{"id":5080,"date":"2017-01-14T05:27:59","date_gmt":"2017-01-13T17:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/auip.com\/?p=5080"},"modified":"2017-01-14T05:27:59","modified_gmt":"2017-01-13T17:27:59","slug":"art-of-rebuilding-a-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/art-of-rebuilding-a-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Perspective: The Art of Rebuilding a City"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Berkley Svingen, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.business.umt.edu\/programs\/global\/new-zealand-australia.php\">University of Montana\u2019s Sustainability in New Zealand and Australia<\/a> student blogger, writes:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The community of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.christchurchnz.com\/\">Christchurch<\/a> was brought to its knees when the earth convulsed with a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in 2011 eight days after Cupid\u2019s holiday. The city center, with three-quarters of its structures dismantled, was shut down. Fencing rose and the army arrived to barricade any from entering. A surprising response to this magnificent loss was the eruption of street art in various forms.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-5080 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-1.jpeg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-1-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-2.jpeg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-2-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-3.jpeg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-3-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-7.jpeg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-7-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-8.jpeg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-8-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-9.jpeg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-9-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The heart of the city, its cultural hub, having been mutilated and contorted, became a canvas for those hoping to illuminate a path of hope through the wreckage. The collapse of buildings exposed surfaces that had never seen the light of day, and appealed to those motivated to reclaim this now-prohibited public space. The street art of Christchurch opened an important dialect for those grieving with the destruction of their homes, history, and identity. Not only has this artistic outlet helped sustain the culture that was threatened to be lost, it serves as a way of expanding and reinventing an iconic identity that pays tribute to this milestone disaster and the lives that were claimed as a result.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5085\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5085\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5085\" src=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-4-300x242.jpeg\" alt=\"185 Empty White Chairs\" width=\"300\" height=\"242\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5085\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">185 Empty White Chairs<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Standing in front of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tripadvisor.com\/Attraction_Review-g255118-d7252377-Reviews-185_Empty_White_Chairs_Earthquake_Memorial-Christchurch_Canterbury_Region_South_I.html\" target=\"_blank\">185 Empty White Chairs memorial<\/a> provoked an intimate sense of grief and mourning. The realization, <em>This could be any one of us<\/em>, puts into perspective how valuable street art is for the healing of the people in the cross-hairs of a natural disaster.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Gap-Filler-Dance-O-Mat-393452060667131\/\">Dance O\u2019Mat<\/a> is an interactive art form that stands on a lot that would otherwise be barren after the remains of the building it housed were cleared away. The washing machine was converted\u00a0into a jukebox that will play your tune of choice for a mere $2NZD. Following the events of the earthquake many individuals felt isolated in their grief even though the cloud of pain engulfed all who lived there. Seeking out one\u2019s neighbors for a sense of reason and understanding in a community-wide tragedy was ineffective, for every member\u2019s self-hood was disoriented as a result of the calamity at their doorsteps. Thus, art pieces such as the Dance O\u2019Mat are ever so important for they provide an area where people can congregate to nurture a sense of community through universally understood mediums such as music and dance. To put into perspective the necessity of the Dance O\u2019Mat, imagine returning to work weeks after the reopening of the city only to pass a heap of debris that used to be your neighboring office building.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-5080 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-5.jpeg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"230\" src=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-5-300x230.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-5-300x230.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-5.jpeg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-6.jpeg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-6-300x225.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-6-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Christchurch-6.jpeg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The ruins are representative of much more than a mass of rubbish. They are symbolic of people\u2019s livelihood, the meal on their family\u2019s dinner table, laughter, accomplishment\u2026life.<\/p>\n<p>Ramble on,<br \/>\nBerkley<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Berkley Svingen, the University of Montana\u2019s Sustainability in New Zealand and Australia student blogger, writes: The community of Christchurch was brought to its knees when the earth convulsed with a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in 2011 eight days after Cupid\u2019s holiday. The city center, with three-quarters of its structures dismantled, was shut down. Fencing rose and the army arrived to barricade&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,19,7,16,25,34],"tags":[76,77,243,100,143,244,48],"class_list":["post-5080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2016-2017-student-blogs","category-field-notes","category-new-zealand","category-postcard","category-snapshot","category-student-perspective","tag-christchurch","tag-earthquake","tag-graffiti-art","tag-new-zealand","tag-street-art","tag-student-blogger","tag-study-abroad"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5080"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5091,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5080\/revisions\/5091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/auip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}