Exhibition features the transformation of an eastern suburb

Major UC exhibition to feature the transformation of an eastern suburb

August 13, 2013

A major University of Canterbury (UC) exhibition, Thx 4 the Memories, featuring the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes will open in the city next week.

The exhibition is the first stage of a larger 10 year Place in Time project documenting the red zoned eastern suburb of Avonside as it transitions from Christchurch's second oldest suburban area to wet / park land.

As a Place in Time and Christchurch Arts Festival exhibition, the exhibition next week will feature edited down versions of comprehensive oral histories of Avonside residents.

These oral histories were compiled and written by UC senior arts lecturer Glenn Busch and are accompanied by portraits by Bridgit Anderson and landscape images by photography lecturer Tim Veling.

Thx 4 the Memories will be mounted along Worcester Boulevard, between the Arts Centre's market square and Cathedral Square, on 50 double sided outdoor frames.

``The show will lead the public back to the heart of the city. The exhibition can be seen in direct relation to the city's dramatically altered physical landscape, plus it will extend past the entrance of the Christchurch City Council buildings,’’ Veling says.

``It will give the people of Avonside an assertive and positive collective voice that in essence is representative of the broader situation in other red zoned Christchurch suburbs.

``The work speaks of the psychological, physical and social implications of what was the biggest peace time disaster in New Zealand's history.

``It carries an essential message for the rest of New Zealand in that the situation in Christchurch has set a precedent for how we as a country can handle future disasters.’’

Thx 4 the Memories exhibition is also available to travel to other centres and forms part of the Christchurch Arts Festival. It opens August 22 and will close September 22.

Since 2000, Place in Time the Christchurch Documentary Project has been recording the city of Christchurch and a cross-section of its people through photography, oral history and documentary writing. The project has now produced an extensive archive including a number of exhibitions, books and educational projects. Place in Time is housed at the UC’s School of Fine Arts.

ENDS

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