Fibre-Optic Colonnade Car Wash is an ambitious new work by Eddie Clemens that has transformed the pedestrian thoroughfare linking Wellington Railway Station with the city’s waterfront and CBD.
The Wellington Sculpture Trust recognised that the dark and cheerless Shed 21 Colonnade on Waterloo Quay (opposite the railway station) presented a perfect opportunity for a light-based artwork that would be visible both day and night.
Auckland-based artist Eddie Clemens’ proposal for the space fitted the brief perfectly, offering a work that is recognisable, relatable and whimsical — one that creates an engaging and uplifting experience for pedestrians within this architecturally significant heritage site.
The work was officially switched on for the first time on 11 December by Gisella Carr, Head of Creative Capital at Wellington City Council. The Council is an important partner of the Trust and assumes ownership and ongoing maintenance of artworks once they are gifted.
Jane Black, Chair of the Wellington Sculpture Trust, said:
“Eddie’s work fulfilled the Trust’s brief perfectly with his proposed work, Fibre-Optic Colonnade Car Wash — a kinetic light sculpture that takes the form of an automatic tunnel car wash with one dramatic twist. The bristles of the spinning car-wash brushes are fibre-optic cables, which literally wash the colonnade and pedestrians in light and colour, softening the architecture and transforming the space into a visually striking haven of moving light.”
The ‘car wash’ represents a significant development in a strand of Clemens’ practice that began in 2009 with his original Fibre-Optic Broom, first exhibited as part of his Frances Hodgkins Fellowship exhibition Delusional Architecture.
His fibre-optic works transform everyday cleaning objects into devices that transmit not only light but also programmed information — objects that feel closer to science fiction than domestic utility.
Eddie Clemens says:
“My recent work has been concerned with ideas of time and subjectivity, building on my interest in cinema and the narrative potential of physical objects. In Fibre-Optic Colonnade Car Wash (2025), a series of fibre-optic rollers suspended from the ceiling display moving patterns of light and colour, illuminating the urban environment while also alluding to the experience of a commercial car wash. As pedestrians walk through the colonnade, they are washed by light, briefly separated and ensnared in a moment of informational and luminous uncertainty.”
Clemens has been refining the work over the past five years — a process interrupted by Covid-related disruptions and supply challenges, but also shaped by ongoing technological advancements that have allowed the work to become more durable and robust.
Each of the seven roller-brush units contains 1,000 addressable LEDs programmed to display a range of colourful animations, ensuring the work continues to mesmerise those passing through the colonnade each day.
The installation operates during peak pedestrian times:
7.00–9.00am, 3.30–6.30pm, and 8.00–11.00pm
Jane Black adds:
“The Trust is very grateful to the residents of Shed 21 who granted permission for the work to be installed on the ceiling of the colonnade, and to the many donors whose generous contributions helped fund this artwork, valued at over $250,000.”