On the bus route from Auckland airport to the central business district (CBD), you may notice, among the trees, shops, and clusters of Korean and Vietnamese restaurants, a sculpture of giant floating chopsticks lifting long noodles from the sidewalk in front of Ballantyne Square.

No, it’s not a garish ad for a nearby ramen restaurant. The orange construction fencing that surrounds the sculpture, titled OnDo, makes it seem unfinished, but that’s actually one of the most important parts of the piece. The artist, Seung Yul Oh, wanted the sculpture to add a fantastic element to ongoing road construction in the area. The chopsticks appear to be pulling the gray noodles (which resemble cables), from the sidewalk beneath.

The piece was originally controversial, with some complaining about its appearance or that it wasn’t a good use of public art funds. Still, OnDo has plenty of supporters who enjoy its surrealist take on the everyday. It was removed for repairs in 2015, reinstalled in September 2018, and in 2020 it has been installed at the corner of Balmoral and Dominion roads.