A giant claw machine takes over the town centre in a moment of immense transition.

Like many suburbs in Tāmaki Makaurau in 2018, Northcote was undergoing immense transformation when we first conceived this project. A thousand new homes were being built, the Town Centre was being redeveloped, and upgrades were planned for the surrounding roads, reserves, and public spaces.

The Claw was a response to this moment of transition. At a basic level, we saw this as an opportunity to do something exciting in a space that might have otherwise sat empty for months. We wanted to create something that would leave a smile on people’s faces, and we wanted to showcase the work of some very talented early-career artists. 

There is also something in the act of playing The Claw — in trying to remove these creatures from their natural habitat and to take them to new homes – that we felt was quite profound. More often than not, displacement is a scary experience. It leaves us feeling powerless. But there are certain contributing factors – empathy, care, communication – that can change that experience, and we wanted to talk about that too. 

We didn’t claim to have any answers, or even all the questions. But our hope was that The Claw would create a space for conversation, and hopefully a chance for you to take a memento home.
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