Christ Church Cathedral Exhibition “A Love Letter To The City”

Christ Church Cathedral is opening its doors again to the people of Christchurch for a truly special preview of local artist Ghostcat’s upcoming art exhibition Ghosts on Every Corner.

For one day only, Ghostcat’s intricate scratch-built recreations of iconic lost places of Ōtautahi Christchurch’s recent past will be on display within the cherished Christ Church Cathedral. Sessions throughout the day, for up to 50 visitors at a time, are fully booked for a guided tour of the artworks and a discussion of the larger project.

Ghostcat has compiled a book exploring the project and places, with photography by Dave Richards and text by Dr Reuben Woods, drawing on interviews from a wide range of contributors.

Woods says, “Ghosts on Every Corner is a love letter to the city. Intricate recreations of diverse places, from Smiths Bookstore, Echo Records, and Wizards Arcade to Java Café, the Cathedral Square Police Kiosk and the Deans Ave Sales Yard building. The selection of builds represents the way seemingly small and at times overlooked places can have a big impact on people and communities, settings where lives played out, where people came of age and where bonds were formed.”

He continues, “Christ Church Cathedral provides a fascinating backdrop for the experience of Ghosts on Every Corner – the heart of the city provides a link between so many of the sites featured in the exhibition and book, and its current state of ongoing repair serves as a reminder of the precarious nature of many of our most cherished places.”

Christchurch Dean Ben Truman said “the preview was another chance for people to go back into their Cathedral and to enjoy this special place.”

“Going inside the Cathedral for community events has always been part of the city’s traditions and we are delighted to share it in this way. It's more than a religious building, it has a civic role - it's where the people of Christchurch admired the carpets of flowers at the Floral Festival, it's where they signed the book of condolences for the Pike River families, where they twisted their way up to the bell tower and admired our city from above, where we attended funerals and weddings, and it's where we hosted Kings and Queens.”

Following the preview, Ghosts on Every Corner exhibition (and book) will move to the Pūmanawa Gallery at the Arts Centre from 29 March for six weeks. 

Pre-orders of the Ghosts on Every Corner book are available via https://www.ghostcat.co.nz

© Scoop Media