Arts and culture

Studio Pacific has a reputation for its conceptual and creative work on artistic and cultural projects.

A particularly significant example is the New Zealand Memorial in Anzac Parade, Canberra, a monument to the historical, cultural, social, spiritual, economic and geographic closeness of the relationship between New Zealand and Australia. Designed in collaboration with the artist and sculptor Kingsley Baird, the memorial took the form of a bronze sculpture representing the handles of a kete. This design was inspired by a Maori proverb loosely translated as “you at this handle, I at this handle of the kete”, a metaphor for working closely together and sharing both experiences and burdens.

The Studio also designed the award-winning Aratoi Museum of Art and History building, based on the concept of a storehouse for taonga. More recent arts commissions include modifications to the forecourt of the National War Memorial and Carillon, including the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior also designed by Kingsley Baird, and Wellington’s Waititi Landing, designed with sculptor Ra Vincent.