A photograph captioned, "Lovely big weeds, they're pretty aren't they. Amongst all this".
A photograph captioned, "It feels like it has been a really on-going process. We weren't in the head space for it really, because when you retire, you think you're in your retirement home and you're there to stay. You don't expect to have to move on. To do all this".
A photograph captioned, "We went to Nigel's place for breakfast and stayed for three months".
A photograph captioned, "In the 1930s the traffic in Gayhurst Road was so light that I can remember playing hockey and cricket with apple boxes for wickets. If a car or cart came along there was plenty of time to shift the boxes to let them past".
A photograph captioned, "My daughter grew up in this house. She's 10 now. She is going to miss it - and Dallington. It's where she's grown up, what she knows. She'll miss it alright. Me too".
A photograph showing the damaged streetscape of Dallington, following the series of earthquakes in Christchurch.
A photograph captioned, "Nobody’s trained for this, you go to your lawyer and they can’t give you an answer because they've never faced this before, so yeah, even they are scratching around trying to find out".
A photograph captioned, "The government's not stupid, they'll put three houses on each of these sections".
Its 12 years of accumulated stuff and I was thinking I was just going to get rid of everything. I had the feeling I didn't want to hang onto anything. We tried to get rid of a lot of stuff in a garage sale. Some of it went, some of it didn't. It's a long process".
A photograph captioned, "We get the young fellas to come in and do the upkeep on the government houses that have been sold. They cut down all the long grass and just tidy up all the fire risk sections. This one's easier cos the house is gone. If you keep it tidy it looks tidy from the road. There's people living here, and there's nothing worse than looking over your house and seeing grass this high".
A photograph showing St Paul's School's damage in Dallington, following the series of earthquakes in Christchurch.
A photograph showing a 'red zoned' home in Dallington, following the series of earthquakes in Christchurch.
A photograph showing Jean Sprott in her 'red zoned' home, soon to be demolished following the series of earthquakes in Christchurch.
A photograph captioned, "So they gradually go".
A photograph showing earthquake damage in a Dallington resident's home, following the series of earthquakes in Christchurch.
A photograph showing a window in a 'red zoned' home in Dallington, Christchurch following the February 2011 earthquake.
A photograph captioned, "I guess the only good thing that came out of the earthquake is that we know the residents better. It definitely bought people together, and the support was incredible. If you didn't know your neighbours before, you definitely knew them after the quake. We made friends out of this".
A photograph captioned, "See, Dallington still is beautiful".
A Transitional Imaginary: Space, Network and Memory in Christchurch is the outcome and the record of a particular event: the coming together of eight artists and writers in Ōtautahi Christchurch in November 2015, with the ambitious aim to write a book collaboratively over five days. The collaborative process followed the generative ‘book sprint’ method founded by our facilitator for the event, Adam Hyde, who has long been immersed in digital practices in Aotearoa. A book sprint prioritises the collective voice of the participants and reflects the ideas and understandings that are produced at the time in which the book was written, in a plurality of perspectives. Over one hundred books have been completed using the sprint methodology, covering subjects from software documentation to reflections on collaboration and fiction. We chose to approach writing about Ōtautahi Christchurch through this collaborative process in order to reflect the complexity of the post-quake city and the multiple paths to understanding it. The city has itself been a space of intensive collaboration in the post-disaster period. A Transitional Imaginary is a raw and immediate record, as much felt expression as argued thesis. In many ways the process of writing had the character of endurance performance art. The process worked by honouring the different backgrounds of the participants, allowing that dialogue and intensity could be generative of different forms of text, creating a knowledge that eschews a position of authority, working instead to activate whatever anecdotes, opinions, resources and experiences are brought into discussion. This method enables a dynamic of voices that merge here, separate there and interrupt elsewhere again. As in the contested process of rebuilding and reimagining Christchurch itself, the dissonance and counterpoint of writing reflects the form of conversation itself. This book incorporates conflict, agreement and the activation of new ideas through cross-fertilisation to produce a new reading of the city and its transition. The transitional has been given a specific meaning in Christchurch. It is a product of local theorising that encompasses the need for new modes of action in a city that has been substantially demolished (Bennett & Parker, 2012). Transitional projects, such as those created by Gap Filler, take advantage of the physical and social spaces created by the earthquake through activating these as propositions for new ways of being in the city. The transitional is in motion, looking towards the future. A Transitional Imaginary explores the transitional as a way of thinking and how we understand the city through art practices, including the digital and in writing.
Launch function for the UC CEISMIC digital archive. From left, College of Arts Pro-Vice-Chancellor Ed Adelson, Former the Press editor Andrew Holden, Vice-Chancellor Dr Rod Carr, Associate Professor and UC CEISMIC Director Paul Millar, and CERA Chief Executive Roger Sutton.
A video of an interview with Danny Lee about a show put on by the Circus Trust. The show is based on a post-disaster scenario, reflecting the situation in Christchurch. Lee talks about the inspiration for the show, as well as the difficulties finding rehearsal and show venues in Christchurch after the earthquakes. The video also includes footage of the dress rehearsal for the show.
A PDF copy of pages 16-17 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'The RDUnit - Mobile Broadcasting Facility'. Photos: Rachel Morton
A PDF copy of pages 56-57 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Occupy Otautahi-Christchurch'. Photo: Richard 'Popx art' Baker
A PDF copy of pages 346-347 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Frames'. Photos: Te-O
A PDF copy of pages 236-237 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Volstead Trading Company'. Photos: Irene Boles
One circular metal and plastic badge featuring an image of a girl and the words 'We [heart] you Weng'. This personalised badge featuring an image of a girl and a personal message of love, was left at the site of the Canterbury Television (CTV) building after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. It was most likely left in commemoration of someone wh...
One black wristband with the words ‘Band 4 Hope’ machine inscribed. These wristbands were designed as a fundraiser following the 22 February 2011 earthquake. This wristband was left as a tribute at the Canterbury Television (CTV) building which collapsed during the 22 February 2011 earthquake killing 115 people. It is one of three identical bla...
One black wristband with the words ‘Band 4 Hope’ machine inscribed. These wristbands were designed as a fundraiser following the 22 February 2011 earthquake. This wristband was left as a tribute at the Canterbury Television (CTV) building which collapsed during the 22 February 2011 earthquake killing 115 people. It is one of three identical bla...
One black wristband with the words ‘Band 4 Hope’ machine inscribed. These wristbands were designed as a fundraiser following the 22 February 2011 earthquake. This wristband was left as a tribute at the Canterbury Television (CTV) building which collapsed during the 22 February 2011 earthquake killing 115 people. It is one of three identical bla...
One red cap with Hawkes Bay softball logo at centre front; cap has been has been decorated with signatures and messages from the Hawkes Bay Under-19s Softball Team. This red cap, featuring the logo of the Hawkes Bay under 19s softball team, has been decorated with signatures and messages. The cap was left at the Canterbury Television (CTV) site...