Bunches of bananas aren't something normally seen hanging on Karangahape Road, but these illuminated, banana-patterned artworks add a burst of colour and energy to the street. The works also feature neon text that says: Wait For Me.

The artworks are mounted on three six-metre-high light poles on the K' Road overbridge. Artist Janet Lilo used her striking banana design and the sharp neon elements to illustrate K' Road’s melting pot of history, cultural heritage and community diversity.

Lilo's works encourage reflection on the street's journey through change, and the challenge and reward this has brought. *Don’t Dream It’s Over* was delivered by the Karangahape Road Business Association.

Don't Dream It's Over

Playing with illusion and differences between material and subject is a signature move for artist Peter Lange. This public bench outside Caluzzi Bar and Cabaret on K'road is made from thirteen hundred hand-made ceramic tiles that replicate the look of woven harakeke (flax).  The flax-like effect captured in the tiles gives the impression of a woven mat, while the undulating foundation of rolled steel creates the sense of a ribbon unfurling.

The artwork was jointly-funded by the Karangahape Road Business Association, the Western Bays Community Board, the Auckland City Council, the Uptown Arts Trust and Caluzzi Bar and Cabaret.

Says the artist, "I wanted to do justice to the exuberant nature of Karangahape Rd, but at the same time, design a piece that would not be annoyingly outrageous, that would retain a certain presence, and of course function happily as a seat for the people of the area. The illusion of an unrolling length of woven material – the soft effect from a hard structure – has a certain domestic feel to it and it also nods in the direction of familiar crafts of Aotearoa, both weaving and ceramics."

Chaise Lange

Visual Artists Against Nuclear Arms (VAANA) was launched in 1984 in response to the growing global nuclear threat.  At the height of the campaign for a nuclear-free New Zealand, VAANA installed a large mural with a powerful anti-nuclear, pro-peace message on the reservoir wall at the corner of Ponsonby and Karangahape Roads. The eight panels were painted by eight contemporary artists including Margaret Lawlor-Bartlett, Pat Hanly, Jill Carter-Hansen, John Nicol, John Eaden, Claudia Pond-Eyley, Nigel Brown and Vanya Lowry.  Over time, more panels painted by various artists were added to the mural, until 2005, when the deterioration of the now iconic mural had to be addressed.

The mural was digitally reproduced and printed on vinyl panels, with a new group of artists adding to the mural in two more stages, in 2006 and again in 2009. The *VAANA Peace Mural* was officially gifted to Auckland city by the 22 participating artists in 2009.

VAANA Peace Mural

The design of these momentous gates draws on Studio One Toi Tū’s connection to the Pacific 'no nukes' era and the nearby VAANA peace mural, as well as reflecting artist Andrea Low's interest in gardening. The tapa style patterns incorporate the star shapes found in leaf profiles of the starwort and koromiko plants.

Serving as a quiet space within and a busy space on the outside, the sculptural gates are constructed from aluminium mesh and aged steel, with an organic orange patina. Each space, the inner and outer, catch a glimpse of one another but are separated by the porous membrane. The industrial steel frames reference the building's former function as a police barracks.

The design brief for this project required the gates to complement the Studio One Toi Tū building, secure the area and retain a visual link to the courtyard when closed.

"The demands of the site were unique in that the gates had to be free standing and couldn't pin to the reservoir or into the building. Colour and material wise I wanted to echo the unadorned qualities of the brick wall and the concrete water structure. I tried to incorporate a lot of contradictions", says the artist.

Janet Lilo

Don't Dream It's Over

"These banana-patterned artworks add a burst of colour and energy to Karangahape Road, while highlighting local history, heritage and diversity."

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