Lake Pūkaki shows the sparkle of light on a patch of water. The light takes the shape of tiny stars that dance on the water’s clear surface—rocks can be seen below. The brightness of the light causes pink bands of refraction to run vertically across the video’s frame.
Lake Pūkaki could be viewed as a companion work to Water Brighton Pier (2006), which also focuses on the effects of sunlight moving across water. Parkes is interested in both the reflection and distortion of the light and brief moments when our vision is disrupted.