Rediscovering Christchurch, Week One

The Cultural Precinct

As I said in the introduction to this series, I am woefully ignorant of a lot of what this city has to offer. So I set out yesterday on a glorious Christchurch day, dragging a friend and my kids with me, to take a new look at the cultural precinct and specifically the COCA (Centre of Contemporary Art) which I had never been to before – in fact I never even knew it existed. I know parts of the cultural precinct really well, but last week I picked up a brochure aimed at tourists and realised just how much I have missed by not looking at the city as a tourist would – as a place worth exploring. So, my rediscovery of Christchurch is starting with our past – and with the artists of our present.

The COCA is tucked around the corner from the Christchurch Art Gallery, and close to a very handy underground car park. However, I didn't actually park there, but rather in the Botanic Gardens car park. It's free, it's in a really pretty setting and parking there allowed me to take a lovely stroll through the gardens, past many of our lovely heritage buildings to get to the COCA. I stopped at the Arts Centre mostly because I can't possibly go past there without buying a chocolate at the Fudge Cottage. It's a strange kind of feeling being in there post-quake. It is a beautiful, serene place even with the artisans and people who are always there in the cafes and shops. It feels intimate even though it's a lot bigger than I ever realised. There's also an odd kind of beauty in seeing the turret sitting on the footpath. This is a unique opportunity we have to see the stone work on that part of the building so close up. It still towers above you, the roof tiles still begin well above my head, and seeing it there so small next to its building, yet still so much bigger than me, gives a real sense of just how immense the building is. Take a good look at it when you go past – this new perspective on the building isn't an opportunity we'll have for all that long!

The COCA itself is a very small, intimate gallery with 3 rooms dedicated to showcasing the artwork of two or three artists. These works were fascinating and I could have spent a lot more time there than I did, mainly because I had children with me. (Protip #1 – don't take children with you. It's not really that sort of place and I don't think the people who run it were used to small, loud voices; and that's not to mention the issues I had with keeping small hands off the art). The rest of the art is in a couple of small rooms on wire frames. They move at will and it's fascinating to see a glimpse of something through the layers and pull the frames until you find the work itself. There's a real sense that each time you go back there the experience would be different even if all the art works remained the same. It is awkward to see everything you want to because of the small size of the building, but they have certainly utilised the space they have. It was definitely worth finding, even if it's not on the scale of the Christchurch Art Gallery which is so close by. They work well in tandem, though. Yesterday I started with the COCA and moved on to the Art Gallery, and found that worked well for me (and my kids). You start with the intimate and the new and move on to the larger scale, more open gallery which is more welcoming for our smaller citizens.

From the galleries we moved in to the Square to eat. The Town Crier was there letting everyone know of all the upcoming events (I'm looking forward to two things I haven't done before – Classical Sparks and the Festival of Flowers). It was fun to wander slowly around, taking in the market and listening to him. Hearing him was another thing I'd never done before (yay, two new experiences for the price of one!) and he really added to the atmosphere of the square. Again, this is a place I have often been guilty of seeing only for its faults. But when you stop to look deeper, the square is actually rather lovely. Yes, it's grey and could do with a bit more greenery, but it's not barren - not with all the people who were in there giving it life and vibrancy; and around the edges the buildings are worth noticing. Yesterday, instead of focusing at ground level, I finally lifted my eyes and paid attention to the architecture around me. It takes on a resonance now that we have the memories of bricks all over the streets, and those pictures of tumbled rubble around some of these buildings in the Square itself after Boxing Day. But despite those memories, the damage isn't all that apparent in the Square and it's another pleasant place to spend some time. I was there at lunchtime, and the busy-ness of ts stalls and the Town Crier were a nice contrast to the peace and intimacy of the Arts Centre.

As we walked down Worcester Boulevard, we took this picture and for me, it really sums up the Christchurch we have right now. There may be some wire fencing and scaffolding masking some of our city's beauty, but under it and behind it it's still lovely. Like many people post-quake, I have been guilty of seeing only the damage, the fencing, the long way we have to go to fix the city. But when you look, really look, behind those things, we still live in a lovely setting.

Other places to check in to on Foursquare:
Canterbury Cheesemongers at the Arts Centre. They have had a rough time of it after the quake when their premises were knocked down. They have finally reopened in the Arts Centre and it's well worth going to test out their lovely cheese and treat yourself to something wonderful. As an added bonus, the chilled room they keep the cheeses in is a wonderful place on a hot summer's day. I could have stayed there all day!

Actually, just make sure to check into all the places in the Arts Centre. As we know it took quite a beating in the earthquake, but for the most part it's back up and operating, and places like Le Cafe could do with a bit of love. I haven't been back there since the quake but do have some very fond memories of their hot chocolate. Go forth and check in on Foursquare!

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