Central-city artwork on the move
A major central Christchurch sculpture has been moved to a new riverside site after five years on the corner of Gloucester and Colombo Sts.
Tree Houses for Swamp Dwellers by Christchurch artist Julia Morison was installed on an empty site in 2013.
It was moved two blocks north to a spot by the Avon River just off Colombo St on Thursday afternoon.
The sculpture was originally designed to be easily relocated. The construction company that sponsored its construction had offered up to three shifts.
The sculpture was relocated to be part of the Te Papa O¯ ta¯ karo/Avon River precinct, a riverside landscaping regeneration project led by Crown rebuild agency O¯ ta¯ karo Ltd.
An agency spokeswoman said the sculptures would be open to the public when the landscaping work around them was complete in October.
In 2013, Morison said the sculpture was designed so it could be relocated as a response to the recovering city centre.
‘‘You can reconfigure it to different combinations depending on different sites. It’s a response to what’s going on here,’’ she said.
‘‘We’ve got these sites that are unattractive, to say the least, and have no reason yet. Its function is to activate those spaces.’’
The sculpture was inspired by Canterbury’s history. The 10 ‘‘treehouses’’ are shaped like kahikatea trees, which were once common in the area.
The name of the artwork was inspired by a Christchurch colleague of Morison, who jokingly referred to Cantabrians as ‘‘swamp dwellers’’.
The sculpture’s original site is earmarked for the performing arts precinct anchor project.
Morison was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2017.