Take a walk on Queen Street in Auckland and you’ll see a row of rental signs leaning against exposed windows.
The vague sight strongly reminds us of Covid-19’s continued impact on New Zealand’s largest city.
However, a group of civil servants is tasked with turning these empty storefronts into works of art, says Barbara Hollowway, head of city center revitalization for the Auckland Council.
“Blank empty space between retail stores-it’s a bad atmosphere. It gives it a sense of devastation.
Ricky Wilson / Staff
Barbara Hollowway is responsible for revitalizing the city center of the Auckland Council.
read more:
* “If we’re talking about CBD, we’re packed”-Wellington’s big challenge
* Photos Oakland 2020: Best Photos from Staff Visual Journalists
* Coronavirus: Concerns that Auckland’s empty retail space could affect the vibrancy of the city
“When you see signs of leased land here and there, you feel like you’re abandoned. You can feel it’s missing,” says Holloway.
“But after we do something cool with it, we don’t get that feeling of loss.”
Solution: Unoccupied store initiative. This is a program that funded local artists to fill empty store windows with bright displays.
If more real estate owners are involved, there is an opportunity to provide space for social groups at no rent.
There are no more signs of desolate renting. There is no larger store than this. Instead, the windows are lively in color.
“Look at the old empty McDonald’s building. They gave us an opportunity for art. And we used all those windows and did them like cathedral windows. “I did,” says Hollowway.
Luke Foley-Martin / Supply
The “Prism” light art by Angus Muir Design is located at 34 Queen Street in Auckland.
The first temporary installation started in July 2020. Since then, the program has exploded to include 20 window installations.
“This was a collaboration,” says Steve Armitage, a spokesman for the Heart of the City.
“Finding art in unexpected places adds something to the vibrancy of the city, so the purpose of this program is to provide a vibrant street environment where people interact.”
Armitage says it creates space for rethinking the city centre.
“You will have the opportunity to see what the future of the city center will look like and how the arts community will create opportunities to express the identity of the city when visitors return.”
Auckland artist Harris Keenan, 25, is also excited about the possibilities of public art.
“There is a shortage of art in the city center. Art is very lively,” says Keenan.
Connor Lambert / Supply
Artist Harris Keenan’s colorful murals are located on Derby Street in Auckland.
“”[The vacant stores initiative] Great idea. It was also good that the landlord participated. It was like creating these big artworks, which are huge “rental” signs. “
This initiative provides the long-awaited work for artists suffering from a pandemic.
“We provide artists with work and exposure in a completely different way than in galleries and interior walls,” says Keenan.
Keenan was hired to cover an empty Derby Street storefront. Now the space is full of purple, pink and yellow.
“I thought about the surrounding area … the shapes I included in the artwork were inspired by transportation, construction, and the city center. I wanted to make it vibrant.”
City center
Courtney Sina Meredith’s “Poet” is located at 41 High Street in Auckland.
For property managers, a collection of artwork and artists helps make their buildings look more attractive to potential future renters.
“The artwork is popular with our clients and occupants. It’s interesting to see and it helps reduce the visible appearance of vacancies throughout the CBD,” says Property Manager Echo Kai.
“It’s great to see other installations appearing all over the city and other owners participating and working together.”
It’s not just murals and installations. As you roam the high streets and step into the Canterbury Arcade, you’ll find Manzana, a creative workspace that supports entrepreneurs of different genders in central Auckland.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Apple was founded in January 2022 by Dil Kohosa and Ché Zara.
Empty stores were offered to Manzana at no rent through the Empty Stores program.
“We wanted to bring feminine energy into space, because many spaces are very hygienic and made for men, so artwork was important,” 2022 1. Dil Kohosa, who co-founded artists Ché Zara and Manzana in January, said.
Kohosa takes us on a tour, pointing to the artwork and naming the kiwi artists of different genders who created it. The space doubles as a gallery.
“We have begun to attract a network of people and women … now everyone is learning from each other.
“I was inspired by the mongoose chen who came here and worked on it. [her first magazine] Waste archives, to reduce waste to zero, “says Kohosa.
Manzana is a free workspace for women and non-binary entrepreneurs who have difficulty stepping into the door.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
Dil Kohosa co-founded artist Ché Zara and Manzana in January 2022.
“If you step into a space and feel it’s over-dominated by men, this is for them,” says Kohosa.
“Several people come every day. This one woman, she drops her kids in day care, and she comes here for the day. She’s working on a startup. It’s at home. It’s a way to leave confusion. “
Apple is more than a workspace for those who can’t afford it, Kohosa says. It is now a creative community in the heart of the city.
This is Hollowway’s vision. Not only to bring the windows to life with art, but also to use the unused space to bring people back to the center of Auckland city.