly into my understanding of the world.

“Upon consideration, little has changed about my concern with play; my toys, their meaning, and my experience of them.

“While I now make my own toys, their scaling-up over time has matched my own growth. 

“The ‘toys’ I have created represent my own unfocused, yet specific, goals as a recent graduate of the arts.

“I need to get some work, and I probably need somewhere to live. Most definitely I’ll need a car to go places and, most importantly, I’ll be able to get a dog soon. 

“These works resulted from my reflections on life and education, ventures I suspect I have shared with many others.”

“Crossroads; Childish Adult Stuff” replaces Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate Richard Budd’s installation, “Four Daves”, which was preceded by Jenny Hjertquist's ”Four Quarters of the World”, the inaugural commission for Otago Polytechnic’s Four Plinths Project.