You may be interested in this, which is on in 2 days time from now.
Yes, there is the AGM of the Architectural Centre, but also, there is to be a public talk / presentation from the best (one of the best? or just the best?) architectural photographer in the land, Patrick Reynolds.
Not sure about you, but how is it that Auckland, that drab and boring city up north, has taken the urban design lead from Wellington, which for years was the champion of Aotearoa’s culture wars, especially in the public space? I mean, just look at that image of Tamaki’s main civic square (Te Komititanga) taken by Patrick (either leaning out of a window of a very tall building, or hanging off the side of a drone). In the time that we have taken in Wellington to close Civic Square, close the Library, and decide to demolish most of the buildings around Te Ngakau, killing off all live for the past and for the future, how come the Auckland Council have managed to completely refurbish the old Post Office building TWICE, to extend their world-famous underground diesel-powered train station under the Square, to create a whole new twin track electric underground train system that connects up to all the other train lines (which Patrick argued for, endlessly, for years), and then rebuilt their bus station so it now has a wonderful giant stone carpet / entry mat out the front, and all the while, kept the entire thing open to the public?
Could it be that Wellington has, if not “lost its mojo” then at least “lost its ability to get things done”? Is Patrick going to tell us how to make it better? Can we get the Council along as well? Can we make it mandatory for fun-time Mayor Tory to attend? Let’s have a public discussion !!
