Two Wellington artists have brought the backcountry to the city, writes Shaun Barnett
Over the last year, Wellington hut-baggers have had a choice of an extra seven huts to visit, with not one of them more than a 20-minute stroll from the nearest road-end. These are not conventional huts, however, but instead the inspired work of two Wellington artists, Kemi Whitwell and Niko Leyden. The project began after the couple applied for a grant from Wellington City Council to make art from salvaged materials. From there, it grew into a year-long project, Miniature hikes and huts, centred on the theme of huts and hiking. Calling themselves Kemi Niko & Co (with the ‘Co’ standing for ‘Connective’), the couple are both full-time artists living in the suburb of Mount Cook, from where it’s a short walk to Rolleston Heights. Here, among native bush and gum trees, is a grassy flat with views of the city and harbour. The couple have lived here for six years and in this area started making art that encouraged participation. They set up a tin can letterbox called ‘Tin Can Post’, where passers-by were encouraged to leave, or take, something. To encourage picnics, Kemi and Niko created a large wooden picnic box, which was left for people to sit on, or investigate what was left inside. Then, in 2014, they hit upon the idea of building huts out of recycled materials. Each one would represent a particular theme, with its own symbol and story. The first hut was, Niko says, “the hardest and the most useful”. Constructed in their workshop in sections, it was carried into the Bell Road Reserve, near Rolleston Heights and put together in one day. Set on a slope and built on wooden piles, the diminutive hut has a cladding made from flattened tin cans, a small chimney and even a water tank. Given that the suburb is Mount Cook, it was appropriately dubbed Aoraki Biv. Painted eggshell-blue, its double doors open with a sliding latch, and inside is a logbook, cushion and even a wine glass. The genius of outdoor art like this is that it’s not only visually interesting, but also a source of inspiration for people to explore their city’s bush and coast. Miniature hikes offer the sort of walk that is a treasure hunt, as well as exercise. And the logbook provides a way for the artists to see how people respond. One walker, upon discovering Robin Hut, wrote: ‘Found this treasure whare on our meanderings … loved the sea breeze and the company of whanau. Glad to leave my mauri here. Nga mihi ano.’ Another wrote of the hut at Tarakena Bay: ‘Yay, we found it. This is swagalicious.’ [caption id="attachment_3854" align="aligncenter" width="984"]