Nebbia's Interlude: A Millennium-Long Stone Seat on Lake Wakatipu
Interlude, a five-piece stone seating installation on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand, has been completed by Nebbia, an architecture studio based in London and headed by Madhav Kidao and Brando Posocco. This project is part of the Paererewā initiative, which aims to create 1,000 enduring public seats. Situated in Jardine Park, the installation consists of two mirrored blocks of quarried South Island blue stone, featuring carved seats and steps that enhance views of the lake and the Remarkables mountain range. Local stonemasons crafted the stone, merging natural and polished textures. Half of the programme’s installations are designated for tangata whenua and sites of national significance. Interlude was finalized in 2026, receiving acclaim from Hideaki Fukutake as a timeless attraction.
Key facts
- Interlude is a five-piece stone seat on Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown.
- It is the fourth work in New Zealand's Paererewā programme, which aims to install 1,000 millennium-long public seats.
- The seat is made of quarried South Island blue stone (basalt).
- Design features two mirrored rocks with seats and steps facing each other across a circular portal.
- The portal frames Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables mountain range.
- Fabrication combined photogrammetry, 3D models, and hand carving by a local stonemason.
- Weathering is intentional; the seat is designed to last a millennium.
- The Paererewā programme reserves half its works for tangata whenua and local authorities, with perpetual maintenance funding.
- Hideaki Fukutake, CEO of STILL, praised the work as timeless.
- The site on Kelvin Peninsula is historically associated with Hakitekura, the first person to swim Lake Wakatipu.
- Interlude was completed in 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Madhav Kidao
- Brando Posocco
- Nebbia
Institutions
- Paererewā programme
- STILL
- Barbican
- ARoS Aarhus
Locations
- Lake Wakatipu
- Queenstown
- New Zealand
- Jardine Park
- Kelvin Peninsula
- Remarkables mountain range
- London
- South Island