Giant Gollum Sculpture Unveiled at Wellington Airport

Weta Workshop A giant sculpture of Gollum greets travelers at Wellington International Airport in New Zealand.

If this frightening fellow should ask you for his precious ring - or maybe just a sandwich from the food court - perhaps you'd consider giving it to him? In his descriptions of Gollum, the misunderstood monster from “The Hobbit” and his “Lord of the Rings” novels, J. R. R. Tolkien wrote that he was small and slimy with eyes that glow like green lamps. But clearly the artists at Weta Workshop, the New Zealand-based company that has designed props and special effects for Peter Jackson's “Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” movies, had other ideas: the Wellington International Airport has recently unveiled this larger-than-life sculpture of Gollum, designed by Weta Workshop to mark the coming release of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and celebrate New Zealand's involvement in Mr. Jackson's movies.

Richard Taylor, the Weta Workshop founder, told The Dominion Post of Wellington, “Wellington Airport feels like the home of Gollum after spending so many months here during the last three films.” According to Weta Workshop, the Gollum installation consists of nine separate components created by 18 sculptors, model makers, painters and other artists. The portion consisting of his head and outstretched arm measures about 42 feet and weighs over 2,500 pounds; each of the three fish he reaches for is about 12 feet long, and modeled on sculptures in Mr. Taylor's bathroom. (And hopefully those fishes are all that Gollum wants.)