A multi-site public art installation that opens tomorrow (Friday November 25) in Central looks at the sacrifice of people and the landscape, power in its various forms and the juxtaposition of old and new.

The Power that Flows Through Us in Cromwell’s historic precinct and Clyde explores the Clyde Dam: its legacy, size and scale and what it represents.

Artist Matthew Galloway said the project was a “huge undertaking”. 

He has spent the past 18 months researching and building it, and working with locals including the Cromwell Historic Trust and Central Otago District Arts Trust. 

The work is made up of drone footage, sculpture, archival political cartoons and a newspaper publication to examine the socio-political context of Robert Muldoon’s Think Big initiative, with a specific focus on the impact of the Clyde Dam. 

Matthew Galloway 

Matthew has an ongoing fascination with the dam as his family spent a lot of time enjoying Central summers when he was younger, he told the Central App.

“I’ve often reflected on the way it sits in the landscape and what it symbolises and represents.

“It’s changed the fabric of the community in Central… It was controversial at the time [it was built] and now it is a key pillar in getting us towards carbon neutrality.”

Matthew said his art aims to open up conversation and draws upon the past and present to inform the future.

Matthew Galloway, The Power that Flows Through Us, 2022. Documentation of work in progress

One of the significant aspects for him was capturing the movement of water; how it generates power and then reforms to become a river again. 

The cycle of power generation (both electrical and political) has been an ongoing focus for Matthew. This exhibition has grown from a smaller work he displayed in Wellington, New Zealand’s political hub, in 2020 at Enjoy contemporary art gallery.

4K drone footage shown on two screens capturing the moment water spills back into the Mata-au (Clutha) in Wellington’s exhibition 

“It led me to think could I present this work in and around Central Otago and it would be meaningful for people.”

Matthew said putting the new (the projections of high definition images) inside the old (historic buildings) would be surreal and thought provoking. 

He said he hopes the project continues to be shown and talked about, with Auckland a possible site later in 2023. 

The installation includes sound recordings of the dam, poetry by Brian Turner, writer Tina Ngata, and interviews with Edward Ellison, Kevin Jackson, Neil Gillespie and Duncan Faulkner.

Funding came from Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and Creative New Zealand.

After three days installing the works, and building a big screen and other components in Wisharts and the farmers’ market barns in Cromwell and the Clyde Museum, Matthew was looking forward to unwinding with some Central hospitality.

His favourite spots are Olivers in Clyde and Cromwell’s The Stoaker Room: If you spot him let him know what the Clyde dam means to you and why.  

The Power That Flows Through us runs from Friday November 25 - Saturday January 8.  

Learn more about Matthew and his art on his website.