A Wave in Time - the story of Sheila Williams
Emmerson Street
A Wave in Time - the story of Sheila Williams
Emmerson Street, Napier, Hawkes Bay
‘A Wave in Time’ consists of two bronze sculptures, located in Napier’s city centre on Emerson Street.
The first installation was commissioned in 2009, and unveiled in February 2010. The statue is modelled on Sheila Williams, daughter of Ernest Williams, one of the notable architects of the post-earthquake rebuild era. The statue also features a greyhound – although Sheila had horses, not dogs, images of exuberant women with elegant dogs were a popular theme during the Deco period. Sheila was also the Carnival Queen of the ‘New Napier Carnival’ in January 1933 to celebrate the town's recovery from the earthquake.
The second bronze piece is of a boy who has climbed a verandah post and is waving at Sheila. This second sculpture was unveiled in October 2014.
Napier City Council commissioned Mark Whyte of Lyttleton to create both sculptures. Mr Whyte majored in stone sculpture at the Ilam School of Fine Arts and is a specialist in stone sculpture, heritage restoration, public statuary in marble and bronze, and bronze portraiture.
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