A damaged building in Papanui, cordoned off with colourful tape and a crowd barrier.
A colourful mural and patterns on the road brighten up an empty space on Oxford Terrace near the Re:Start mall.
A tree on Reserve Terrace in Lyttelton has been wrapped in colourful cloth to create a stripe like effect up the trunk and branches.
A photograph of a colourful crocheted cover for a shipping container. It has various patterns such as a black swan, two hearts and vibrant colors.
A colourful tarpaulin is draped over a hole in the Lyttelton Museum on Norwich Quay. The building was constructed in 1911 to house the Seamen's Institute.
A photograph of a colourful crocheted cover for a shipping container. It has a variety of patterns including a heart, a four leaf clover and some flowers.
Colourfully-painted milk bottle decorations made by Lyttelton children hang on a cordon fence on London Street. The demolition area was formerly the site of the Empire Hotel.
A photograph of a colourful crocheted cover for a shipping container. It has various patterns including a heart, a variety of flowers, and the words "Joe & Nat", "Mt Pleasant", and "love from Tauranga". A Nissan Caravan is parked next to the container.
A photograph of some simple street art on a concrete wall. The artwork depicts a masked boy with red hair, nestled between the colourful letters of tag writing. An excavator from Mount Grey Downs Limited and some stacked concrete slabs are in the foreground.
A photograph of colourful street art by the DTR crew between Aldwins Road and Linwood Avenue. The artwork depicts an orange cityscape behind purple tag writing. The wall with the artwork on it is hidden behind a billboard for Smart Real Estate, a roadside bench, and a power box with an Elvis poster on it.
A photograph of colourful street art by the DTR crew between Aldwins Road and Linwood Avenue. The artwork depicts an orange cityscape behind purple tag art. The wall with the artwork on it, is hidden behind billboards for Smart Real Estate and CPIT. Street lights and a car with a "V" advertisement on it are in the foreground.
Flowers float under the twisted Medway Street Bridge during the River of Flowers memorial event. A colourful cross has been attached to the centre of the bridge. The photographer comments, "One year on, Riverside residents gather for a 2 minute silence and to cast flowers in the river. Riverside residents met at the Medway St bridge to commemorate the anniversary of the 22/2/11 quake".
An aerial photograph looking west over the Arts Centre and Christ's College towards Hagley Park. The photograph has been captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "At the centre of this photo is a group of heritage stone buildings. Canterbury Museum and Christ's College were extensively earthquake strengthened prior to the EQs and re-opened to the public relatively quickly. The Arts Centre is undergoing extensive renovations. Hagley Park and the Botanic Gardens provide a richly colourful surrounding to these historic buildings".
An aerial photograph of Manchester Street near Cambridge Terrace. The photograph has been captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The new Christchurch emerges - more colourful than before. The tree wrapped in high visibility is another project from artist Peter Majendie. The newly planted grass on the right hand side of the photo is on the PGC site and an adjoining site and is a CERA initiative. In the foreground of the photos the former site of St Luke's is now attractively laid out, while the splendour of the trees on the site can be fully appreciated".
The seismic tremor that shook Christchurch on February 22, 2011, not only shattered buildings but also the spirit of the city’s residents. Amidst the ruins, this design-focused thesis unravels two intertwining narratives, each essential to the city’s resurrection. At its core, this thesis probes the preservation of Christchurch’s memory and character, meticulously chronicling the lost heritage architecture and the subsequent urban metamorphosis. Beyond bricks and mortar, it also confronts the silent aftershocks - the pervasive mental health challenges stemming from personal losses and the disfigured cityscape. As a native of Christchurch, intimately connected to its fabric, my lens reflects not just on the architectural reconstruction but also on the emotional reconstruction. My experience as an autistic individual, a recently discovered facet of my identity, infuses this design journey with a distinct prism through which I perceive and interact with the world. The colourful sketches that drive the design process aren’t mere illustrations but manifestations of my interpretation of spaces and concepts, evoking joy and vitality—a testament to embracing diversity in design. Drawing parallels between healing my own traumas with my colourful and joyful neurodivergent worldview, I’ve woven this concept into proposals aimed at healing the city through whimsy, joy, and vibrant colours. Personal experiences during and post-earthquakes profoundly shape my design proposals. Having navigated the labyrinth of my own mental health amid the altered cityscape, I seek avenues for reconciliation, both personal and communal. The vibrant sketches and designs presented in this thesis encapsulate this vision—a fusion of vivid, unconventional interpretations and a dedication to preserving the essence of the original cityscape while still encouraging movement into the future.