Pops of Positive brightening up Manners Street

Thanks to local building owners and leasing agents partnering with Wellington City Council, Pops of Positive is an initiative to fill empty retail spaces across the city with temporary, creative installations.  

Local artists have brought their colourful artworks to the area, to uplift street appeal, slow people down and contribute to creating a feeling of positivity and safety. 

These works have been created by artists Martin Basher, Turumeke Harrington and Hemi Macgregor, and have been installed at 18, 32 and 34 Manners Street.  

Central City Manager of Wellington City Council, Prak Sritharan, says the aim of this project is to give the empty retail spaces some love and vibrancy through creative activations. 

“Pops of Positive is our pilot initiative in activating vacant spaces on Manners Street, a focus area for the Council. This is our opportunity to bring some positivity to the area, whilst also supporting our creative community with these fantastic artworks. A huge thank you to the property owners and agents who have been incredibly cooperative in allowing Pops of Positive to come to life.

“We are supporting local artists, showcasing some of our city’s creative talent outside the usual gallery or studio spaces, and we hope to encourage potential leasers to think differently about this area.”

Artist Martin Basher, who created botanical ‘still-life’ for his space, says that he wanted to come up with a piece of work that would pop out to people. He achieved this through his use of neons and high contrast.

“I wanted something that would really hit in the dense visual environment of the city and convey some of the energy that Wellington is full of.

“The sculptures for the storefront are part of a series of abstracted and enlarged botanical still-life that I’ve been working on for a few years. The forms are reduced to circles and sticks but the works, I think of them a bit like paintings in 3D – they get built up with simple colours in layers. The difference with these is that they are painted on stacked layers of ply, not super thick layers of paint. But the way I compose them is the same.” 

Artist Hemi Macgregor’s work, Ki Wīwī, Ki Wāwāi, captures the essence of this project, says Prak. 

“We live in a dynamic and vibrant city, and the rhythmic patterns in this work reflect the patterns of people living, working and exploring the city centre to the ebbs and flow of the tide on the shore.”

Prak also believes that Turumeke Harrington’s work, ‘He pito mata I’M ENERGETIC!’ is true to it’s name as it brings energy and vitality to the street.

“The work of Turumeke shows a make-shift ‘forest’. Within her installation, bright green silk curtains and steel waharoa (gateways) recall the creation myth which allowed humans to flourish. 

“We want this to send the same message to the business community – we want to see them flourish in this area of the central city.”

Check out Pops of Positive at 18, 32 and 34 Manners Street.