Won't You Join Me in the Shower?

"Endeavour" Tatzu Oozu. Christchurch. Oct 2008. Ajr

I never thought I’d see the day when I would be party to Captain James Cook’s bathing practices but thanks to the wonderful wit of Japanese artist, Tatzu Oozu, I now have a far more intimate appreciation of one of Christchurch’s favourite statues. “Endeavour” is Oozu’s work for Scape 2008 and I love it. It may have taken forever to materialise but it was worth the wait. I think it’s the pick of the Scape bunch. Oozu has won me over with the unexpected – a small ‘house’ constructed around the James Cook statue - just a small lounge and a bathroom. You climb the stairs, enter the lounge, peer out the window into the tulip garden and then, the bathroom - and the surprise of discovering Captain Cook in the bath/shower….standing there in all his freshly-scrubbed-down marble glory beside a toilet. Oozu clearly has a black sense of humour and I think it’s marvellous. He’s done this sort of thing before in other parts of the world and if you click here you can see the concept for his next grand scheme – a hotel on top of the Earl Grey monument in Newcastle-on-Tyne in England. For other comments on Scape 2008 works click on Scape Biennial in the label line below.