Objectspace welcomes proposals from craft, design and architecture practitioners for an installation in our courtyard. The successful proposal will detail an innovative installation that responds to this unique site.

Proposals will be accepted until 5pm, Monday 15 September 2025, and the successful project will be displayed from March 2026 – March 2027.

If you are interested in applying, please read the below thoroughly, and we recommend joining us for the info session event taking place from 8am on Wednesday 20 August, find out more and register here.

The Courtyard Plinth programme is supported by the Jan Warburton Charitable Trust.

The Site:

A concrete plinth defines the installation area and is visible to viewers as they enter Objectspace’s carpark and from the street front. The plinth sits under the large-scale white façade that gives Objectspace its architectural identity.

Dimensions:

A plan drawing of the site is below. Key dimensions are: 

- Concrete plinth: 5,300 x 4,500mm

- Elevation between plinth and façade: 2,150mm

Considerations:

Objectspace is the only public gallery in Aotearoa dedicated to the fields of design, craft and architecture. This opportunity is available to those working in these fields, with priority given to emerging and mid-career practitioners.

Given the site's position outside the building and exposure to the elements, there are a series of pragmatic and contextual considerations to be understood before developing a proposal for the space.

- The space is designed to focus installations on top of the concrete plinth; however, we are open to projects that utilise the building walls that corner the space or the wider courtyard. Works can be fixed to the concrete plinth. Works cannot be secured in any way to white cube façade ceiling.

- The white cube overhang essentially creates a ceiling for the plinth, and this does provide some protection from the elements, however installations do need to be able to withstand wind and rain. 

- The courtyard is a busy area. There are three carparks within the space that are used daily. Objectspace also uses the area to host events, both day and night.

- The space is lit by strip LED lighting that sits within the white cube grid façade (see images).

- The courtyard is secure and alarmed when not in use. The entrance to the courtyard is gated and locked when the gallery is not open to the public.

- The courtyard space is fully accessible while the gallery is open. All efforts are taken to ensure visitors interact with exhibitions in the appropriate way, however there aren’t barricades around the plinth and artists need to consider a project that is robust to some interaction in this capacity.

- Courtyard projects are installed for approximately 12 months. The successful commission will be installed in March 2026, and displayed until March 2027.

- The ownership of the artwork remains with the artist.

Budget:

Objectspace will contribute a budget of $10,000 to the commission, and the additional costs of freight and installation.

Proposal guidelines:

- Maximum of six A4 pages, presented as a single PDF

- Your proposal must include:

o Outline of concept

o Practitioner biography and which evidences your engagement with Objectspace’s discipline focus’ of craft, design and architecture

o Working drawings / images

o Budget overview

o Links to past projects if relevant

Submitting a proposal:

Proposals will be accepted until 5pm, Monday 15 September 2025, submitted to with ‘Courtyard Proposal’ included in the email subject line.

Applicants will be notified of the status of their application mid-October 2025.