Clothes make the ‘persona’
Christchurch’s Armageddon Expo breathed life into thousands of characters from comic books, film, video games, and TV screens at the weekend.
The two-day expo at Te Pae Convention Centre drew a record 130 exhibitors and 15,000 pop culture fans from across the country, according to the event’s organisers.
“This is the biggest Christchurch show we’ve done in the 17 years,” event director William Geradts said.
Nekxfer, a high school student from Lincoln, crafted and named her own character. She was really excited about “finally connecting with the pop culture community”.
“This is my persona. It represents me,” said the teen, who insisted on being addressed by her character’s name.
She said she came up with the idea “about five or six years ago”, but Nekxfer – “a furry Kamen Rider” – came to life “only last year”.
“I had to seek out a personal workshop overseas to bring it to life.”
Rowan Straford and Schalk duPreez, from Invercargill, said they had been attending the Christchurch expo for “so many years” they’d lost track of the exact number.
“I am cosplaying Diona from Genshin Impact, but not her in-game model outfit, just something casual,” cafe worker Stratford said.
Stratford got her white T-shirt from #Chchgeddon last year, and hand-sewed ears and a tail for her costume.
The pink wig took her “about three weeks” to style so “it all sticks together, nice and solid”.
She also crafted a choker out of ribbon, and the bell was 3-D printed from UV resin.
“Sometimes I feel like I live all year just to come here. It's like an escape. For a few days, I can go [to the expo], be myself, do whatever I want, look however I want. It’s just about being able to wear cute stuff.”
DuPreez cosplayed as a Jedi from Star Wars, but without a lightsaber.
“My lightsaber has been taken. I’m just wandering around, making my way through the universe,” he said.
Christchurch local Gabor Beck cosplayed as a member of the Trauma Team from the console game Cyberpunk. “It’s my fifth year coming to the expo ... and it took me about six months to make the costume.”
Made from a yoga mat, the costume was very light, he said.
“But it’s very hot to wear it. I’m going to wear it for the whole day. [I’m] looking forward to meeting my crew [from the game]. It’s fantastic for people coming together, cos-playing the one you want to be [from] your game, your anime, or your film,” he said.