#38 - The Giant’s House

Almost by accident we stumbled upon a most unusal place called “The Giant’s House” in Akaroa.  It was named by a small girl loooking up at it from the valley below and she said it was so big it must be the house of a Giant.

The house was built in 1880 by a man who came here from England.  It took 5 years to build using hardwoods of Totara and Kauri trees, except for the beautiful mahogany staircase that was imported from France and reassembled in the grand entrance hall.

But that’s not what makes this place so special.  The gardens and all the mosaic sculptures are what set is apart.  When artist Josie Martin purchased the house about 20 years ago, there was no garden at all.  So she began to design the space (she has a diploma in horticulture).  Digging in the yard she found shards of lovely old china that were buried because there was no rubbish collection in those early days.

Being too beautiful to throw away, she saved it up as she felt it belonged to the history of the old house.  She used the small pieces to create mosaic front steps.  She then did the floor in the conservatory like a stone carpet and from there started to create larger mosaic sculptures throughout the property.  She reinforces the sculptures with steel and concrete and then finishes the exterior with broken china, glass, and mirrors, etc.

Josie’s elegant abstract sculptures are seriously playful and a celebration of life.  They are surreal, whimsical and flamboyant and a bit eccentric.  Meanwhile she continues to sculpt her gardens around these sculptures, resulting in a most unusual “theatre of art”.

As you look at these photos, keep in mind that she tends to the garden herself, and is constantly adding new and unusual pieces to her work.  Much of her inspiration comes from traveling overseas every year, living in different environments and having new experiences.

Sounds a bit like what Jeff and I are doing.  But don’t expect any great masterpieces of art from us.