Blake, who’s moving to Bannockburn next month, had been captivated by the Kawarau Falls Park hoop’s ever-changing appearance within the environment.
He therefore snapped it during many daily walks with his dog from 2016 until it was removed last year.
From nearly 800 photos he’s chosen 49 that he’s had printed on aluminium panels for his exhibition entitled ‘Alta (2016-2024)’.
They’re being mounted at eye level on floor-to-ceiling poles in Te Atamira’s main Whakaari gallery.
"Each of these will be positioned at various angles so you can’t see the whole show from any single viewpoint, so viewers have to physically move between them to see each work," Blake says.
"This immersive installation invites viewers to wander around a ‘forest’ of images and reflect on themes of isolation, memory, impermanence and change."
Among the photographs the actual hoop — discovered months after its removal — will be lying on the floor.
To provide atmosphere, the gallery will also be softly lit with an ambient audio track playing.
Blake says he came to consider the hoop as being like a silent witness to significant personal milestones including moving to Queenstown, the death of his brother, marriage to his partner, the birth of their son, Covid and the sense of isolation as an artist that drove him to initiate several projects supporting local artists.
"It is very important for my last show as a Queenstown resident to be something completely unlike any artist has done here before."
Blake, who’ll commute from Bannockburn to his Superpartner gallery in Arrowtown, says he’s immensely grateful to those who made this exhibition possible, including Michael Nock for the use of his Lower Shotover studio.
He’s inviting locals and visitors to his Te Atamira exhibition opening at 5.30pm next Thursday — RSVPs appreciated via hello@teatamira.nz
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