Art We Miss At The Hamilton Lake

Hamilton Lake is a nice place to get away from the city for many Hamilton residents. As Hamiltonians, we are very lucky to have such an amazing man-made lake, which has many unique features that no other New Zealand lake or even local parks have.

Amanda Williams worked for the Hamilton City Council in the Parks and Gardens unit. She was the Contract Manager in charge of the Hamilton Lake Domain. Her background is in plantings and garden design, but when she was approached by the Parks Development Plans Supervisor to create and design the rubbish bins for the lake she jumped at the opportunity. When she took on this task, she did not know that she was about to create such an amazing piece of art.

The main design aspect was made to target and aid in the prevention of household rubbish dumping, making the domain tidier and more enjoyable for the users. After the careful consideration of the shape and size she was able to start her drawing and design process. Amanda had felt that the pukeko was a perfect representation of the lake. The pukeko was already a feature at the location, so as a recurring element it was an easy choice to use the native New Zealand bird as the main design. Amanda pulled inspiration from the lake and used the lake reeds to soften the design, which in turn, mirrored the look of the lake. After a couple months of communication with the company Street Furniture, the final product was made and produced.

As much as they are a pleasing design, they are also very practical.

The main project was to improve the quality of the lake, so part of that was the waste management. The decision  for the rubbish bins’ location was key. They decided to place them near entry ways, even distances apart, also where there are seating and tables; placement was a huge part of the project. An aerial view of the lake was used to scope out the best locations with easy access. Rather than having large waste management bins, which are an eye sore.

Taking inspiration from the lake’s identity, Amanda took
on this new project and created practical objects of art through a process and
with an outcome of which she is very proud.