Innovative Oddities Abound at Gibbs Farm

Truly one of New Zealand’s best-kept secret gems, according to travel site Atlas Obscura, is the gigantic sculpture garden known as Gibbs Farm.

In 1991, New Zealand-born entrepreneur and art collector Alan Gibbs purchased a piece of property on the edge of Kaipara Harbour. Immediately following his purchase, Gibbs knew that the property would eventually grow to become the world’s ultimate meeting place of giant sculptures and rolling farmland.

Over the past 25 years, Gibbs has hired 22 renowned sculptors from around the world to construct towering abstract sculptures atop the rolling hills of the 4km² plot. Every month, the farm is open to the public for one day, in which visitors will have the ultimate chance to witness the unique adaptation of innovative sculptures to an outdoor environment.

Perhaps one of the most famous sculptures on Gibbs Farm is Neil Dawson’s “Horizons,” which resembles a giant piece of corrugated iron atop a hill. While it may appear to be a computer-generated cartoon, astoundingly, Horizons is a real sculpture made of welded and painted steel, and it fits in perfectly with the cow-filled agricultural landscape of the farm.

Also found on Gibbs Farm is Sol LeWitt’s “Pyramid,” a cluster of concrete blocks that form a perfect staircase for the sheep of the property. Anish Kapoor’s “Dismemberment” sculpture (pictured) is a humungous tube with open ends on both sides, nestled in a slight dip in the farm’s rolling hills.

Gibbs is founder of Gibbs Amphibians, which pioneers high-speed amphibious vehicle technologies.

Original article by Atlas Obscura, October 29, 2016.