P—026—PAE
Interlude
Reference
P—026—PAE
Project
Inhabitable sculpture
Location
Jardine Park, Queenstown, NZ
Client
Still
Consultants
Stone Quarry and Masonry - Timaru Blue Stone Industried / Manufacturing - Parkside Quarries / Engineering - Beca / Installation - Brownie Construction / Photography - Mickey Ross
Design Team
Madhav Kidao, Brando Posocco
Status
Completed
Introduction
Interlude is a sculptural gathering place overlooking Lake Whakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand. It is a space that fosters reflection, contemplation, and, most importantly, connection, between people, the dialogue that nurtures understanding, and the land that shapes our identity.
We have always passed knowledge down this way, person to person, generation to generation, in places that feel significant enough to warrant it. The stone might last a thousand years. The stories it sets in motion might last considerably longer.
Interlude is part of a bigger vision: Paererewā. An initiative dedicated to bringing meaningful public art to Aotearoa New Zealand through works that foster connection between people, place, and culture. The name speaks to its purpose: pae (threshold, place of exchange), rere (to flow), wā (time, place). Each pae commissioned marks a threshold between the everyday and something deeper, acting as an invitation to pause, be present, and think in longer terms. The design deliberately embrace an ambiguous temporal quality, making it challenging to discern whether it belongs to the past or the future. It responds to, and begins a dialogue with, the perennial rhythm of nature, subtly integrating into the landscape while drawing attention to its enduring cycles inviting viewers to ponder its origins and significance in a timeless context.
Interlude is a five-piece assembly of quarried South Island blue stone, a dense basalt rock chosen for its longevity. Two mirrored rocks, each with a carved seat and ascending steps, face one another across a circular portal. The design draws on the classical tête-à-tête, a form of chair built for conversation, and reinterpreted in stone as a place for two people to sit face-to-face, share stories and look out across the landscape together. Rather than a monument to simply look at, this is a place of intentional activity, to converse, rest, encounter and reflect. Like its namesake, Interlude bridges past and future, asking users to consider the constantness of the now, forever the in between of what’s been and what is yet to come. The portal is both practical and symbolic, connecting sitters visually and framing the view beyond. Ascending to the elevated seats is itself a deliberate act, lending the experience a quiet sense of ceremony. The work is designed to feel as though it has always been part of the landscape, unhurried and of uncertain origin.
The fabrication process of Interlude merges old and new. Photogrammetry was used to create precise 3D models of selected stones, informing each cut and placement, while a local stonemason carried out much of the shaping by hand, marking the rock with chalk, reading the stone and guiding the mill with a craftspersons’ intuition. The result is a structure that bears both the logic of digital precision and the warmth of something made by hand.
Interlude is a place designed for today's conversations as well as those in generations to come. Sitting not far from the cliff edge, perhaps the site may one day return to the lake entirely; a work set in motion whose destination is unknown, only ever caught for one, quiet moment in time. Interlude’s site was shaped through local engagement with community groups, reserve users, neighbouring organisations and iwi (Māori society). Nebbia’s final design incorporates inclusive seating and considered planting, welcoming people of all ages and abilities.
Photography - Mickey Ross