I Extend My Arms

Aotea Square, Auckland, New Zealand, 2020.

I Extend My Arms, a collaborative installation by Shannon Novak and Jeff Nusz commissioned by Auckland Live, made the unseen life force of Aotea Square visible. Utilising cameras to map the physical space, the interactive screen transformed pedestrians and passersby into randomised, brightly coloured 3D polyhedra, including cubes, pyramids, and multifaceted blocks, that rolled across a stark black digital canvas in real-time. As people moved through the square, their avatars left behind vibrant motion trails that slowly dissipated, building a constantly evolving abstract image of the community's collective energy. Taking its title from Claude Cahun’s 1930 photograph depicting human arms reaching from a stone monolith, the work breathed visible, vibrant life into the concrete architecture of the seemingly inanimate public square.

Originally scheduled to run until late March 2020, the installation was abruptly cut short when New Zealand entered a strict nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. The screen was powered down on March 24, leaving a massive, blank monolith looming over a newly deserted square. Yet, in an unexpected turn of events, the deactivated screen continued to function as a perfectly accurate data visualization of the space: the vibrant, intersecting trails of human connection vanished entirely, mirroring the sudden and total absence of public life. This unexpected transition from a hyper-interactive mapping of collective energy to a dark, silent monument captured an important historical moment, permanently altering the context of the artwork to reflect the abrupt global shift into sudden isolation.