Diminish and Ascend

Diminish And Ascend is a welded aluminum stairway sculpture by David McCracken. It is permanently installed in Christchurch Botanic Gardens, New Zealand. The sculpture is an optical illusion.

Diminish and Ascend
ArtistDavid McCracken
Completion date2013
MediumAluminum
SubjectStairway
Dimensions12 metres (39 ft) x 1.45 metres (4.8 ft) x 3.8 metres (12 ft)
LocationChristchurch
OwnerChristchurch City Council
WebsiteArtist website

History
Diminish and Ascend

In 2013, the sculpture was first displayed at Bondi Beach, Australia at the Sculpture by the Sea event.[1][2] It was then moved to Waiheke Island in New Zealand. In 2016 it was moved to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in New Zealand.[1][3] The cost of the sculpture was NZ$192,000.[3] The cost of the sculpture was funded with a grant from the Friends of the Botanic Gardens, and sponsorship from Christchurch City Council Art in Public Spaces Fund.

The cost of the maintenance for the sculpture is covered by the Christchurch City Council.[4] There is a NZ$700 per month cost for maintenance.[3] The maintenance is needed to remove bird droppings from the sculpture.[5]

Design

New Zealand artist David McCracken designed the sculpture to be constructed from welded aluminum. The dimensions of the structure are 12 metres (39 ft) x 1.45 metres (4.8 ft) x 3.8 metres (12 ft).[6] It is installed in Christchurch Botanic Gardens in Kiosk Lake. It is a stairway sculpture which is meant to be an optical illusion. The illusion is achieved due to wider steps at the bottom of the sculpture which gradually decrease in size with each step until they come to a vanishing point at the top.[1] The steps at the top are just a few centimeters wide.[7] When viewed from certain angles it appears to be an endless stairway.[2]

Reception

Bored Panda put the sculpture at number 12 on their list of "42 of the Most Amazing Sculptures in the World".[8] The Huffington Post called it an "M. C. Escher drawing in real life".[9] Christchurch City Council member Phil Clearwater has said the sculpture is a "peaceful, reflective artwork".[4] Pinar Noota from My Modern Met has referred to it as a "stairway to heaven".[2] In 2019 Architectural Digest included it their 38 most fascinating sculptures.[10]

References
  1. "'Diminish and Ascend'". Atlasobscura. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  2. Noorata, Pinar (18 November 2013). "Australia's Infinite Stairway to Heaven". My Modern Met. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  3. "Diminish and Ascend staircase: the New Zealand sculpture that is murdering gulls". Guardian News & Media Limited. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  4. "Gardens artwork steps into permanent home". Christchurch City Council. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  5. Law, Tina (25 November 2018). "The price of looking after Christchurch's public art". Stuff Limited. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  6. "Does David McCracken's stairway lead to heaven?". Public Delivery Magazine. Publicdelivery. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  7. "5. Sculpture by the Sea - site 46". ABC Local. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  8. Jaruševičiūtė, Greta (2017). "42 Of The Most Amazing Sculptures In The World". Bored Panda. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  9. "This Infinite Staircase Will Make You Believe In Miracles". The Huffington Post. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  10. Mafi, Nick; Cherner, Jessica (22 November 2019). "38 of the Most Fascinating Public Sculptures". Architect Digest. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
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