A photograph of the installation, 'Cardencity', on the corner of Manchester and Welles Streets. The installation is a sign post with all signs pointing to parking spaces.
A photograph of the head of one of the large-scale puppets titled The Friars. The puppet is in the Free Theatre warehouse space on Lismore Street.
Rhys Taylor from Living Streets Aotearoa and Coralie Winn of Gap Filler are helping to redefine the derelict and abandoned spaces produced by the destructive of the Christchurch's earthquakes.
A digitally manipulated photograph of the Gap Filler logo.
Before Christchurch had a morgue, the gruesome task of storing a dead body was left to Christchurch’s public hotels. On practical terms, they had the space to hold a coroner’s inquest a…
An initiative by the CPIT Faculty of Creative Industries to establish gallery and studio spaces for Christchurch artists following the Christchurch earthquake, by using flexible, adaptable cube modules.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "6th SCAPE biennial of art in public space. Mounted on the end wall of the City Council building in Hereford Street".
A photograph of Mike Hewson's installation, 'Government Life Suspension', on the wall of the Chancery Arcade building. The artwork depicts a reflection of the Government Life building which is visible behind the Chancery Arcade. The installation is part of a series titled 'Homage to the Lost Spaces'. The Government Life and Chancery Arcade buildings were demolished in 2014.
Today’s post continues the theme of the last one (a little), in terms of exploring the relationship between products and industries in the past and their connection with our lives today. It’s easy to scoff at some of the things … Continue reading →
Creative temporary or transitional use of vacant urban open spaces is seldom foreseen in traditional urban planning and has historically been linked to economic or political disturbances. Christchurch, like most cities, has had a relatively small stock of vacant spaces throughout much of its history. This changed dramatically after an earthquake and several damaging aftershocks hit the city in 2010 and 2011; temporary uses emerged on post-earthquake sites that ran parallel to the “official” rebuild discourse and programmes of action. The paper examines a post-earthquake transitional community-initiated open space (CIOS) in central Christchurch. CIOS have been established by local community groups as bottom-up initiatives relying on financial sponsorship, agreements with local landowners who leave their land for temporary projects until they are ready to redevelop, and volunteers who build and maintain the spaces. The paper discusses bottom-up governance approaches in depth in a single temporary post-earthquake community garden project using the concepts of community resilience and social capital. The study analyses and highlights the evolution and actions of the facilitating community organisation (Greening the Rubble) and the impact of this on the project. It discusses key actors’ motivations and values, perceived benefits and challenges, and their current involvement with the garden. The paper concludes with observations and recommendations about the initiation of such projects and the challenges for those wishing to study ephemeral social recovery phenomena.
A photograph of a man playing mini-golf on Gap Filler's Gap Golf course.
A photograph of a child playing mini-golf on Gap Filler's Gap Golf course.
A PDF copy of pages 180-181 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Gap Golf'. Photos: Gap Filler
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "225- 227 and 231 High Street. Above Your Space, Red Cross Shop, Kilt Designer Clothing, High Street Mini Mart and Work and Income".
Detail of the artwork 'Homage To The Lost Spaces (Government Life Building Studio Series' by Mike Hewson. These were installed on damaged buildings, this one being the Cranmer Courts.
The seating and garden area outside the Coffee Zone shack on Colombo Street. This is a Gap Filler space and the garden has been put together by Greening the Rubble.
A photograph of two shipping containers on Colombo Street. One is being used as a temporary dairy, and the other as a display space for a frame and mirror shop.
A photograph of two shipping containers on Colombo Street. One is being used as a temporary dairy, and the other as a display space for a frame and mirror shop.
A photograph of two shipping containers on Colombo Street. One is being used as a temporary dairy, and the other as a display space for a frame and mirror shop.
A photograph of a vacant site on Gloucester Street next to Cathedral Junction. The site is to be the location for 'Sound Cone', a performance space which is part of LUXCITY.
The aisle of 'The Night Club', Gap Filler's temporary cinema, painted onto the gravel of the vacant space. Currently it is white, but it will be painted red before opening time.
A photograph of the 'Arcades Project' on the corner of Kilmore and Durham Streets. The public sculpture was a collaboration between FESTA, Andrew Just, Ryan Reynolds and Life in Vacant Spaces.
Now empty and soon to be demolished - sadly for the family and all the customers. Fortunately all plant and stock saved and the search to go on for another suitable space
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch CBD was 'yarn-bombed' during the weekend using yarn and fabric pieces to brighten public areas and earthquake-affected spaces. Hope sign at Hereford and Manchester Streets".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch CBD was 'yarn-bombed' during the weekend using yarn and fabric pieces to brighten public areas and earthquake-affected spaces. Hope sign at Hereford and Manchester Streets".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch CBD was 'yarn-bombed' during the weekend using yarn and fabric pieces to brighten public areas and earthquake-affected spaces. Hope sign at Hereford and Manchester Streets".
The front of Christ Church Cathedral. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled leaving the inside space exposed. Steel bracing has been placed against the front wall to limit further damage.
The front of Christ Church Cathedral. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled leaving the inside space exposed. Steel bracing has been placed against the front wall to limit further damage.
The front of Christ Church Cathedral. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled leaving the inside space exposed. Steel bracing has been placed against the front wall to limit further damage.
A sign attached to a fence on Winchester Street in Lyttelton. The sign reads, "What is a farewell? The opening of space, the stopping of time, the recognition of nothingness, the beginning of eternity, sore".