The hotel where art takes centre stage
Cordis Auckland wants to be an experience within a place to stay.
Cordis Auckland’s new Pinnacle Tower is a showcase of stunning New Zealand art and guests are loving it, according to Front Office Manager, Erhard Schmucker.
“We opened the Tower in December last year and all guests have shown appreciation for the art. They have been so enthusiastic and complimentary that we are supporting art from Aotearoa, he says.”
The collection offers a cultural dimension to guests’ experience with museum- worthy art, drawing accolades from guests and art critics alike. “This collection is ground- breaking and beautiful, ultimately enhancing the visitors’ experience of this distinguished hotel,” says The Cordis Auckland Art Collection curator, Sophie Coupland.
Using the variously wild and tranquil forces of nature as a guiding principle, work was selected and commissioned to distill and abstract these forces – ensuring the artwork in each space speaks harmoniously and energetically with the world around it.
“We wanted to illustrate the ways in which a place becomes more than soil and sky, and is, instead, rich with stories, history and emotion. We worked closely with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei leaders to help articulate this essence, expressed in the natural forces of Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau,” says Coupland.
The driving narratives of the works are the principles of Te Whai Ao - the light before dawn; Manawa – whereby the Mana - is given Wa - or a space in time. It speaks to power and prestige in the here and now as well as Kaitiakitanga - guardianship and the connection between people and the natural world, revealing how all are connected.
The collection aims to maximise art’s potential to transform a hotel from a place to stay into an experience.
“We believe that quality, cutting- edge art can be used to create a crucial point of difference for a hotel brand, as well as enhancing the spatial and emotional experience that visitors have with a hotel environment,” says Coupland.
“It was hugely rewarding to create a suite of such major artworks – uplifting and inspiring guests as they journey through the hotel,” says Coupland.
Members of the public are welcome to take a guided tour to view the Cordis Auckland Art Collection and can book by calling the hotel’s main reception.