Presented to the city in 1996, assisted by grants from Creative NZ and Wellington City Council.
This black granite staircase is designed to follow the natural incline of the site and provide a means for the viewer to climb to a grove of beautiful evergreens on the boundary of the Botanic Garden and Salamanca Road.
The thirteen steps are engraved with a word sequence from BODY to SOUL.
"As the medieval alchemist strove to transmute base metals such as lead into gold in the hope of making fortunes for themselves and their patrons, so does and artist. Although no alchemist succeeded with precious metals, it is possible to transmute words easily enough ...
"... Although the staircase will be reminiscent of memorials, and there is an obvious allusion to mortality and an afterlife, on this site, it is positioned as an invitation to climb and to read.
"Visitors who make the climb are prompted to think about the balance or imbalance between psyche and nature. Without death, there is no life. Without shadow, there is no sunlight.
"The intention is to create an atmosphere, intensified by the placement of text, to remind the viewer of the power of nature and the transitory quality of life, that all things must pass."
Mary-Louise Browne
