The Whole House ReUse Project was founded and codirected by two women: Juliet Arnott and Kate McIntyre. With teams organised by Rekindle almost 100 artists and craftspeople from throughout Aotearoa (and beyond) have turned a red-zone Christchurch building into 390 creative works ranging from a 4m x 2.5m studio-sleepout, and dining suites, to an elegant Maori flute, […]
Christchurch-Otautahi
July 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
We’re in Christchurch for a few days this week – to see the Whole House Re-Use exhibition in the Canterbury Museum (open till August 24th), to explore the new Christchurch emerging from the ruins of the 2010-11 earthquakes, and to visit family and old friends. The Whole House Re-Use project is so powerful and important […]
cranes, containers, construction, creation, contrast…
July 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
[singlepic id=130 w= h= float=center] The central city engages us, shocks us, grieves and enchants us. It is a personal experience, human stories around every corner. the cathedral, its new gateway a tiny wooden whare with richly planted roof and sides, its gaping nave a black cave with pigeons roosting in it giant cranes nudging […]
A Treat at Tongariro
June 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment
We ‘ve just had an invigorating break in the dramatic Tongariro National Park in the Central North Island. We enjoyed the icy air and rosy snow-capped mountains at dusk on our first day, exploring the mounds on the plateau left by an ancient avalanche, a drive up to Scoria Flat on the rocky volcanic slopes of Ruapehu, misty bush walks beside […]
Right of First Refusal..
June 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment
or Refusal of First Right? We are appalled that Nick Smith, Minister of Housing, has driven a bulldozer through Ngaati Whatua and Tainui Treaty settlements, claiming that the “right of first refusal” enshrined in them means nothing – that the government is entitled to sell designated Crown land (some already offered to iwi) to private […]
Arts, Animals, Admiration, Ambivalence..
May 19, 2015 by 1 Comment
We had an unexpected opportunity in late April to visit the Gibbs Farm Park in Kaukapakapa, north of Auckland. On earlier journeys we’d glimpsed from the road Bernar Venet’s corten steel cluster (called 88.5° ARC x8) but were even more impressed by Neil Dawson’s beautiful Horizons and Maririjke de Goey’s The Mermaid, above… […]
Defiant Architecture
May 19, 2015 by 1 Comment
We’ve been stimulated and inspired by several films in the recent Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival, particularly three about extraordinary women, and two about New Zealand’s own Ian Athfield. Three Women’s Worlds Those who Dare, Win featured Zaha Hadid, born in Baghdad in 1950, and widely regarded as the most extraordinary architect in the world at […]
Curious about Earthsong?
May 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Here’s your chance to get an overview of the process of development over twenty years, to meet residents, go on a guided tour, visit some homes, enjoy autumn at Earthsong, and finish with a chat over afternoon tea. These tours are held every three months, so if you can’t come to this one, come on Saturday 22 August or Saturday […]
Earthsong Eco Neighbourhood
Public Good