Héctor Zamora: Muegano

Mexican artist Héctor Zamora has recently completed the installation of Muegano, a metallic structure hovering above a lake in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, New Zealand. The public art installation seeks to generate reflection on the role of the traditional house structure in Western culture and comment on inner-city living and urban density. Its multi-faceted, crystalline shape has been inspired by the form of snowflakes and by that of a special Mexican sweet made out of cornflakes and sugar, after which the artwork is named.

Originally commissioned for the 6th SCAPE Public Art Christchurch Biennial in 2010, the installation of Muegano was halted following the Christchurch earthquakes of 2011. In December 2012, the artwork was finally installed in the city's Botanic Gardens, where it will remain for the duration of one year.

Zamora's design is generated by a reflection on the architecture of houses in the Christchurch suburbs. The artist noted "many of (the houses) have the classic western shape of the house that everybody knows and (children) draw; roof with two inclinations, four walls, windows and door at the front." He saw a reflection of this "classic western shape" in the pre-fabricated greenhouse frames that are readily available in hardware stores, and specified them as the major structural components in Muegano.

Héctor Zamora: Muegano
Location: Christchurch Botanic Gardens, New Zealand
Model: Mauro Nagase
Render: Gustavo Delonero
CAD drawings: Marília Teixeira
Installation: December 2012 — December 2013
Sponsors: Naylor Love, BECA, New Zealand Steel, Anderson Lloyd Lawyers, John Jones Steel, Warren and Mahoney, Christchurch City Council, Heritage Management Services, United Scaffolding Group
Support: Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Dame Jenny Gibbs