Over the past year the Parnell Business Association has been working in conjunction with Chorus and various local artists to beautify Chorus Cabinets throughout Parnell.
To date there have been five cabinets completed, with ongoing plans for more to be painted in the near future.
The most recent addition is located on the corner of Parnell Road and Cathedral Place. This cabinet is a little special in that it is two sided – meaning two pieces of art can be displayed. The South-facing side of this cabinet is an artwork of a Korimako / NZ Bellbird. This isn’t a bird you often see in Auckland – they’re rare north of the Coromandel – but they are definitely one of our unique birds, with a singing voice that can outshine the Tui. Given the location of the cabinet – outside the Holy Trinity Cathedral, the artist (Paul Walsh) thought it was a good fit. The North-facing side of the cabinet – the less visible side – bears the image of a cheeky Pīwakawaka / Fantail. Adapted from a photo taken by Auckland-based photographer Dallas Baldwin, Paul hadn’t painted one of these iconic locals on a cabinet before, but thought this image matched the other side nicely, with the depth of field, long focus, and the bird eyeballing the camera.
If You know of a Chorus Cabinet that you think would benefit from beautification be sure to drop us an email (admin@parnell.net.nz) with the location of the cabinet and we’ll see what we can do.
