The Dunedin Dream Brokerage has just launched its latest initiative, The Platform Project, to connect art and community activities during the Dunedin City Council’s development of George Street.

The project invites expressions of interest from creative individuals and communities to present events, provocations, narratives, and community experiences. These can be delivered in any media or medium, including temporal practices such as performance and sound art. The projects can take place in and on vacant buildings and laneways, showing semi-permanent and temporary activations along George Street, from Moray Place north to the Albany Street intersection. The Platform Project particularly invites collaboration between artists and the businesses in the area, as well as the public, iwi, community groups, scientists, and councils.

Charlotte Parallel, Dunedin Dream Broker says, “The Dunedin Retail Quarter (George Street) upgrade gives our artists and collaborators scope to reimagine how we engage with our main street. We’re really pleased to be able to offer these funded opportunities to our arts community and to be working so closely with the DCC’s Central City Plan Project team.”

The Platform Project is funded by the Dunedin City Council Central City Plan Project, and Project Director Glen Hazelton says, “This is just the first of a series of different initiatives we will implement to encourage people to continue to visit, spend time and visit businesses to support local. While the construction period will undoubtedly present some challenges, particularly with the on-going covid disruption, it also provides an opportunity to try some new things.

”We hope that by attracting a broader range of people to the area, that businesses can identify new customers and opportunities in the rapidly changing retail environment. Providing more reasons for people to come into town, rather than just shopping online, is a key element of the overall project that the Platform Project initiative seeks to support.”

The Platform Project will run January through to April 2022 and there will be two rounds of calls for proposals, closing 13 December 2021 for projects ready for submission and 17 January 2022 for those that need a little more development time.

The Dunedin Dream Brokerage team looks forward to working closely with practitioners during the development of their proposals, to ensure they meet the criteria, and are best prepared for a successful project outcome.

Proposals should consider the infrastructure, social, historic, and/or environmental systems of George Street, be accessible, connect with our communities, create a place for collective engagement, and provide opportunities for our urban places and identities to be perceived in fresh ways.

David Marsh, Oakwood Properties says, “The Platform Project will be fantastic for George Street. Art activities add to the vibrancy of making George Street a destination for all to be enjoyed."

Jack Bradbury, owner of Modaks Café says, “This will bring people to the area – art is a really important part of society so having these pop ups is a really cool thing to do. The light installation a while back was a resounding success and the only thing missing was hospo and retail!

“Some of the difficulty is that it needs to be regular, like business in general, you have to be there all the time for people to get what you’re doing. We have to keep our eyes on the goal, the big picture, what’s best for the city, not now but in 50 or 100 years. This is a good way to start that.”

Proposals that do not require additional infrastructure or road closures are likely to be prioritised, on the basis that they will be quicker to implement. However, consideration will be given to imaginative proposals that may require temporary infrastructure or closures, where these are well-detailed and those proposing the activation have some experience in those areas.

Key dates

Proposal rounds close 24 January 2022 and 21 February 2022

Applicants notified the following Monday

Project period February - May 2022

www.dunedindreambrokerage.nz/the-platform-project

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