Transforming Worcester Bridge into an Archive of Stories

In Christchurch today, three years after the earthquake, tarpaulins still wrap the walls and roofs of many damaged sites throughout the city. The tarpaulin connotes notions of protection, rescue, shelter and progress. It is also a material that is evocative of the temporary, the missing and the displaced.

We will collect offcuts and panels of tarpaulin from residential sites still in need of repair. This action gives opportunity for residents to tell their stories by marking the tarpaulins through words, drawings or maps. The tarpaulin becomes a canvas where the residents of Christchurch can tell their stories of displacement and mark their experiences. This action becomes a form of catharsis as these stories of displacement are gathered onto the Worcester Bridge and transformed into a ‘storm’.

We are a group of Students from the University of Technology Sydney who are creating an installation on the Worcester Street Bridge for The Festival of Transitional Architecture (FESTA), Christchurch 2013.

“The annual Festival of Transitional Architecture is a free, public event that engages with the city of Christchurch by exploring urban regeneration through large scale collaborative projects and urban interventions.” FESTA website

Our project involves the use of rope, tarpaulin and cardboard as we plan on emulating a “storm” to describe the domestic displacement felt by the city of Christchurch after the 2011 earthquake. The idea of the project relies on the involvement of the Christchurch community as we are sourcing materials and volunteers to help us create this storm we envision.

www.facebook.com/UTSforFESTA

© Scoop Media