People who drive past Paeroa College might notice a new addition at the school grounds.
A sculpture of a man on a penny-farthing bicycle has made its home in pride of place near the front of Paeroa College.
The sculpture was donated to the school by a community member who appreciated the college’s work and wanted to provide something that offered students something to think about beyond their day to day studies and life.
The mastermind behind the creation is Te Aroha-based sculptor Adrian Worsley.
Adrian told The Profile the person who donated the sculpture, who wanted to remain anonymous, was passionate about giving something back to the community – which Adrian said he was “big on” too.
The man on the penny-farthing bicycle wears a restraint on one wrist, and a sundial on the other which is connected to a chain.
The sculpture, which took Adrian around three weeks to create, stands behind a small plaque that reads: Don’t be chained to time, follow your dreams.
As a kid, Adrian said he was so “worried about time”, he didn’t really “follow my dreams as such”.
But the sculptor wanted people to know it was important to follow their dreams and passions. His biggest hope was for the sculpture to be appreciated.
Adrian also believed being creative was really important, and a bit of “creativeness” was good for the mind and soul.
But his inspiration for creating came from another place: music.
“I like really loud, heavy music. That’s where my mind actually focuses more, so it doesn’t get distracted.
“These ideas just seem to play through from songs and music,” he said.
While the sculptor wasn’t a musician himself, he enjoyed heavy metal music from bands such as Ministry, Five Finger Death Punch, and even New Zealand group Head Like a Hole.
He said it was the only time his mind was settled so he could “just focus a lot easier”.
Adrian said he’d met a few other people who were similar to him in that respect.
“But I’ve always been like that, ever since I was a kid.”
The motivation behind his work was definitely passion, he said.
“You have to be passionate about this, because it’s hard to make a living from it.”
Adrian, who had many sculptures placed in towns across the Waikato, including Morrinsville, Matamata and right through the main street of Te Aroha, said he loved street art because people could appreciate it – “and then you get to enjoy people appreciating it”.
“I think it’s really cool to see, so it motivates me to do something that’s bigger and better.”
Most of the pieces Adrian worked on took more than two years to create, he said.
“So you’re connecting to that every single day, so when it goes, it takes a while to get over that.”
For people interested in seeing more of Adrian’s work, the main street of Te Aroha is dotted with his sculptures.
DETAILS: Stay up to date with Adrian’s work on Facebook: search for Adrian Worsley Gallery.
