Sheree Stone

 

Belonging to distinct geographies and times the architectural sites in Sheree’s lens-based practice reveal some of the hidden mosaic of Auckland city’s urban fabric, each site with its own individual 

terms of existence. Drawn from an ongoing investigation into our rapidly changing urban environment, Sheree’s works focus on current redevelopment and conservation projects largely driven by intensification and urbanisation. 

 

The works are responding to physical spaces; architectural sites sitting on the cusp of re-development

or adaptive-reuse where images have become a visual record of what was present at the interstice of decommission and regeneration. The images of commercial and industrial sites now no longer accessible, explore narratives surrounding the significances that certain places have as markers of identity, and their particular associations and relationship to a local cultural history. 

 

Documentary-style images engage with questions surrounding the value placed on Auckland’s architectural heritage, allusively pointing to the shifting dynamics of urban renewal. Imbued with the individual stories of their time, they call our attention to contemporary issues; the economic and social changes that emphasise this moment of urban flux and the precariousness of our built environment which is being rebuilt and repurposed at ever-increasing speeds.