Transitional Christchurch - Public Art

So as you are all probably well aware I am doing my planning thesis on the transitional temporary uses that have happened in Christchurch in response to the earthquake and  in the last couple of weeks, I actually got to go and experience Christchurch and talk to some of the key people involved in pushing the boundaries of temporary and experimentation for Christchurch. It was awesome. The creativity in a city that is facing a long and slow recovery is astounding, and the public art in the city is of an amazing quality and content. So seeing as I have quite a few pictures and quite a few thoughts on transitional Christchurch I thought I would dedicate this post to the amazing public art I saw during my visit. 

Kaleidoscope Wall near Re:Start Mall

This "kaleidoscope" piece had the most amazing colours and was located on a wall near the Re:Start Mall (where I spent way too much time and money!). This piece really picked up the area, and was a huge change from the traditionally grey city centre that Christchurch had pre-earthquakes. 

Freak Container in the Re:Start Mall

The personalisation on some of the shipping containers actually in the Re:Start Mall was also amazing, this "freak container" near the amazing food truck area was one of my favourites. 

Portrait on the currently vacant Art Gallery

This large portrait is on the wall of what was previously the Art Gallery, but now remains unused. Also outside this art gallery is one of my particular favourite pieces...

The Gnomes

The giant, silver gnomes! What could be better then those two gnomes standing guard. I also really loved the "It's Coming Down" sculpture pictured below, which is actually 3m tall on the roof of a still standing building. 

It's Coming Down Sculpture

So that is all I have for you for now, even though the amazing public art in Christchurch appeared to be endless! I am flat out with work and uni at the moment but I will post again soon on the great transitional streetscapes and transitional urban design/architecture that has developed in Christchurch's Central City. 

The Urban Coffee Farm

I tweeted a video of Hassell's Urban Coffee Farm process (here) for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and I am super stoked to share some photos of the finished product here. I think this project really embodies a great temporary urban place and love that it has focused on reactivating a space that was otherwise underused.  Not only that I, like many Australians and especially Melbournites, am a coffee addict - so any place to get more coffee is always going to be approved by me!  The space is also awesome as it actually gives you to opportunity to learn more about coffee and where it comes from placing an emphasis on sustainability. 

Inside the Urban Coffee Farm via Habitus

The design of this project is, for lack of a better word, ingenious. The way that pallets, ply and chalkboards have been used in conjunction with a huge volume of greenery and vegetation really does set the scene of walking into a coffee farm or jungle and allowing you to step out of the city for a few moments (as well as just looking genuinely cool). Not only does it look cool, but you can see in the below picture that the coffee farm is attracting a wide range of people and giving them a collective an accessible open space to enjoy together. 

Outer View of the Urban Coffee Farm via Habitus

There are more photos over on the Habitus blog if you want to check it out further, and if your living in Melbourne I hope you are heading straight over to enjoy it while it's there because I wish I was! 

When A City Falls...

Last night for the two year anniversary of the devastating February 22nd Christchurch Earthquake I watched the documentary on the Earthquakes "When a City Falls" on SBS. Watching this documentary really hit home for me how great an impact the earthquakes have had on Christchurch and will continue to have on shaping the city centre for the future. What struck me most in this documentary was not only the huge gaping holes in the city where my favourite places and landmarks used to be but the continuing sense of kindness and humour seen throughout the community. 

Demolishing the Cathedral from here (sorry I couldn't find a better link)

Despite little concrete rebuild being completed, even two years down the road from the initial destruction, it would be easy to lose spirit and simple let the inner city deteriorate. This is why I am so excited by the work of Gap Filler, to ensure those empty spaces are never really empty spaces but places of excitement and intrigue (instead of just parking lots for cars that are not even there). This I think is a key element for building community resilience and ensuring people dont just forget about the inner city and become more and more entrenched in the suburbs. I am looking at making my planning thesis based around exactly how this community resilience can be achieved through the creative community action enabled by Gap Filler, so stay tuned because I will be sure to keep you updated with what I find out! 

Pop Up Cinema

Over the last couple of weeks I have been attending Brisbane City Council's China Town Mall 80's and 90's movie nights. Although these free summer events have let me have a cheap and enjoyable night out (and I have got to see "The Labyrinth" and "The Mighty Ducks") there are a few things I couldn't help notice that made me think about how these "pop up" summer events are conducted. 

Iphone Photo of the Chinatown Pop Up CInema

One of the first things that I noticed was that although these events were all generally well attended, especially when taking in those in restaurants that could also enjoy the screening with their meal, the events were by no means full. I also noticed that there seemed to be few people that spontaneously decided to join in and watch the movie, although many paused or slowed as they walked past. I also noticed that there seemed to be a fairly distinct crowd of families with young children or young couples in their late teens to early 20's. 

I started to think "what could easily be changed to attract more spontaneous and diverse users?" and although I in no way came up with a definitive answer, it appeared that these events  needed a better gimmick. For example Gap Filler who I mentioned here, provided a cinema that relied purely on "cycle power" to run allowing for people to get involved with the event on multiple levels. But that is not the only way you could mix it up, why not have inflatable kids pools instead of seats? Or seeing as we are in china town, utilise chinese/japanese style floor cushions. 

Christchurch cycle powered cinema via news.com.au

Personally, as this is one of the few times I have attended a free public event, I thought it was great and am keen to visit many more. I only want to make them cooler and cooler into the future! 

Urban Change Maker - Ryan Reynolds

One of the original reasons I decided that my future was in urban design and not city planning was based on Ryan Reynolds and his "Gap Filler" project for Christchurch post earthquake damages. In response to the devastation and large number of vacant spaces left in Inner City Christchurch post earthquake, Gap Filler make it their mission to temporarily activate these spaces with creative and innovative community uses. Ryan Reynolds, whose inspirational TEDxChCh talk can be viewed here (Coralie Winn also deserves a mention for her talk here).  

Dance-O-Mat in use via Gap Filler

Projects such as "Dance-O-Mat", a coin operated washing machine jukebox, embody the principles of Gap filler; community engagement, experimentation, leadership, creativity, resourcefulness and collaboration. This project was such a huge success that it was recently reinstated due to community demand - a true sign of a great community project. Other projects have also been a huge success and inspiration, including the recent "Summer Pallet Pavilion", a project that provides a small to medium sized community venue built by the community itself. 

Pallet Pavilion Concept Design via Gap Filler

 Keeping a city alive and vibrant in the face of huge devastation is a sizeable task to undertake and one that only a true urban change maker would be behind. I say everyone should key an eye out for what Gap Filler help to implement next, I know I am intrigued.