Bell Gully Commission

Chorus is a striking glass installation commissioned by Bell Gully in 2024, the work comprises eleven chandeliers, each representing a native New Zealand bird, from the vibrant Tui and Kākā to the now-extinct Laughing Owl and Kakapo.

Gathered across time, both extant and extinct, these birds form a symbolic dawn chorus—a natural phenomenon once deafening in pre-colonial Aotearoa, now a rare experience in our urban landscapes. Inspired by historical accounts, each chandelier becomes a tribute to the voices of the forest, transforming the office space into an immersive environment of light, colour, and memory.

Individually designed with scale, palette, and anatomy in mind, every chandelier features delicate blown-glass feathers, a luminous egg form symbolising birth, and beak-like elements that echo each species’ distinctive traits. As viewers move through the space, light refracts and shifts, bringing the installation to life from every angle.

Chorus is both a celebration of our precious native birds and a poignant reminder of their fragility—inviting reflection, wonder, and connection through the art of glass.