Lost heritage
Although this isn't
quite finished, and can't be till I go home to New Zealand, the bones
of the piece are complete. The top and left of the diagonal
represents Christchurch in 2009, and the bottom right what it was
like in 2013. There is so much space, but that is not a good thing.
We have lost virtually all of the historic buildings in the centre,
and in their place we have rubble and carparks.
I plan to write along
the roads the names of many of the iconic buildings that have been
lost. And cut away the backing behind the rubble areas. These are
printed on Extravorganza, actual photos of rubble. The intention is
that they look transparent and devoid of meaning.
I got seduced by some
Alexander Henry fabrics I happened upon. Using mainly rectangles
gives the impression of blocks and buildings. The small amounts of
red and maroon give more of an idea of the scale of actual buildings.
Christchurch is called
the Garden City, so the green areas are typical of the parks and
reserves that are there, and of course survived unscathed.
Here is the finished quilt, with the names of the Grade 1 buildings that have been lost. There are many more Grade 2 ones.
Here is the finished quilt, with the names of the Grade 1 buildings that have been lost. There are many more Grade 2 ones.
A sad story, beautifully rendered.
ReplyDeleteI always feel sad when historical sites of buildings get lost. The difference between now and then is quite visible in your quilt. I hope to see the finished quilt when you are back home.
ReplyDeleteI've only been to Christchurch once, many years ago, and remember being struck by it's greenness and beauty. You've made a really clever and thoughtful interpretation of the 'before' and 'after'. Your use of colour is great. I like this piece - it makes you think!
ReplyDeleteYour idea to divide the piece diagonally is very clever as it leads your eye from nearly the bottom left to the top right. Leaving the bottom left square undivided, makes you wonder and keeps your attention.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you have used the Extravorganza to represent the rubble.
I really hope to see this quilt finished.