Capture by A photoblog

1699

Two Tales of a City

by Gudrun Gisela & Lilith Crawford

Introduction

Yesterday Lilith posted a few photos in the comments of our EQNZ Remembrance post, and it made me think we should take the opportunity to open another thread.

So here are two different depictions of life as it goes on in Christchurch, kindly provided by two Capture and PA regulars.

Lilith - Tale One

Sumner had a Street Party last Sunday, and it was teh awesome! Our 2 main streets were closed to traffic and filled with music, food, drink, craft and clothing stalls, stuff for kids to do… and about a zillion people with their children and dogs. It was organised by some local folk who thought it would be a good idea. It was!

I couldn’t resist taking some pictures.

The pièce de résistance was the Container Cosy. Think tea cosy, but big enough to cover over a shipping container. Really!! You can read about it here. Local lady Christine Reitze asked people to contribute peggy-squares, then sewed them all together herself. The result really has to be seen to be believed.

Gudrun - Tale Two

Protest on the corner of Hereford and Montreal Street adjacent to the City Council building,  6th May 2012.  The freezing easterlies might have kept some protesters away, but those who showed up seemed drawn by a range of causes, from homelessness to insurance issues to government intransigence.

While the almost celebratory mood of the much larger protest from on the same site three months earlier had evaporated, there was
no mistaking the seriousness of people's concerns.

Container Cosy 2. Everybody wanted to touch it. Photo: © Lilith Crawford

Container Cosy 3. And everybody wanted to have their photo taken with it. Photo: © Lilith Crawford

There was a colouring-in picture as big as, yes, several shipping containers (this is our main unit of measurement now in Chch). Photo: © Lilith Crawford

The roller derby ladies were there. On skates. :-) They were handing out fliers for the Dead End Derby. Photo: © Lilith Crawford

Stage. The weather was chilly, but the atmosphere was celebratory. Photo: © Lilith Crawford

Village Green. The site of the museum and community hall, rubble for a long time, then waste-land, has been made park-like with new grass and donated plants. In the background is the red-stickered library. Photo: © Lilith Crawford

We may not have access to the meaning of life… Photo: © Lilith Crawford