Windmills at Avalon Park

A wind sculpture created by Leon van den Eijkel read more for his story.

Smiling Windmills at Avalon Park

As a child growing up in Holland, was to me, exciting and full of joy,
the clouds, the rain, sea and nature played with us.

A simple windmill on a stick from the fairground. The run home through
cobbled streets holding it high for show and best effect.

Wedged outside my window overnight I listened from my bed for its swishing
clickety clack between the droning of urban noises. It made me smile, this
joyful symbol of paper engineering.

My work has always been about celebrating the positive. Irksome Wind is
an adult thing. In this work “The Smiling Windmills” I wanted to recall my
childhood and the joy wind gave me and to share it with everyone as a positive source of energy.

Leon’s Smiling Windmills are at Avalon Park, Lower Hutt. The windmills were proudly presented to the people of the Hutt Valley by the E Tu Awakairangi Hutt Public Art Trust after the public fell in love with the vibrant sculpture at the Shapeshifter 2008 exhibition at the Civic Gardens.