Untitled
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DescriptionUntitled is a stainless steel sculpture by artist Dave McCracken. Born in Auckland, McCracken began making sculptures in his teens and eventually upskilled in advanced metal fabrication to make use of inexpensive metal waste materials. His practice has earned him many accolades and awards across New Zealand and Australia, including the Wallace Arts Trust Vermont Award in 2014.
Much of McCracken’s work seeks to elevate humble materials and banal forms into memorable objects. This untitled sphere likely belongs to his “Nice Round Figures” series—a collection of welded stainless steel spheres in various sizes. Some of the spheres are highly polished, reflecting the environment around them; others have a matte finish, distorting reflections into blurs of colour or mere patches of light.
This Untitled piece is the former—a highly polished, elegant sphere that mirrors the landscape so vividly it might vanish into it, if not for the droplet-shaped gouges repeated around its surface. Emulating the sleek glamour of polished metalwork, the piece embodies McCracken’s self-professed drive to create beautiful objects. These surface interruptions are precise and balanced, disrupting the reflections and playfully distorting the surrounding space. This is not just a sculpture to look at—it is one that looks back.
McCracken views form and object as engaged in a constant struggle between literal meaning and layered connotation. While we see a reflective sphere, we might also see a ball bearing—an unassuming yet essential component of countless modern machines. Is this a nod to McCracken’s background in boat building and construction? Or simply a tribute to the sphere’s intrinsic elegance? Its untitled nature reinforces the artist's intention: to elevate the ordinary while inviting the viewer to look deeper.
This sculpture is far from a casual creation. Its material quality reveals the artist’s technical expertise and thoughtful construction. McCracken has said his work is built around a “fundamental contradiction between material, vernacular, and form,” allowing each viewer to project their own meaning into the piece. In that way, we are left contemplating a nameless yet familiar shape that not only reflects us but anchors us within the sculpture itself.
Although reminiscent of artists like Anish Kapoor or Jeppe Hein in its immersive, reflective quality, Untitled is distinct. It is elusive. McCracken describes his sculptural process as a “soap”—a slow-moving drama without an audience. Once completed, the piece does not race forward; it waits, quietly challenging the viewer to unpack its intent—if, indeed, there is any at all.CreatorDave McCracken
Much of McCracken’s work seeks to elevate humble materials and banal forms into memorable objects. This untitled sphere likely belongs to his “Nice Round Figures” series—a collection of welded stainless steel spheres in various sizes. Some of the spheres are highly polished, reflecting the environment around them; others have a matte finish, distorting reflections into blurs of colour or mere patches of light.
This Untitled piece is the former—a highly polished, elegant sphere that mirrors the landscape so vividly it might vanish into it, if not for the droplet-shaped gouges repeated around its surface. Emulating the sleek glamour of polished metalwork, the piece embodies McCracken’s self-professed drive to create beautiful objects. These surface interruptions are precise and balanced, disrupting the reflections and playfully distorting the surrounding space. This is not just a sculpture to look at—it is one that looks back.
McCracken views form and object as engaged in a constant struggle between literal meaning and layered connotation. While we see a reflective sphere, we might also see a ball bearing—an unassuming yet essential component of countless modern machines. Is this a nod to McCracken’s background in boat building and construction? Or simply a tribute to the sphere’s intrinsic elegance? Its untitled nature reinforces the artist's intention: to elevate the ordinary while inviting the viewer to look deeper.
This sculpture is far from a casual creation. Its material quality reveals the artist’s technical expertise and thoughtful construction. McCracken has said his work is built around a “fundamental contradiction between material, vernacular, and form,” allowing each viewer to project their own meaning into the piece. In that way, we are left contemplating a nameless yet familiar shape that not only reflects us but anchors us within the sculpture itself.
Although reminiscent of artists like Anish Kapoor or Jeppe Hein in its immersive, reflective quality, Untitled is distinct. It is elusive. McCracken describes his sculptural process as a “soap”—a slow-moving drama without an audience. Once completed, the piece does not race forward; it waits, quietly challenging the viewer to unpack its intent—if, indeed, there is any at all.CreatorDave McCracken
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InterviewerJoe Harawira -Narrator
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Relates To
Other ItemsUniversity of Waikato Sculpture Trail
Dave McCracken, Untitled. University of Waikato, accessed 08/07/2025, https://onehera.waikato.ac.nz/nodes/view/10601