An underground sculpture park is being installed in the Octagon.
A series of large-format sculptures have been moved into a space beneath the Dunedin Athenaeum since the weekend. The 100kg sculpture Bridge A Cross was installed in the basement gallery on Monday. The sculpture was made from the original Dunedin Railway Station footbridge, which was destroyed when struck by a train in 2008.
''It's made from parts of the old bridge and part of the new bridge; hence the name 'Bridge A Cross','' athenaeum owner Lawrie Forbes said.
Other works installed since the weekend are Sir Robert Muldoon Piggy Bank by Zeal Steel, which had sat outside Ironic Cafe for the past decade, and Whale Tails, by Dunedin sculptor Peter Fleming.
The sculptures are on loan from Octa Associates and Zeal Steel and form the start of a permanent sculpture collection. Mr Forbes bought the athenaeum in May, with the intention of converting it into a multipurpose arts facility.
