Reclaiming Albert Park with a ‘tiki party’

An art group plans to fill Albert Park with glowing lights to make people feel safer in the inner-city green space.

Attention has been drawn to the safety of the central Auckland park, after several attacks on international students two months ago.

Space Invaders is an art group that wants to help Auckland reclaim the park by populating it with LED lights atop bamboo poles.

The designs of the lights are still prototypes but will look similar to this. Photo: Supplied

The project will take place in mid-June, and will see lights packed densely in some of the more commonly used areas of the park.

Piet Ubels, one half of Space Invaders, said properly lighting parks has not been shown to make them safer.

“A whole lot of increased lighting, and floodlighting, won’t really create safety. It’ll probably create a drug den or something,” he said.

However, Mr Ubels said the project is not an attempt to fully light the park.

“What we’re trying to build up is a sense of community, a greater connection to the park itself,” he said.

“The more people who say ‘This is unsafe, but we want to be involved’, basically it sheds light, so to speak, on the park, and actually creates a safer space in itself.”

The lights will be temporary and intended to create a 'sense of community'. Photo: Supplied

Lauren White is a student who uses the park.

Ms White said of the lights, “That kinda looks like a tiki party”. However, she said she was supportive of the concept behind them.

Te Waha Nui went to Albert Park to ask people using the space what they thought of the idea, and if the lights would make them feel safer in the park.

See what they had to say below. Video: Daniel Walker & Caterina Atkinson

The light designs are prototypes and subject to change before the event.