Welcome to the Window of Curiosities where magical things are on display – but not for long!
Every couple of weeks, we’ll showcase one very special object. Think of it like a museum for the people.
Right now, we have Abbie Scott’s Cone of Hope.
Cone of Hope stained glass, copper foil, lead-based solder, copper wire, brass rod 130 x 390mm (glass only)
I think a lot about infrastructure delivery in NZ; the need, the successes, the failings, the inefficiencies (both time and money)…
This work, which references a road cone, is the result of such musings.
The road cone has become quite the symbol of frustration and inefficiency. Political parties use management of them as promises; and then broken promises. The blame goes back and forth between local councils and the government. Artists base works on them, and pranksters place them on top of trees, public statues, and lampposts.
If a cone, or several, pop up on your street it could indicate that finally that pothole is going to get fixed! This is Hope.
When the government says they will ‘reduce the number of road cones’; my optimistic mind reads that as – there will be action to address the fact that our GDP spend on infrastructure is high compared to other countries; but the value for money we get is dismally low. That this glaring inefficiency may be addressed is also Hope.
One side of this sculpture looks perfect; it is bright and hopeful and hints at progress coming. The other side is broken and patched, looks like it has prison bars and has been there so long weeds have grown up through it!
The Lego figures got involved for a photo shoot and decided to stay. There is the hopeful climber, the frustrated trapped person, the person playing in the weeds, the figure triumphantly celebrating on top and a few locals looking on. They could be happily watching the progress or gathering in protest, either way, my Hope is that they are, or will be, actively involved in moving NZ towards a better future. Whether you are an elected official, a government worker, running a contracting company or just someone with a vote – we must all take action or our streets, hospitals, water infrastructure etc will continue to fail and not keep up with current demands or future needs.
There is no progress without a bit of pain. These projects will take time and cost a lot of money, but they must be done. I Hope we get better and more efficient at delivering what the country needs!
This probably won’t mean less road cones, but it could mean they hang around for less time and become more a signal of infrastructure being done well than frustration and money wasted.
My sculptural works incorporating stained glass, copper and lead are based on traditional Tiffany techniques but with a contemporary twist. They embody both strength and fragility and all aim to use light to produce refractions and a 4th and changing dimension.
Our first object in the Window of Curiosities was Bronwyn Monopoli’s hat. 28 Aug-11 Sept 2026.
When I was young, I really didn’t like hats.
I blame my mother.
She used to send me off each week to walk the four blocks to Sunday School wearing a hat. Like a proper hat – not a beret or something subtle. I was the only kid at Sunday School with a hat on.
I devised a cunning plan and took to walking down our long driveway and hiding the hat in the hedge on the street. Then I’d pick it up again on my way home.
Many years later, I rediscovered hats.
I blame my mother for that too!
Now I have a hat collection that possibly rivals Imelda Marcos’s shoes. I wear a hat every day – not often as fancy as this one of course. My favourites are the fedora, the trilby, the bowler, and the top hat, sometimes with a band that matches what I’m wearing or, for special occasions, with some feathery frippery.
I bought this hat in the 1990s from a hat maker in Devonport – I’ve forgotten her name but her brand was ‘Urban Turbans’. She was Irish and when she moved back to Ireland, she sold a few of her personal creations that weren’t practical to ship home.
I was lucky enough to score this one. It’s been worn many many times though it is now rather fragile and needs some TLC. I hope you enjoy it!
Bronwyn Monopoli, August 2026
Many thanks to the property owners for letting us fill their window with a bit of whimsey!
