The Public Stand - an ode to the Avondale Racecourse

This October you’ll have a chance to encounter the Avondale Racecourse in a new way.

Artists Molly Mullen and Becca Wood are weaving together memories shared by locals, field and archival recordings and poetic musings to make an immersive one hour soundtrack, with live performers, to be experienced at the racecourse.

The racecourse has played a central part in Avondale’s history since 1889. Since its centenary in 1989 the future of the racecourse has been in question multiple times. On each occasion, the importance of the racecourse to local and Auckland-wide communities has been made clear.

Celebrating its rich history The Public Stand 2025 will take audiences on an onsite audio journey through the multiple identities of the racecourse. It will touch on its grand tradition of racing, but also explore how the racecourse was repurposed as a military camp, a hospital during the 1918 influenza pandemic, a location of early experiments with plane flight, and the venue for the 1981 Polynesian Festival.

Audiences can choose to experience The Public Stand in two ways, by walking around the course while listening on radio headphones, or by gathering in the grandstand, to hear the work over the tannoy system.

Headphones must be picked up 15 minutes before the start time

Income from the headphone reservations will go to support the local I Love Avondale initiative Feed the Streets

The Public Stand 2025 is presented by the Whau Arts Festival. It has received support from the Whau Local Board, Creative Communities, Auckland Libraries, Ngā Taonga, the Avondale Jockey Club, Unitec and the University of Auckland.

Host or Publisher Molly Mullen and Becca Wood