Cultivate: Emerge

New Plymouth Coastal Walkway, New Plymouth, New Zealand, 2021

Sited along the New Plymouth Coastal Walkway, this work reconfigures Novak’s practice by subjecting a printed transparent vinyl composition to physical rupture and sculptural transformation. The vinyl is torn, bent, and contorted into provisional forms that spread across the ground and climb the vertical concrete wall, evoking bodies emerging from the ocean and moving inland. In this context, the upward movement reflects the queer experience in New Plymouth, where visibility and belonging are often negotiated as an ongoing, uphill process. Circular mirrors embedded among the coastal rocks redirect light, colour, and movement onto the wall, extending the sculptural presence through reflection. In several ground-based works, vinyl fragments partially enclose a single white orchid, a symbol of change, rebirth, and identity in queer contexts. Together, these elements articulate a landscape of emergence, vulnerability, and persistence within the city.