Auckland City of Colour
Categories
Placemaking
Client
Commercial Bay, HOTC
Project
Auckland City of Colour
Services
Programme Design Creative Direction Curation Production
Year
2023
The project began with a focus on how public space in the city centre could better hold identity, movement, and connection — particularly in relation to the moana and the rhythms of Matariki. Working alongside Angus Muir, Commercial Bay, Heart of the City, and the Auckland Central City Targeted Rate commission, we developed a placemaking approach that brought together public art, urban activation, and cultural narrative into a cohesive framework.
The project began with a focus on how public space in the city centre could better hold identity, movement, and connection — particularly in relation to the moana and the rhythms of Matariki. Working alongside Angus Muir, Commercial Bay, Heart of the City, and the Auckland Central City Targeted Rate commission, we developed a placemaking approach that brought together public art, urban activation, and cultural narrative into a cohesive framework.
This work centred on commissioning emerging Māori artists, building on the foundations of Te Tīmatanga 2022: Huarahi Toi, and creating opportunities for their practices to be expressed at scale within the city. The approach balanced consistency with responsiveness, allowing artworks to live across architectural surfaces, public programmes, and seasonal moments, while remaining grounded in kaupapa Māori. At its core, the project was driven by a commitment to ensuring that the city reflects the people and stories of this place — embedding cultural resonance into the everyday experience of Tāmaki Makaurau.
This work centred on commissioning emerging Māori artists, building on the foundations of Te Tīmatanga 2022: Huarahi Toi, and creating opportunities for their practices to be expressed at scale within the city. The approach balanced consistency with responsiveness, allowing artworks to live across architectural surfaces, public programmes, and seasonal moments, while remaining grounded in kaupapa Māori. At its core, the project was driven by a commitment to ensuring that the city reflects the people and stories of this place — embedding cultural resonance into the everyday experience of Tāmaki Makaurau.
Working closely with partners and artists, we refined a spatial language that was both adaptable and grounded in place. Materials, light, colour, and form were considered as part of a wider system, shaping how artworks could live across laneways, waterfront edges, and public thresholds. Each intervention was tested against the realities of the city — scale, movement, weather, and audience — ensuring consistency without flattening the individuality of each artist’s voice. The result is a cohesive yet flexible framework for public art, one that holds clarity in its expression while allowing for cultural specificity, storytelling, and a distinctly Tāmaki Makaurau character to emerge.
Working closely with partners and artists, we refined a spatial language that was both adaptable and grounded in place. Materials, light, colour, and form were considered as part of a wider system, shaping how artworks could live across laneways, waterfront edges, and public thresholds. Each intervention was tested against the realities of the city — scale, movement, weather, and audience — ensuring consistency without flattening the individuality of each artist’s voice. The result is a cohesive yet flexible framework for public art, one that holds clarity in its expression while allowing for cultural specificity, storytelling, and a distinctly Tāmaki Makaurau character to emerge.
