Eight Boulders Have Landed on Federal Street As Part of the Public Artwork 'Lost and Found' 

Eight boulders have appeared on Auckland's Federal Street — but these aren't just nondescript rocks. The boulders are a key element of the city's public art project Lost and Found, set to dazzle onlookers next month when the full piece is revealed.

The boulders have been carefully carved by artist Joe Sheehan who searched all over Aotearoa for these particular pieces of rock, which weigh between one and four tonnes each and are thought to be millions of years old.

Sheehan has carved everyday objects into the boulders, such as shoelaces, a backpack and a baseball cap, complete with intricate details on each piece. The artist invites community members to trace these shapes with their hands when viewing the boulders, with the hope of creating patterns and indents in the carvings over a period of time.

"These works are designed to be touched and through that physical contact the public will, literally, finish the artwork," Sheehan explained.

"The belongings are a kind of figurative work that extends through the street," he continued. "The two gloves are at each end and hold the space, the jacket lies under St Matthew's as a cruciform echo of the figure on the cross, the shoes are found at the door of the Auckland City Mission. Each part interacts with different aspects of the street."

Sheehan hoped his display of public art both represented the different community members found in and around Federal Street, while encouraging a sense of togetherness in Auckland's city centre.

Waitematā Local Board Chair Genevieve Sage said that Sheehan's work honours both the past — with the use of the million-year-old boulders — and the present, by representing the people that call Federal Street home.

"Through Joe's extraordinary skill and creative exploration we see a space where contemporary artwork meets early geological formations, joining to tell a story. The artwork is inviting us to see and touch and experience it in a contemporary way," Sage said.

The public artwork will be completed in April when large lamps that Sheehan designed to highlight the carved objects are fitted among the boulders, shining on each piece of the design while the untouched parts of the eight rocks remain in darkness.

The area is part of the revitalisation of the city as a whole, as well as the final part of the revamped shared space at the bottom of Federal Street.

Lost and Found is a free public artwork that can be found at the end of Federal Street, by St Matthews in the City. The final piece of the artwork will be revealed next month, with more information available on Auckland Council's website.