Barrel of Monkeys

Zac Whiteside’s “Barrel of Monkeys” recreates the familiar childhood game on an industrial scale. Developed during his Crucible Residency in Ōamaru, Zac made a set of giant cast-iron monkeys, along with a life-scale replica of the original barrel to house them.

The works were cast on site using traditional sand-casting processes, and their production involved approximately seven cranes across moulding, pouring, and finishing. In their enlarged iron form, the monkeys operate as functional S-hooks, shifting the mechanics of the game into the language of industrial equipment and labour.

Although the idiom “a barrel of monkeys” suggests chaos, the original game is slow and methodical. Whiteside’s version pushes the phrase back toward its intended energy — introducing weight, machinery, and the real possibility of failure. What was once a table-top toy becomes a public-facing industrial task.