Nucleus ― Phil Price’s kinetic sculpture, Christchurch, 2014
The sketch is originally from this student project. Ben Heine’s ingenious Pencil Vs Camera images were my inspiration for this series.
The heart of the city is still beating
journal
The Church is fine (pen vs earthquake)
Built in 1881, the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church was one of the many buildings conspicuously absent from the landscape when we flew over Christchurch last month. I’ve circled the relevant piece of dirt in the photograph below (click on the photo for a closer look). The building was badly damaged by the September 2010 earthquakes and then completely collapsed in the February 2011 earthquake. It was famous for having a sign out the front which read: “Our building is cracked, the Church is fine!” Although the neoclassical structure (an unusual style for Christchurch) is not going to be rebuilt, there are reports that the damaged Oamaru stone is to be used in a sculpture ― what a wonderful way of honouring the spirit and tenacity of its congregation.
The sketch is originally from this student project. Ben Heine’s ingenious Pencil Vs Camera images were my inspiration for this series.
Sitting pretty
Re-tour (pen vs earthquake)
The iconic Thomas Edmonds band rotunda opened in 1929. It was converted into a restaurant in the 1980s and was operating as Retour Restaurant at the time of the Christchurch earthquakes. It was officially ‘deconstructed’ in 2012. The structurally sound dome has been removed and some of the less damaged columns, balustrades and steps have been salvaged. So at least that’s something.
My pen vs earthquake series is proving to be quite challenging. It’s taking me into parts of the inner city I haven’t seen for months and I’m never sure what I’m going to find… sometimes there is nothing left of the original building to photograph. How exactly do you photograph nothing? And why would you want to?
The sketch is originally from this student project (click on the link and scroll down). The photographs were taken last month. Ben Heine’s amazing Pencil Vs Camera images were my initial inspiration. There are links below to more of my ‘pen vs earthquake’ images.
Pen vs earthquake #1 – Mona Vale, 2013
Pen vs earthquake #2 – The Octagon, Design & Arts College and the Hotel Grand Chancellor, 2013
Feisty (pen vs earthquake)
This adorable little building is Shand’s Emporium. I remember it as a magical place packed floor to ceiling with antiques, collectables, jewellery and books. Built in 1860, it is one of Christchurch’s oldest commercial buildings. It was meant to be demolished in the late 1970s (to make way for a new telephone exchange) but was saved by petition and while the more modern buildings surrounding it have been taken out by earthquakes, somehow Shand’s has survived. It has had some repairs since then but it needs an estimated $250,000 to fully restore it. The building is going to be relocated to prevent it from being damaged by nearby construction work. The owner is, in fact, giving the building away in an attempt to preserve it ― and yes, I was a little bit tempted, but I didn’t think we’d get it down our driveway. Shand’s will probably be in its new home by Christmas.
P.S. There are plans to move Shand’s to the delightful suburb of Redcliffs (by the estuary) early next year. It has been reported that a local man is prepared to spend the best part of a year restoring the building ― although it will depend on the city council’s master plan for the area. Here’s hoping this story has a happy ending. December 2013
Update: Shand’s Emporium touches down on Manchester Street, Christchurch. June 2015
The sketch is originally from this student project (click on the link and scroll down). The photographs were taken last month. Ben Heine’s ingenious Pencil Vs Camera images were my inspiration. This is my third ‘pen vs earthquake’ ― below are links to the first two.
Pen vs earthquake #1 – Mona Vale, 2013
Pen vs earthquake #2 – The Octagon, Design & Arts College and the Hotel Grand Chancellor, 2013
Then and now (pen vs earthquake)
The beautiful building in the foreground, formerly the Trinity Congregational Church, was a restaurant and live music venue (Octagon Live) when this sketch was done. Built between 1873 and 1875, it sustained a lot of damage in the 2010/2011 earthquakes. There are plans to restore the timber interior and the 1871 pipe organ (thought to be one of only three of its kind left in the world).
The building to the right of the church was my old art school (you can’t tell from the photo but it’s in a very sorry state ― it was deemed unsafe following the February 2011 earthquake and put on the city’s ‘partial demolish’ list). The building on the left, the one on a bit of a lean, was the Hotel Grand Chancellor (now demolished). The hotel was built in 1986 and was Christchurch’s tallest building for more than 20 years.
The sketch is originally from this student project (click on the link and scroll down). The photographs were taken last week. Ben Heine’s ingenious Pencil Vs Camera images were my inspiration. This is my second ‘pen vs earthquake’ ― below is a link to the first one.
Anna Cull ~ Art & Music 