Game On St. Paul’s

I was approached by Wellington agency Storybox to create a football-themed light installation for St. Paul's Cathedral as part of the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Dunedin, Ōtepoti. My concept was to turn the building into a pinball machine skinned by local female artists to create a range of games. I creatively directed and art directed the project.

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Client

Dunedin City Council for Storybox

Year

2023

Services

Creative Concept

Film Direction

Art Direction

Transforming a Dunedin icon into a pinball machine

As a host city for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, Ōtepoti Dunedin tasked the team with transforming a towering Octagon landmark into something special for the FIFA Fan Festival.

With its many windows and complex shape, St Paul’s Cathedral posed a challenge as a canvas for storytelling. The solution: bring color, excitement, fun, and competition to the Octagon by transforming it into a massive madcap pinball machine!

To celebrate and empower women, the team collaborated with prominent female artists from around the region and wider motu to create four unique pinball game ‘skins’. These skins swapped out regularly, ensuring that every time people looked, St Paul’s appeared wildly different. A rich soundtrack underpinned the experience, adding energy and holding the diverse art styles together.

"Game On St Paul’s" was just one part of a series of public installations created in collaboration with Storybox for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ in Ōtepoti Dunedin. This series included light shows, wayfinding, and digital exhibition spaces. Additionally, I worked with the Storybox team to create a second series of FIFA Women’s World Cup™ installations in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.

Artwork by Kimi Moana Whiting, Devon Smith, Becca O’Shea, and Josie Mason.