No furniture escalators were harmed in the making of this true story.

Recent events in Ōtautahi Christchurch prove you don’t have to travel far for a little art-inspired mischief. Mercifully, all’s well now – with help from local businesses, Metalworld and StopDigging.

 

MEDIA RELEASE: 21 NOVEMBER 2025

The sculpture for SCAPE Public Art that was stolen from central Christchurch two weeks ago has been reinstated.

Doctrines, by New Zealand artist George Watson, disappeared some time late on Thursday 6 November or early on Friday 7 November. The artwork is part of SCAPE’s Season 2025: The Limits of Language, a festival of free public art for summer.

Police found the sculpture disassembled and hidden in bushes near its site (corner of Cambridge Tce and Hereford St).

“Police advised us to uplift the sculpture immediately lest the thieves return,” says Rachel Jefferies, Executive Director of SCAPE Public Art. “Since then, we have consulted the project engineers and repaired minor damage to the piece. We are especially grateful to Metalworld for their expert fabrication, and to StopDigging, who have come on board and gifted their ground screw system for the reinstatement. It’s a relief to have the artwork back where it was meant to be, so residents and visitors can enjoy it over the summer.”

SCAPE was already using the StopDigging ground screws for a much larger temporary artwork – Vaimaila Urale’s O Le Sami Po Uliuli II. Urale’s sculpture is a striking blue laser-cut aluminium structure on a steel frame, about four metres high, which is standing in the Botanic Gardens.

SCAPE routinely works with artists, engineers and council consenting officers to ensure the design, fabrication and installation of public art is safe and can survive the rigours of public space. All sculptures are insured. For SCAPE, this is the first time an entire artwork has been stolen.

During the process of recovering and reinstating Watson’s sculpture, SCAPE put its People’s Choice competition on hold. The competition invites the public to vote for their favourite summer artwork. Voting is expected to open in about a week and will run through to 1 February 2026.