Artist Statement: "2020 has been a turbulent year for many. This watchful guardian stands for hope as it calls into the darkness signalling good times ahead. Recycled milk bottles collected during the COVID-19 lockdown were used to construct the ruru and moths."
The project was an exploration of how light installations could be developed during a national lock-down. The project explored the use of milk bottles as a sculptural material as, at the time, curbside recycling was not in operation.
The work also explored te ao Māori themes of safety and warnings associated with the different calls of ruru (morepork owl).
The name of the work alludes to a whakataukī (Māori proverb) that speaks of preserving in hard time. "E rua tau ruru; e rua tau wehe; e rua tau mutu; e rua tau kai." These words seem relevant during the uncertainty of this global pandemic.