The Christchurch Cathedral (New Zealand)

The image above is my impression of the Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand through the medium of textile art. The Christchurch Cathedral was destroyed after a major earthquake in 2011 which killed 185 people. The Cathedral still lies in ruins today.

For me this piece symbolizes in a beautiful way, the struggle many home owners faced in recovering from the earthquakes and the ongoing battles with insurance companies. The fate of the Cathedral has also been a major source of contention within the community and it has taken years for a solution to be agreed upon as to the way forward for this building. Unfortunatly half way through its reconstruction the City ran out of funds and it sits quietly dormant in a state of ruin in the City centre.

Through art, I have tried to capture the past life of the Cathedral through colour and texture. This piece began as a plain piece of calico and everything on it has been added- paint, embroidery, embellishment. In the tower (with the cross) I have inserted an invisible chime which rings when the structure is moved. This piece is a remembrance of the experience that some 400,000 people shared.

Here are some of the details of the work: