A tender for public seating in Vogel Street was won by Otago Polytechnic’s workspace innovation studio in 2013. 
A team of design staff and graduates worked together to produce these unique seats that raw together historical industrial and maritime and artists uses of the area. Drawing on the location’s historical context and significance – the area was once a key canoe mooring point for Maori, and later became the entryway for Dunedin’s new arrivals. The seats reference the industries that grew from the jetty and ocean transport routes with shapes that echo ship sails and waves, and bales of wool readied for export in the factories. The materials chosen for the seats reflect the nature of the area; sleepers were incorporated in a nod to the 150-year-old jetty; steel and concrete were used for the body of the seats alluding to the previous industrial nature of the precinct; song lyrics from iconic Dunedin bands were carved into the seats as a tribute to the musicians who once frequented the area.