John Scott Distorted Metallic Messages, 1997

This art work is unavailable due to the Commerce Building being remediated and renamed Rehua. We hope to have a new home for it in the future.

This stainless steel and cast bronze screen was created in response to the brief from the architect for the Commerce Building, Ian Athfield. The brief was to create a sculptural barrier between the classrooms and the cafeteria, in addition to protecting the switchboard, wiring, and service pipes that pass through the core of the building.

As a result, 'Distored Metallic Messages' is not just a sculpture, it is also an integral part of the Commerce Building, enabling the various spaces to function fluidly and efficiently.

The screen is made of bronze castings from willow branches, connected by taps and pipe fittings. These mimic the building's own service pipes, which were encased in stainless steel to heighten their value and presence. The corrugated screens are silk screen printed in epoxy ink with famous and infamous sayings or quotations about business and economics. These quotations reference the School of Business and Economics, who inhabit the building.