Interpreting Lewis Carroll in stone

Oamaru Stone Symposium chairman, site manager and ''Mad Hatter'' Matt King surveys the stone at...
Oamaru Stone Symposium chairman, site manager and ''Mad Hatter'' Matt King surveys the stone at Parkside Quarries. PHOTO: HAMISH MACLEAN

For the first time artists at the Oamaru Stone Symposium will be asked to consider a theme.

Oamaru Stone Symposium chairman, site manager and ''Mad Hatter'' Matt King has asked those carving the white limestone at Friendly Bay from Saturday to consider creating something ''Alice-y'' or ''Wonderland-y''.

And if he had time, Mr King said, he might once again try his hand at carving.

''I'd love to carve the Cheshire Cat, all big and goofy with a great big grin, and actually put him in the tide.

"That's how he disappears, with the tide. You only see him at low tide - and then full tide he's gone.''

The Alice in Wonderland theme adopted by both the celebration of carving and Oamaru's Victorian Heritage Celebrations, which begin on November 11, could be more loosely interpreted by the stone carvers, he said.

''Artists can be fickle creatures; they don't like to be pushed or pulled too much, but this one seemed to be too good to miss,'' Mr King said.

This year is the sesquicentennial of Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Mr King has ordered 24 tonnes of Oamaru stone so the expected 12 or 13 artists could pursue the theme ''however they want to interpret it''.

Blocks range in size from 2 tonnes to half a tonne, and the largest measure about 1400mm by 1100mm by 700mm.

And while Mr King was willing to offer suggestions to the artists, he said he would ''leave it up to the experts''.

''It's a meeting of minds. We're not about making money, we're all about sharing ideas and skills.

"It's a chance to try something different, to get to have a go at carving a 2-tonne block - it's a bit out there.

''But it certainly does help to have a whole bunch of friends around to help, whether they're on the other end of a two-man saw or they're just giving advice, or sharing tools.''

With fewer artists attending this year - in 2013 the symposium drew 18 carvers - Mr King said he was looking forward to what had been a challenging event to run in the past.

The number of artists attending was a good response after 26 invitations were sent out at the beginning of the year.

In a Facebook post last week, Mr King confirmed those who would attend were: Ruth Killoran, Paul Deans, Waimate Storyteller Studio and Oamaru Stone Carvers, Silivenusi Funaiu, Ian Ford, Pita Lagan, Nina Lagan, Peter Edwards, Craig McLanachan, Jackie Margaret, Stuart Spurr, Suzanne Emslie and Martin Mlcoch.

''I am also pleased to report that the flamingos have been wrangled and the hedgehogs are currently being scrutinized,'' he wrote.

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