WEATHERED HISTORY

Sophie’s work reflects her interest in heritage houses and buildings and how they’ve shaped the way New Zealanders have lived for generations. Sophie salvages materials from old classic New Zealand Villas and Bungalows from around the Auckland region which are soon to be demolished, making way for modern housing developments. 

These developments are a solution, endeavoring to meet the population growth and housing demand demands. The harsh reality is an apartment block or duplex is a far more efficient way of catering to the housing crisis than a single villa or bungalow. 

“It saddens me that we are losing our historical buildings and homes. I feel it is my duty to recycle, salvage, restore, and give new life to these native materials that would otherwise end up as landfill.” 

Using restored weatherboard floorboards, the work resembles a snapshot of a traditional Kiwi weatherboard house, as we have seen throughout New Zealand’s housing history.

In the “Weathered” collection, each artwork is individually designed and handcrafted with no two pieces the same.