Source: Auckland Council
Emily Trent is Head of Arts and Culture at Auckland Council so she knows why a city needs art, and how art contributes to the quality of our regenerating midtown.
The Auckland Council group is reinventing midtown, ensuring it’s ready to serve the city well ahead of the City Rail Link opening in 2026.
Projects include:
- Te Hā Noa – Victoria Street linear park (Albert Street to Elliott Street) – first section complete – story and timelapse; second section complete – story and timelapse.
- Federal Street upgrade, extension of the shared path laneway circuit – complete. Artwork Lost & Found by Joe Sheehan
- Queen Street – upgrade complete – story and timelapse
- Myers Park – upgrade and artwork Waimahara by Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Manu) is complete – story and video
- Wellesley Street bus interchange – Auckland Transport’s works are in progress
Against a backdrop of the city’s magnificent, multi-sensory artwork Waimahara in Myers Park, we ask Emily why art is important in any urban regeneration, and in this regeneration in particular.
This Q&A is part of an occasional series shining light on the regeneration of midtown and some of the people who are playing a part in it. The Auckland Council group announced an investment of $155 million in multiple projects to regenerate midtown in September 2021. Many are delivered already.
Our Q&A with Emily Trent:
Why does a city need public art?
Art is the way a city tells its story. Art defines who we are in the world. It delights and surprises. And right now Auckland’s midtown is a living example of that.
How is art playing a part in the midtown regeneration?
Anywhere in the world, art is central to a city’s regeneration.
In Myers Park, which is part of midtown, people can come and enjoy Waimahara, an extraordinary immersive public artwork by mana whenua artist Graham Tipene in collaboration with a group of composers and creatives.
Can you tell us about Waimahara?
Waimahara is a celebration of te ao Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau, and it invites us to remember water. It references Te Waihorotiu stream, which flows beneath Queen Street and has its source here in Myers Park.
Within Waimahara, we see references to water. We hear immersive elements such as birdsong, taonga pūoro (traditional musical instruments), and we see references to taiao (nature) like kauri and hīnaki (fish trap) forms.
Are there other forms of expression?
Within this space, there’s art all around. There’s art in the planting, there’s art in the boardwalk, there’s art in the stairway by Tessa Harris. And art is in the cultural identity and the story we tell through this built environment.
Public art, and the arts, culture and creativity, are the thread that connects us as humans. It can bring joy and play. It can make a place safe and liveable. It invites you to linger, to be inspired and to find joy just around the corner.
How does Auckland Council’s public art collection take shape?
Auckland Council partners with artists and creatives to bring public art to the Auckland region. The Auckland Council Regional Art Collection has over 400 artworks all across the region that bring joy and creativity.
What other art can people see in this area?
In addition to Waimahara, we have Lost & Found in Federal Street by Joe Sheehan.
We’ve got new works coming to Victoria Street. And we’ve got murals. The regeneration of midtown is providing amazing opportunities for new works and also to refresh existing works.
What about the City Rail Link stations?
Next year Aucklanders will be able to step into the City Rail Link stations. These stations provide an amazing canvas for public art. We’ll be able to see our cultural identity expressed through art in the stations.
Is this, in effect, a free, all-weather, outdoor art gallery?
Our city’s expression is visible in the built environment through public art. It can delight us, it can connect us, and it can provide an opportunity for discussion and consideration. It’s accessible to everyone. Art tells the story of our place in the world.
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