Coupland Cormack commissioned a series of paintings by Matt Arbuckle for One Queen Street. The three works — 'Rock Core,' 'Holding Terrain,' and 'Time Can Be Told'— welcome visitors into the main first floor lobby spaces of One Queen Street, creating a unified and enveloping experience.

The large floor-to-ceiling diptych encloses a key lounge area in Arbuckle's distinctive pigment-soaked abstractions, whilst a third work greets viewers in the lobby. The works evoke convergence and connection, mirroring the geological structure of the whenua and its interaction with the elements. Employing traditional Japanese shibori dyeing techniques, Arbuckle stains translucent fabric, allowing the paint to seep through with an element of chance. The resulting abstractions are imprints of experience, carrying the stains of history and creases of time, like floating visual landscapes.

These paintings engage directly with the cracked, uneven terrain of the whenua, and serve as maps of the territory, echoing memories and imprinting the experience of place onto the fabric. Arbuckle's opulent palette complements the luxurious material language of the space, enhancing the overall ambiance.

Arbuckle's process-driven exploration of place bridges landscape with abstraction, and resonates with the essence of Aukaha – the unified pūtake (narrative) that we have woven into the heart of this project. Aukaha are the bindings that strap the waka together and symbolize strength in unity, reflecting the convergence of whenua (land) and moana (sea), and the power of working collaboratively.

One Queen Street, the Deloitte Centre, is a Precinct Properties development with architecture by Warren & Mahoney, interior design by Technē, and home to the luxury InterContinental Hotel. The One Queen Street kaupapa includes commissioned works by our four mana whenua design partners alongside works by leading contemporary artists from Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Australia. 

Matt Arbuckle is represented by Two Rooms, Auckland and Daine Singer, Melbourne.

Photographer: Sam Hartnett. Images courtesy of the artist.