Stories

Are those walls looking a bit bare? Got too many blank flat surfaces around your home or office? You need some art! And now is the best time to invest or indulge. In its sixth year, the Christchurch Art Show is back, bigger and brighter than ever, featuring more than 150 artists and thousands of art works for sale. Started as a show to give local artists space to exhibit after the earthquakes, the Christchurch Art Show has become an annual event giving artists from all over New Zealand a place to celebrate each other and show and sell their work. Opening night on June 20 doubles as an exclusive preview of brand new art from the ten top-selling artists from last year – with the chance to snap one up before the show opens to the public and they’re opened to the Lawson’s Dry Hills People’s Choice Award. The top...

Lock in Saturday 22 February 2020 Cityscapers, the city's biggest and hottest music festival is back for another year! Electric Avenue Festival will once again take over Hagley Park for a big day and evening of epic music talent. With past Electric Avenue alum including Rudimental, JessB, Ladi6, Dizzee Rascal plus a wealth of local and international musos, you'll want to keep your eyes peeled for deets on when tickets and the lineup will drop! Head to their website or Facebook page to stay in the loop. electricavenuefestival.co.nzfacebook.com

If you're like us and are a sucker for sinking your teeth into a delicious burger, best get BurgerFuel's new plant-based burger on your radar stat. Their Beyond Beleaf burger reps next-gen meat-free protein alternatives and is a 100% vegan cheeseburger that contains a meat-free beef patty, vegan provolone cheese, vegan aioli, salad and relish topped off on a delicious mini artisan bun - mouth watering yet? Now, before you roll your eyes, their Beyond Patty which they use in the burger looks, cooks and tastes just like beef - except, plot twist, it's made from plants. Launching in Meatless May, the burger drops in 56 BurgerFuel stores nationwide from May 3 and is up for grabs for a limited time only. Designed to be enjoyed by everyone, it is an opportunity for the curious, vegans and those that enjoy the gourmet beef selection at BurgerFuel. Go on and give it...

Hugh Cornwell, singer and guitarist with UK punk legends The Stranglers, is tapped to play at Churchills May 1. You’ve been on the music scene for the better part of four decades. How has the industry changed in that time? Essentially it hasn't changed: there's still people out there with talent struggling to get a break, the internet hasn't changed that. What has changed is the perception of what a good song is. Standards have gone down. What can Christchurch audiences expect from your performance? There will be a set of newer solo material, including selections from my new album Monster, followed by a set of Stranglers’ classics. What has been your wildest experience while touring? Having the entire audience on stage once in Sweden. And have you had any crazy fan encounters? A few, but thankfully only a few. You have a degree in biochemistry, experience in acting and have...

Watching The Chaperone Adapted from Laura Moriarty’s novel of the same name, The Chaperone tells the tale of the vivacious Louise Brooks – synonymous with the 1920s jazz era – in her teen years. Starring Haley Lu Richardson as Brooks, the film also brings in the big names like Miranda Otto and Elizabeth McGovern. Out in cinemas May 2. Poms Diane Keaton leads a (star-studded) squad in the comedy flick Poms. After checking into a retirement home, Martha (played by Keaton) rallies the troops and starts up a cheerleading squad with her fellow residents, Sheryl (Jacki Weaver), Olive (Pam Grier) and Alice (Rhea Perlman), proving that it’s never too late to realise a dream. Most definitely a film to catch with your own squad, catch it when it hits cinemas on May 9. Listening Mac DeMarco – Here Comes The Cowboy Indie-rocker Mac DeMarco is tapped to release his newest music...

The first tangs of winter are making themselves felt and the shredders and powderheads are checking their gear for another season on the slopes. Every mum will be ‘Princess for a Day’ on May 12, and it’s also NZ Music Month (check out the Spotify playlist local legend Craig Shaw compiled for us). There’s a lot to get up for and down to this month, so we cast our curatorial eye over the crowded calendar to give you the essential list of Things To Do In May. CSO Presents: A Night at the Movies For fans of cinema and symphonies alike, don’t miss this special event. The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra will bring the music of Jaws, James Bond, Star Wars and other movie classics to life at the Town Hall’s Douglas Lilburn Auditorium (May 4). If you want to introduce someone special to the powerful spectacle of our city’s symphony orchestra...

The anticipation levels were already high when we heard Matt Corby was going to be in town and boy, he did not disappoint. We're going to call it - if there’s one musician you should see perform live, it’s Matt Corby. A bold statement, yes, but trust us, 30 seconds into his number 'No Ordinary Life' and we can already see audience members succumbing to the soft, yet powerful, melodies of the hauntingly beautiful track. All cheers and screams of "I love you" from the audience have somewhat dissipated and nothing but silence surrounds the Isaac Theatre Royal.  His live set is simple, the man of the hour is centre stage, flanked by his incredibly talented ensemble of two female vocalists and five-piece band and the chemistry between each individual is evident - this isn't just a performance where they are going through the motions, these guys play and perform like...

Wrap your taste buds around feisty Peruvian fare down at The Caffeine Laboratory who are hosting an exquisite pop-up event in their swanky digs on May 18. A sensational 5-course tasting menu awaits with signature Peruvian delicacies such as Classic Peruvian Ceviche – catch of the day, fresh lime, coriander, rocoto pepper, corn and glazed sweet potato, Causa con Pulp al Olivo – a smooth dough made of mashed yellow potato, ground yellow chilli pepper and lime juice with octopus and olives sauce and Aji de Gallina – shredded chicken breast, spicy yellow chilli pepper cream, parmesan foam and green oil sauce on the cards as well as a mouth-watering lineup of cocktails such as Pisco Sour, Peru Libre and Chilcanos made with Peruvian Pisco! Join The Caffeine Laboratory team alongside Igor, founder and chef of Andino in Auckland and Cinthya and Carolina, two self-professed foodies who love to play around...

The Arts Centre have recently reinstated their Creative Residencies programme, nearly two decades after it was first launched and have announced that Kiwi songstress Bic Runga is the first participant. There’s no denying that Bic is an authority figure in the New Zealand music scene having a wealth of accolades to her name including being made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006 and being inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2016, so it is fitting that she complete a two-part residency in the strengthened and beautifully restored residency apartments. As well as being in residence throughout April and May, she will return for a week in July to host workshops mentioning that “this residency is a wonderful chance for me to reconnect with my Otautahi roots and give back to a community that has been through so much.” She also hopes to share...

There’s no denying that Christchurch is on the rise with a wealth of boutiques, eateries and social hubs opening up shop in recent months, and it just keeps getting better with the announcement that The Welder, the first health and wellbeing centre of such a large scale, will open its doors come October 5. Joining other players on arguably one of the city’s funkiest streets, Welles Street, The Welder is a social space where barriers are removed, balance is welcome and a meaningful experience is created that makes us think, feel, remember and understand. With health and wellness at the forefront of The Welder development, the central city hotspot will be a place where you can celebrate all parts of wellbeing, expanding further than just healthy eating into physical wellbeing, mindfulness and sociability. Ditching all notions of “labels”, at The Welder you can participate in a yoga class and follow it up...

Cityscape caught up with Hannah Smith, a Wellington-based directore, designer and producer ahead of her performance in The Road That Wasn't There. How long does it take to put a show like this together? This show has been in the works for years, and has come to be in its current form after several rounds of development. We first made it for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012 with two weeks of rehearsal and a lot of frantic puppet crafting and recording music in a bathroom; and then we have given it two major re-workings for a season in 2015 and another in 2017. Every time we come back to it we tinker with it some more - there is a lot of new stuff in this iteration. So in short, forever! It takes as long as you have got! What comes first - the story or the characters? I think for our shows it...

Cityscape spent five minutes with Sēmisi Fetokai Potauaine, whose sixteen-metre tall sculpture VAKA ‘A HINA, will take up residence in Rauora Park by the end of 2019. What was the inspiration behind your sculpture VAKA ‘A HINA? Vaka 'A Hina was inspired by the legend of Hina and her many voyages to the moon. In Moana Nui pantheon, Hina is the goddess of the moon, tapa-making, weaving, and sharks. She is the matriarch of the famous Maui clan and the guardian of night-time navigation. Did you always intend to create a sculpture of this scale, or did it start out as something different? Every new sculpture seems to be slighter bigger than the one before. The last sculpture was 2 metres shorter in height and 1 metre narrower in overall width. For this one, there has been no change in the original size since its inception. How long have you been working on this project? Since March...

Take your pamper game to new heights down at Mods Hair Paris who is welcoming a Perrier Jouët Champagne Bar into their swanky digs. Renowned for their impeccable service and style, Mods has been at the forefront of salons in the city and the new champagne bar addition is the cherry on top – they are also New Zealand’s only salon to offer a fully licenced champagne bar. As well as satiating your thirst with exquisite bubbles, you can also indulge in the finest fare including locally sourced Burrata, Sicilian olives and caviar. Combining both beauty and pleasure, it is an elevated experience to enjoy with a friend, your mother or ring in the weekend. Mods Hair Paris141 Aikmans Road03 355 8639modshair.co.nz

Created by the team behind Antarctic Heritage Trust in partnership with Canterbury Museum, Breaking the Ice: The First Year in Antarctica allows the public to see items such as a fruitcake and a watercolour painting left behind in two Antarctic expeditions: Carsten Borchgrevink’s Southern Cross and Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova. After a lengthy and painstakingly process to conserve the artefacts by a team of international experts from the Antarctic Heritage Trust, the items were held in a Canterbury Museum laboratory. As well as the opportunity to look at objects that were used during the expeditions, the exhibition also has a historical element to it with the chance to learn about those who led them and where they were sailing from. Opening on May 18 at the Canterbury Museum, don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to observe a selection of famous artefacts from the first buildings in Antarctica. Breaking the Ice: The...

Time to get your fiesta on because the cool cats down at Mexico are ringing in Cinco de Mayo with epic celebrations that will be happening all weekend! Kicking off on May 3 (Friday), head on down and indulge in their seriously tasty (trust us, they’re amazing) Frida’s Margaritas with a Jose Cuervo happy hour from 3 – 5 pm. Take your tequila knowledge to the next level at their Margarita Class which will take place May 4 (Saturday) and where you’ll be treated to a 90-minute class and get to feast on your favourite dishes from the Mexico kitchen. Get your craft on and wrap up the festivities on May 5 (Sunday) with face painting and colouring comps – bonus, the kids get to eat for free! As well as the awesome trifecta of weekend festivities, Mexico will also have delicious food and liquor specials all weekend long. Cinco de...

In what will be a first for New Zealand, American artist William Wegman’s Being Human exhibition will take up an autumn residence at the Christchurch Art Gallery (April 6 – July 28). Primarily known for his art and photographic work that is centred on his canine friends, Being Human is a curation of three decades of relationships between himself and his four-legged muses. Incorporating various artistic styles such as cubism, colour field painting and abstract expressionism, Wegman’s work is a fascinating insight into his life and makes for great viewing. Image credits: William Wegman Constructivism 2014. Pigment print photograph. Courtesy the artist. © William Wegman William Wegman Tamino with Magic Flute 1996. Colour Polaroid photograph. Courtesy the artist. © William Wegman William Wegman White Out 2014. Pigment print photograph. Courtesy the artist. © William Wegman William Wegman Casual 2002. Colour Polaroid photograph. Courtesy the artist. © William Wegman  

After months of anticipation and speculation, the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū welcomes Ron Mueck’s spectacular work chicken / man 2019 which will take up a permanent residence in the premises of the Gallery. Renowned as one of the world’s top sculptors and for his hyper-realistic depictions of people, Mueck’s bespoke sculpture undertook many hours of painstaking work and was created specifically for Christchurch after successful fundraising campaigns and crowd-funding made this possible – the sculpture even travelled all the way from London and was encased in its own, unique and custom-built crate. Mueck’s last stint in the city was during his 2010/11 exhibition at the Gallery which attracted an impressive 135,000 visitors and amassed queues that circled around on the block on its final weekend. christchurchartgallery.org.nz Image credit: Ron Mueck chicken / man 2019. Mixed media. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 2019 by Christchurch...

Hailing from the shores of Canada, Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra have set their sights on Christchurch and will call into Lyttelton Records. With a repetoire that spans ballads and singalongs to high energy dance parties, the lads behind TMO are a live act that is not to be missed! Representing the mulitcultural tapestry of Canada, TMO incorporates a range of diverse music genres into their own music; listeners will get a taste of roots, jazz, bluegrass, flamenco, gospel and Latin - plus many more - and they even sing in French. Catch these guys and their wild talents on April 5. Tequila Mockingbird OrchestraLyttelton Records, April 5undertheradar.co.nz