Welcome to the city of colour — LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA

Central Auckland will pop with colourful art for the next few weeks as the city gears up to welcome visitors back after a long Covid-related absence.

Co-curated by award-winning designer Angus Muir and Barbara Holloway of Auckland Council with support from Heart of the city, more than 50 light and art installations will colour-up the Viaduct Harbour, Silo Park, Britomart, Commercial Bay, Te Komititanga, Vulcan Lane, High Street district, Queen Street and many more city spaces day and night.

Deep Thought is a 4.5m sculpture by HYBYCOZO in Market Square and is accompanied by four smaller sculptures: Dodi, Trocto, Icozo and Rhombi. Deep Thought completes artists Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk's exploration of the family of polyhedra named “the platonic solids”.

Ribbons of colour will drape from a canopy suspended above Vulcan Lane, a flock of flamingos will dance on the roof of the City Rail Link information centre where Elliott Street meets Victoria Street, temporary lighting installation Te Maharatanga o Ngā Wai – Te Wai Horotiu on the corner of Tāmaki Pataka Kōrero / Central City Library will remind us to remember our waterways and a projection of waves will illuminate the overbridge on Karangahape Road.

Also among the works is Broken Sovereignty, by artist Daniel John Corbett Sanders. Displayed at The Lightship site in Quay St, which is sponsored by Ports of Auckland, the piece reflects on the use and misuse of LGBTQ+ representation in advertising.

Set at billboard scale, the letters spelling Auckland are designed with colourful symmetries of the original Pride flag, slowly beginning to glitch and break.

As the rainbow letters start to flicker, the work encourages observers to question the role of homonationalism inside a campaign to create a thriving Auckland.

Te Maharatanga o Ngā Wai – Te Wai Horotiu is a temporary lighting installation at Tāmaki Pataka Kōrero/Central Library. The graphic artwork by Etienne Neho and Graham Tipene of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei prompts us to remember the natural waterways and systems of the city centre.

Mayor Phil Goff says the “City of Colour” installations are to help kickstart the city centre’s recovery from the pandemic, recognising the difficulties businesses have faced through lockdowns.

“The displays are designed to draw people into the city to experience and enjoy the lighting installations and artworks on display and will bring increased vibrancy, colour and interest to central Auckland”, he says. “It will also provide a welcome boost to businesses on the path to recovery.”

Flow hangs in Vulcan Lane. The piece by artist Jarrod Barrow is constructed from thousands of coloured strands that flex, move and ripple in the air.

Auckland Council’s Chief Economist Unit confirms that the lockdowns saw city centre growth fall faster than the wider Auckland economy in the year to March 2021.

City of Colour is a partnership between Auckland Council and Heart of the City and other city centre partners including SkyCity, Viaduct Harbour Holdings, Britomart Group, Precinct Properties, Karangahape Road Business Association, Eke Panuku and Auckland Live.