House of Pallets

Auckland sculptor Aaron McConchie’s Chep pallet installation “c” is on display at Manukau City’s Highbrook Business Park through January 9. The exhibit consists of nine pyramid-like structures that resembles a house of cards. Each of the structures is made of 15 wooden pallets painted with water-based biodegradable paints and decorated with stenciled designs. McConchie and his father used a bucket truck to lift and position the heavy pallets, working in rain and wind. Heavy-duty steel pins keep the pyramids safely in place. According to McConchie’s website, the exhibition “not only references the industrial environment that it is in and the materials it is made of but also the sustainable nature of the work.” “With the waterbased paints used and the robust construction of the pallets, the result is a durable artwork that at the end of its lifespan as a work of art will beautifully disappear back into the system from which it came.” McConchie graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design in 2002.