THE STORY
Footage from ‘Poutini’ boulder recovery - 1990s
Ian talks about ‘Poutini’
Sculptures by Ian Boustridge reflect his empathy for pounamu jade’s special qualities - bewitching translucency, colour, sounds, touch, hardness and durability. His finished works pay homage to its tectonic formation, as well as the traditions of Maori, Chinese and Pre-Columbian American cultures and the natural environment where pounamu jade is found. Flora, fauna, glaciated and water worn rock are recurring themes in his work.
On a beautiful island adrift in the South Pacific Ocean, lush valleys and deep forests burst with life and song as tranquil whispers of a land suspended in time dance below the surface of an emerald canopy. Like the spine of some ancient slumbering dragon, the mighty Southern Alps reach skyward, tall and proud, dramatic peaks standing sentry over this mysterious world.
It is no wonder that the indigenous people of these lands consider pounamu jade (greenstone) a sacred treasure, one of the greatest gifts that can be given and when passed onto future generations, developing its own mana or spirit.
During the 1980s, after significant geological research and exploration Ian discovered some of the largest Pounamu Jade boulders to have been discovered in New Zealand. Ian Boustridge, who had begun his pounamu sculpting career in the 1970s, dreamed of sculpting large boulders of pounamu jade into architectural sized sculptures. Ian obtained Mining Licence 32.2814 and assembled a team to explore the 26km stretch of boulder beach at Big Bay, Awarua Point Fiordland in search of what was to be the most outstanding pounamu discovery of modern New Zealand history.
After searching through thousands of boulders along the remote northern Fiordland beaches at Big Bay Awarua Point, Ian and his team discovered pounamu jade boulders ranging from 250kg to 20,000kg. Months and years were spent meticulously marking, weighing and preparing the most promising boulders for airlifting by helicopter to Ian’s studio on the West Coast of New Zealand.
