Lake Fill I - performance works to mark the first filling of hydro Lake Dunstan, Clyde, New Zealand by Lloyd Godman - © Lloyd Godman

Performance to mark the first filling of hydro lake Dunstan, Clyde, New Zealand - Lloyd Godman Lake Fill I - May 1992

These were deliberately taken to a pre-selected area of bare of ground near the rising water level and the parts were laid out to construct the positive white shape of a human figure with both arms outstretched to form a cruciform. This formed a white shadow of the raw earth itself. Next, a discarded surveying stake was picked from the assortment of materials previously laid out, and hammer driven with the same ritualistic mannerisms. With an almost robot-like style the stake was driven into the ground at the feet of the bright white cut-out figure on the earth. Five more times, a stake was selected from the pile and was calculatedly driven into the earth, until there were in all six stakes forming the unmistakable shape of a crucifix surrounding the white card figure. Two were at both the head and the feet, while another two denoted the ends of the traverse that were the extended arms.