Presented to the city in 2005, sponsored by Meridian Energy, and assisted by the Wellington City Council.
Tower of Light is the second major work by Andrew Drummond to be installed in Wellington. His first is the Listening and Viewing Device on Druids Hill in the Botanic Garden, commissioned by the Trust in 1996. He is known for sculptures that involve technology and explore the relationship humans have with technology. He has shown a long commitment to exploring the qualities of a site and developing works that relate to their physical and other contexts.
"Tower of Light is a machine that uses the wind speed and converts that into light using very simple technology. The rotor at the top of the tower spins in accordance to the wind speed. This rotational speed is read via a controller, which then switches on neon rings in accordance to the speed of the rotor, which is determined by the wind speed.
The lighter the wind speed the fewer number of rings are lit and as the wind speed increases the more neon rings are lit. I have used colour as a measuring element and so the sequence goes from green at the bottom through the spectrum to red at the top. As a result, the viewer is able to read wind speed through colour, a method for them to re-sense their environment.
The place of the work besides a busy road enables passers-by to get a feeling for what is going on as they pass in their vehicles. For the walking viewer they are able to stand underneath the tower and get another experience of the work. By standing under the Tower of Light they will be able to view the spinning rotor and ascertain the speed by visual means, but more importantly watch the markings on the rotor and the stationary structural stays which provides a further measurement of the wind speed.
Tower of Light then becomes a work that has a strong social presence. It not only has a visual role, but has a social role and as a result will integrate its place into the local environment."
Andrew Drummond
January 2005
