Auckland Live has transformed city centre train stations into canvases for creativity, play and imagination with two large-scale projection experiences as part of its We The Young festival.
The first, Windows of Imagination, will see digital artists Creature Post bring to life 179 artworks children created across the southern façade of Te Waihorotiu Station. The second, POPS Pinball, has turned the façade of Te Waitematā Station into an interactive pinball game for visitors at Te Komititanga.
The drawings featured in Windows of Imagination were created in 2018 as part of the City Rail Link project. Auckland children were asked to draw where in the universe they would travel, real or imagined, if the City Rail Link tunnels were magical and could take them anywhere.
The project produced more than 3000 artworks. Those ideas and imaginations now form part of Te Waihorotiu Station, incorporated as permanent artworks on an interior station wall.
With Windows of Imagination, 179 of the original drawings will be projected at architectural scale, transforming the station façade into a series of illuminated apartment windows, offering glimpses into imaginative city homes where children’s artworks hang proudly on the walls.
Audiences can explore the animated scenes and discover hidden details throughout the projection, including 20 trains, three pets, a pair of poi, an erupting volcano, a lighthouse, a giraffe, an anime cat, a kōtare (kingfisher bird) and even a quirky hamburger.
At Te Waitematā Station, POPS Pinball turns Te Komititanga and the façade of Te Waitematā Station into a giant interactive pinball game. Inspired by the bold colours and emotional characters of Vesica Aotearoa’s POPS! installation featured in Aotea Square as part of We The Young festival, the experience extends the world of POPS! beyond its original home.
The architecture of Te Waitematā Station becomes part of the game itself, with arches, columns and the pediment reimagined as bumpers and flippers. Visitors can step into a central gaming booth and interact with the projection in real time, with up to four players able to play at once.
Designed to be fun and accessible to all ages and abilities, POPS Pinball invites visitors to play together and creates a spectator experience for those watching from across Te Komititanga.
Windows of Imagination runs every evening from 7:30 pm until midnight, from Friday, the 25th of September to Sunday, the 25th of October, on the southern façade of Te Waihorotiu Station.
POPS Pinball runs every evening from 7:30 pm until 11 pm, from Friday, the 25th of September to Saturday, the 17th of October, at Te Komititanga and on the façade of Te Waitematā Station.
