Tauranga Arts Festival is confirming Laura Marsh as the inaugural Festival Front Yard Installation artist after her proposal was selected by a panel of industry experts.

Laura has been commissioned to develop a temporary work to be sited in the parkland area that surrounds the much-loved Pacific Crystal Palace, which travels to Tauranga to be a festival venue from 24 October – 3 November.

Laura Marsh is the Front Yard Installation artist.

Laura's proposal was one of many that responded to a call for submissions by the Tauranga Arts Festival.

The brief requested that artists develop an installation concept that matched ‘the values and aims of the Arts Festival: inspire, involve, entertain' and also asked the artists to think about ‘how the installation might include elements of addition'.

The Festival Front Yard selection panel was asked to select one out of four shortlisted proposals.

They described Marsh's concept, YOURS, Truly, as 'a conceptually strong piece that encapsulates the vision of the festival.”

Laura says YOURS, Truly is ‘essentially a fence that doesn't keep anyone out. In contradiction to the idea that a fence is a divider, YOURS invites people to share what they have with others in the spirit of goodwill.

Laura graduated with a Master of Art & Design in Visual Arts from AUT University in 2010, and received the Olivia Spencer Bower Residency Award for 2012.

Her latest public installation, MINE, from which YOURS, Truly leads on from, is currently located at the Brick Bay Sculpture Trail in Matakana.

Laura will install YOURS, Truly alongside the Pacific Crystal Palace where it will be free for the public to view, and to interact with, throughout the festival (24 October until 3 November).

Further details about YOURS, Truly (A fence that doesn't keep anyone out) will be released at on 14 August at the Tauranga Arts Festival 2013 launch.