Another big, beautiful idea from the ever-inspiring Louise.
This project was born out of the stillness and strangeness of life after the COVID lockdowns. At the time, the Three Lakes Cultural Trust launched an initiative to fund an exhibition that would reflect on the collective experience we’d all just lived through—and Louise’s concept instantly struck a chord.
She described it perfectly: during lockdown, it felt like we were caged butterflies—trapped in a kind of quiet cave. Her vision was to bring that feeling to life through art. A moment of stillness and confinement… followed by freedom.
The installation featured delicate porcelain butterflies—each one handmade. Inside the “cage,” the butterflies were pure white, symbolizing the colorless hush of lockdown. But as they fluttered outward—escaping, rising—they slowly became vibrant, gaining the colors of red, blue, and yellow. A reminder of how bright life is once we begin to spread our wings again.
Thanks to the efforts of Marc Blake, the piece was eventually sold and now lives in a stairwell in Auckland, giving life and movement to the space.
It was such a magical and meaningful project to be part of—one I’ll always hold close to my heart.
