Public Works

Public Works

A large-scale public basketball court mural by Christchurch artist Nathan Ingram. With blue, black, white, pink, and gray sections, surrounded by parking spaces, a tree with yellow and orange leaves, and a person walking on the court.

PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS

Public art provides an opportunity to extend the visual language of the studio into shared environments. Through abstraction, colour and spatial intervention, these projects explore how people move through, interact with and experience public space.

Nathan Ingram creates site-responsive artworks for civic, educational, commercial and architectural environments.

Drawing from a contemporary abstract practice, his public projects explore movement, place and spatial interaction through a distinctive visual language translated across scale, material and site.

Working collaboratively with clients, communities and design teams, Ingram develops artworks that transform everyday environments into memorable public experiences.

An aerial view of a colorful basketball court with geometric patterns, with a person playing at the center, surrounded by parking spaces and trees.

SIGNAL-1

Commissioned by Christchurch City Council, Signal-1 transformed an underutilised urban site into a vibrant public destination. Developed through a geometric language of fragmentation, movement and colour, the work explores connection, navigation and the layered nature of contemporary urban experience. The project exemplifies Ingram's approach to translating a studio-based abstract practice into large-scale public space.

Client: Christchurch City Council

Year: 2024

Materials: Specialist coating system on asphalt

Size: 200sqm

River Corridor Mural by Nathan Ingram — large-scale geometric artwork enlivening public space in Christchurch, New Zealand.

ANzac bridge under pass

The Anzac Bridge Underpass transforms a transitional piece of infrastructure into a dynamic public landmark along Christchurch's City to Sea pathway. Developed for Christchurch City Council, the artwork responds to the intersection of urban and natural systems, creating a visual connection between the city, the Ōtākaro Avon River corridor, and the coastal landscape beyond.

Drawing on a language of abstraction, colour and movement, the composition combines organic and geometric forms inspired by both the surrounding environment and the built fabric of the city. The work activates a space typically experienced in passing, encouraging moments of engagement, reflection and discovery. By reimagining the underpass as a place rather than simply a route, the project demonstrates the role public art can play in shaping how people experience and connect with their environment.

Client: Christchurch City Council

Year: 2025

Materials: Exterior acrylic on concrete

Size: 265sqm

River Corridor Mural by Nathan Ingram — large-scale geometric artwork enlivening public space in Christchurch, New Zealand. A person riding a bicycle under a bridge with colorful abstract mural art on the underside.

Commissioned by Akaroa Area School, Polymorph reimagines the school's central courtyard as a large-scale spatial environment for play, gathering and everyday interaction. Spanning more than 800 square metres, the project transforms the ground plane into an abstract composition of colour, geometry and movement that encourages exploration and engagement from multiple viewpoints.

Developed through a carefully planned grid-based design system, the work balances precision with openness, allowing students and visitors to form their own interpretations and experiences within the space. While rooted in the visual language of Ingram's studio practice, Polymorph demonstrates how abstraction can operate at an environmental scale, activating a shared space and creating a strong sense of identity, connection and place.

POlymorph

Client: Akaroa Area School

Year: 2022

Materials: Specialist coating system on asphalt

Size: 360sqm

Selected Clients & Collaborators

  • Christchurch City Council

  • SCAPE Public Art

  • Akaroa Area School

  • Watch This Space

  • Enliven Spaces Trust

  • Flare Street Art Festival

  • Town City Taupo

  • Rawhiti School

  • Canterbury Museum

DISCUSS A PROJECT

Nathan Ingram works with councils, architects, landscape architects, schools, developers and organisations to create site-responsive public artworks, integrated design outcomes and large-scale commissions.

Every project begins with an understanding of site, context and community. Drawing from a contemporary abstract practice, Ingram develops site-responsive artworks that create meaningful relationships between people, architecture and place. Projects range from ground murals and public installations to integrated artworks for educational, civic and commercial environments.

Nathan collaborates with councils, architects, landscape architects, schools, developers and organisations to create site-responsive public artworks and integrated design outcomes.

Get in touch to discuss a project.