A line-up of miniature replica buildings from Christchurch's past has gone on display at the city's cathedral, featuring well-known haunts meticulously crafted by an artist known as Ghostcat.
The exhibition 'A Ghost on Every Corner' was created by scratch build artist Mike Beer, who recreated scale models of 10 buildings using raw materials, rather than commercial kits.
Beer said the buildings were chosen after talking to people in Christchurch about places of significance, some of which were destroyed in the 2011 earthquake.
"It's called Ghosts on Every Corner. It's the fact that something can go, but the ghost of that memory can still exist. For instance, I used to love hanging out with friends at Java (a cafe on the corner of High and Lichfield Streets).
"That place is gone now, but the memory is still there like a ghost, so that's what the project represents," he said.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Beer said his earlier scratch build of Lyttelton's Volcano Cafe was just the exterior, but he decided to take his next project a step further after seeing people's reaction.
"It was amazing to see the memories and connections that people had with that build, but I didn't go inside. Just seeing how people reacted at the time, it was very visceral.
"I thought imagine if you could look inside and it was all lit up. You've got that extra level of magic," he said.
In his recreation of Smiths Bookshop, an old multi-storey building jam-packed with second-hand books on every subject imaginable, Beer handmade just under 5000 individual books to line the shelves.
For the old police kiosk in Cathedral Square, he made a watercooler, tiny coffee mugs and wanted pictures featuring images of his friends.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
All of the items were contained within three-dimensional miniatures, many of which were about 50 centimetres-wide, and took about four years to complete.
Beer said the process of making the buildings and items inside varied and involved a fair bit of trial and error.
He initially used real lace curtains in one piece, but they did not look right, so he eventually used toilet paper for better effect.
Beer often repurposed items found at a second hand stores, or made them by hand, like a police kiosk watercooler filled with resin.
His favourite build was the abandoned Canterbury Sale Yards, including recreating piles of rubbish and walls covered in graffiti.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
"A lot of my friends are graffiti artists who would have done pieces in there originally. They came through and did little pieces in there as well, so it was layering it and trying to create a unique take on the build," he said.
Beer said it felt special displaying the miniatures in the cathedral.
"People will be emotional to see this space, many won't have been in here since the earthquake.
"So to be able to connect with that, and the fact that it is still here and living in amongst these builds - I think that will hold a lot of emotion for lots of people in different ways, which is really special."
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
The sold-out one-day exhibition at the cathedral on Friday was a preview of a larger exhibition that would run for a month at Christchurch's Arts Centre from 29 March.
All of the items on display were for sale with prices ranging from $8,500 to $12,500, while Beer had also created a book with the help of photographer Dave Richards and writer Dr Reuben Woods.
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