Oh Buoy, is that where the shoreline used to be?

AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL

MEDIA RELEASE

11 May 2007

Oh Buoy, is that where the shoreline used to be?

The seventh of eight visual and performing art installations making up Auckland City Council’s Living Room series is now up and running in the CBD.

Living Room is funded by the CBD targeted rate and is one of many projects that form a 10-year action plan to enhance the urban environment and support the vitality and attractiveness of the CBD.

The latest installation, Buoys BeFore Shore, consists of 14 large, worn buoys placed on the street to mark Auckland’s original shoreline.

From 1840 until the present day, Auckland’s shoreline has been transformed from sandy beaches and rocky cliffs to modern wharves for passengers and container traffic, illustrating the change from colonial port to modern city.

In tracing the line of the original foreshore, Buoys BeFore Shore creators Erwin van Asbeck and Charlotte Fisher aim to draw attention to the history of Auckland’s development.

“The size of the buoys, their unexpected placement and worn patina of paint are set to grab the attention of passers-by and add interest and entertainment to the public’s day-to-day activities,” explains Erwin van Asbeck.

The buoys, which have been taken out of storage at Onehunga Wharf, once guided ships in and out of port. This Living Room installation has returned them to the original shoreline to bring Auckland’s maritime history to life.

A map showing the placement of the buoys along Auckland’s original shoreline and the locations of other Living Room installations is available at www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/cbd.

ENDS

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