List – Watch This Space

And That Was… June 2023

Winter is coming… Annnddd it’s here. Just like that the dark nights got colder and the rain more persistent. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, it happens every year, but it is still somewhat jarring when it creeps up on you, seemingly out of the blue each year. Undeniably, June is a quieter month given these circumstances, but that isn’t to say there aren’t things to celebrate, whether it is little treats of street pizza (IYKYK), or treasures to be enjoyed inside the warm confines of home. This month’s And That Was… is a compilation of the things that have kept us warm and fuzzy in the grey climes…

Dcypher x Immersive Reality for the Spotlight Project

Following up from Jacob Yikes and Immersive Reality‘s first projection piece, Dcypher and Nicholas Keyse’s work, an animation of Dcypher’s Welcome to the City illustration brought a graphic, mysterious celebration of the city’s overlooked spaces to the Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre wall. A roving adventure that acknowledges the way graffiti and skateboarding subcultures find possibility in the urban jungle, Welcome to the City suggests our surrounding environment is a stage for exploration…

Dr Suits X Cameron Hunt

This shot of Dr Suits‘ geometric mural at the Giant Cans space on St Asaph Street, taken by Cameron Hunt is a stunning view of a work that is not easily seen in totality. Capturing the full composition, this is evidence of the multiple profiles of artworks and the perception of our surroundings…

Boost Ōtautahi Launch @ Te Puna O Waiwhetu – Christchurch Art Gallery

We got along to Te Puna O Waiwhetu at the beginning of June to celebrate the range of projects fundraising via The Arts Foundation’s Boosted platform. A massive task, it was great to see the support and hear the pitches from those passionate about bringing projects to life – special shout out to our pal Bloom and her Ōtautahi Urban Gardener project!

TOYOTA – No Peace, People Mover

New music from electronic duo TOYOTA provided some driving rhythm (shitty pun alert) for June… Check out their new release, the four track EP No Peace, People Mover on Spotify…

I Think You Should Leave Season Three

I’m going to finish with my favourite thing on television – Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave – a Netflix sketch comedy show that is all about awkward situations that escalate to insane amounts of cringe. I wasn’t sure anything would top the Sloppy Steaks/Dangerous Nights Crew (“this baby doesn’t think people can change”) and Brian’s Hat skits (“I’ve never fought for anything in my entire life. I’m fighting for this hat”) from previous seasons, but the first episode drops the Zip Line/Summer Lovin’ sketch and I know I can’t leave…

These were some of our favourite things in June, what about you? Let us know what kept you warm in July…

And That Was… May 2023

May is notable for a few things: the final fling before winter really kicks in and a celebration of a galaxy far far away. With fewer large-scale projects, this is a perfect time to explore the things that are a little bit smaller, a little more understated or in the case of one of our entries, focused on the audio rather than the visual. From bright blooms and beats to darker images, scary monsters and anime heroes, here are some of our highlights for the month of May…

Local Elements – Learning Curves EP

Local rapper and producer Local Elements released Learning Curves, his first solo EP, on May 22nd, a four track effort with the artist also producing the majority of the songs. The result of hard work and hustle, the EP’s title refers to the literal learning curves of the task, but the final result is a funky piece of head-nodding hip hop with a distinctly local flavour. Stream Learning Curves on Spotify and via Local Elements’ website…

Bright Blooms

As the days get a bit colder and the nights a bit longer, I’m thankful for the small, but bright, blooms appearing throughout the city. Ōtautahi’s urban gardener Bloom has been planting the small wooden blocks adorned with her stylised flowers across the city, often in unassuming places, places where a spot of colour and joy is most definitely needed. Keep your eyes out for Bloom’s Urban Gardener project as part of the 2023 Boosted Ōtautahi campaign – support her fundraising effort here…

Dark Ballad

If Bloom’s flowers add life and colour to the darker months, the intense images of Dark Ballad are a perfect fit with the greyer skies – moody, graphic imagery that is equally alluring and unsettling. The artist’s collection of paste-ups in stark black and white are a striking contrast from the colourful walls on which they are found…

Ikarus, Dcypher and Captain Kris in New Brighton

New Brighton is a true graffiti art hot spot, with a selection of legal walls constantly refreshed with slick pieces and productions. One of the most impressive is this latest collaboration between the DTR crew’s Ikarus and Dcypher and Ōtautahi ex-pat Captain Kris – the formers’ pieces either side of the latter’s Goku character – a winning combination. Teeming with crackling energy, this Dragonball Z themed production is yet another reason to head out to the beach for some wall walking…

May the Fourth be with you…

May the Fourth is, of course, synonymous with Star Wars and here in Ōtautahi, May the Fourth means the likelihood of some fresh paste-ups by resident vintage toy enthusiast Mark Catley… This year to celebrate the galaxy that George Lucas built, Catley added some nasty looking creatures to the central city streets, including a Rancor on Hereford Street…

These were our highlights – what caught your eye? Let us know in the comments – or send your pictures to hello@watchthisspace.org.nz

And That Was… April 2023

You may have noticed it has been a while since our last And That Was… – our recent hiatus was more to do with a certain exhibition that ‘shifted’ our focus for a while, definitely not because there was nothing to report! Ōtautahi’s urban art scene has continued to thrive, maintaining it’s position as a must-see destination, both through significant events like SHIFT at Canterbury Museum, and the creations gracing the streets, both big and small. For April 2023, these were the things that mattered to us – it’s good to be back!

Farewell to SHIFT: Urban Art Takeover @ Canterbury Museum

Jessie Rawcliffe’s stunning painting for SHIFT at Canterbury Museum

It is impossible to not begin this month’s list with SHIFT at Canterbury Museum – Aotearoa’s largest ever urban art exhibition (almost 100 artists, over 4000 square metres and thousands of visitors). SHIFT closed its doors in mid-April and with it the Museum as we have known it, began its redevelopment. The vibrant burst that was SHIFT was an unbelievable farewell to an iconic institution’s current incarnation. The fit may have perhaps seemed unexpected, but it was strangely apt upon reflection, a signal of the changing nature of museum display and story-telling, and a reminder that change is refreshing. Thanks SHIFT, it was a blast!

Jacob Yikes – Escapism @ Fiksate

Jacob Yikes – *Escapism* at Fiksate Gallery. Photo credit: Lydia Hannah Thomas

April saw the latest offering from one of our favourite local sons – Jacob Yikes’ Escapism was a brilliant leap for an artist who had already cemented an distinctive creative pathway. Intriguing, detailed, refined and suggestive, Escapism continued Yikes’ investigation of otherworldly realms and the subconscious. Undeniably alluring, the paintings rewarded inspection and reflection…

The Spotlight project @ Te Pae

Jacob Yikes’ *I will never know* has a new life as part of the Spotlight project at Te Pae

Te Pae’s exterior has some new art with Spotlight, a collaboration between local artists, animators and ChristchurchNZ with Watch This Space. Highlighting the work of four local artists, starting with Jacob Yikes’ I will never know, brought to subtle life by digital animator Nicholas Keyse, Spotlight brings some new found intrigue to the city after dark. When the sun goes down, head down to Te Pae (opposite Gloucester Street) to see Yikes’ projection and stay tuned for a detailed write-up and future artist announcements!

Meep’s Two Realities

We love Meep‘s latest work, a stirring anti-racism piece on a row of power boxes on Allen Street, is a reaction to “the lived realities of BIPOC in Aotearoa”. Responding to a harrowing experience of a close friend near the location of the painting, the beautiful painting is a reminder of the necessary conversations we still need to have to eradicate racism from our society (as Meep noted in an Instagram post, so many BIPOC hear the refrain, there’s no racism on New Zealand, despite that being far from the truth). The water line a reflection of the held hurt and trauma of those racially abused and the need to rise above to change racist attitudes… A necessary social commentary from a talented and motivated artist.

Hello Darkness… A Nighttime Tour

Rone’s *Tess* under lights. Photo credit: Hillary K Photography

Lastly, we were lucky enough to host a night-time tour for delegates of the New Zealand Planners Institute. Our tours traditionally benefit from the sunshine, but as we explored the city after dark it was apparent that the art in our streets shines on long after the sun goes down – from illuminating lighting to dynamic projections and more, it is a reminder that cities need people to activate their spaces, whether presence or productions. Who is keen for another after-dark tour?

These were our favourites, but what lit up your April? Let us know in the comments…

TUNE! with PK

One of the best things about the TUNE! project is seeing the diverse range of influences different artists reveal. The spectrum of musical collections is a great reminder that nothing is monolithic. It is easy to assume graffiti writers and street artists are all simple stereotypes (hooded vandals or hipster artists), the reality is, of course, not so monochromatic. For this edition of TUNE!, we talk to enigmatic local graffiti writer, photographer and urban explorer PK, who drops an eclectic mix of tunes, from Grace Jones and The Brian Jonestown Massacre to Dam Native and The Birthday Party, a perfect example of spiraling influences…

PK: Music is my second biggest obsession (the first isn’t hard to guess!). I think music is definitely the cooler of the two. I don’t often listen to stuff while I’m painting or going about my day now, but I have fun memories of boosting around on all night missions as a teenager listening to my punk cassettes and BBC One In The Jungle mixes. I wanted this list to have a bit of everything I enjoy but it got to like 50 songs so I cut it down to a lucky 13 that I think represents most of what I’ve been listening to recently…

Burning Witch – Stillborn

Lydia Lunch – Friday Afternoon

Joanne Robertson – Hi Watt

The Brian Jonestown Massacre – E to G

Flipper – Shed No Tears

Townes Van Zandt – White Freight Liner Blues

Alexander ‘Skip’ Spence – Grey/Afro

Scraps – Baby Baby

Grace Jones – Me! I Disconnect From You

Strawberry Switchblade – Trees and Flowers

The Birthday Party – Sonny’s Burning

Dam Native – Battle Styles

Marilao – F*@k Me Moon [Morph]

TUNE! is an ever-growing playlist of the music that inspires our favourite creatives – stay tuned for our next edition!

Tune! with Smeagol

Tattoo artist, painter of gory monsters and creatures, maker of miniatures and custom toys, illustrator, Smeagol describes himself as having his “fingers in all the pies”. This wide ranging creativity makes it understandable that his taste in music would be equally diverse. After sending a killer playlist of 10 tracks that span the alt 90s vibes of Jane’s Addiction, the verbose wordplay of Aesop Rock, the energy of Misfits, the grooves of Modjo and even the croon of Chris Isaak, he explained 30 might have allowed him to fully cover his eclectic tastes. Oh well, it looks like we will just have to have more volumes of Tune! with Smeagol in the future…

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Ironically asking a near deaf artist their favourite songs is probably a bad idea, but my art and lifestyle revolves heavily on music. From birth my parents enforced a good taste in music so to say, 70s staples like Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, and on and on…

My childhood was straight 80s and 90s baddassery. Grunge and alternative was life: Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Garbage… In between then and now, I’ve picked up on every genre in between and I literally listen to anything, hip hop mainly, but rock, metal, dance, DnB, soul, 90s trash, punk… Gimme something I haven’t heard please! Thanks for listening to my Ted talk.

Jane’s Addiction – Jane Says

Queens of the Stone Age – Burn the Witch

Aesop Rock – No Regrets

King Geedorah – Take Me To Your Leader

KMD – Sweet Premium Wine

Misfits – Hybrid Moments

Modjo – Lady (Hear Me Tonight)

Chris Isaak – Wicked Game

Ramirez – The Fo Five

Freddie Gibbs and Madlib – Giannis (feat. Anderson .Paak)

Follow Smeagol on Instagram to see all of his creative goodness!

Stay tuned for more editions of Tune! soon…

And That Was… July 2022

Well, that was… damp. July was very much the heart of winter, cold nights and wet days. These are not prime conditions for art making outdoors, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t plenty of opportunities to engage with some good stuff inside, in the warmth of some of our favourite galleries, hospo spots and venues. In addition, there were a few patches of that brilliant, hopeful mid-winter sun to enjoy and take advantage of with excursions out into our streets. Here are some of the things that caught our eyes, our hearts and our attention…

Pener’s Vacation From Reality @ Fiksate

A whirlwind residency by Polish artist Pener at Fiksate Gallery culminated with his stunning exhibition Vacation From Reality – a collection of vibrant, fractured, dynamic canvas works and some seriously beautiful prints. The weather may not have come to the party, but Pener definitely did, highlighting the incredible talent that has emerged in Poland over the last decade and more, and illuminating the striking trajectories of graffiti’s evolution into abstraction…

Scratch Building with Ghostcat

The wet July school holidays were a perfect opportunity for a group of local rangatahi to learn from scratch-building master Ghostcat at the incredible 4C Centre at the YMCA on Hereford Street. An amazing array of builds were created that celebrated the beauty of the urban environment…

Angry Garf

I mean, who isn’t a sucker for the Darkest Timeline? (I could never hate lasagne though)

The Little Street Art Festival Treasure Hunt

We thought we would celebrate our successful Boost Ōtautahi campaign (thanks to all our amazing supporters!) with a little treasure hunt – two hand-stencilled signs dispersed across the city for people to find. We still don’t know who found these guys, and we think our little mascot needs a name – any ideas?

Weasels Ripped My Flesh

At the first sign of a sunny Saturday in late July, we headed to Moon Under Water in Cashmere for a quick drink with some mates (you can’t go wrong with their stonking selection) and we couldn’t help but shout out Weasels Ripped My Flesh, a collaboration APA by Moon Unit and Altitude Brewing – with some Frank Zappa inspired artwork by our pals Ghostcat and Nick Lowry!

What things kept you warm and dry through July? Let us know in the comments…

Tune! With Daken

The latest contributor to our ever expanding playlist Tune! is our pal Daken – our favourite graffiti, comics and bootleg toy enthusiast. When he provided us with his selection of five songs that inspire him as an artist, he admitted it was not an easy task, pointing to evidence of a scrawled page of ‘almost’ cuts that didn’t quite make his final list. Daken’s selection is influenced by his creative endeavours and, importantly, his role as a father, music serving as a bridge between his youth and his children. With a mix of hip-hop, Emo and the genre mixing Gorillaz, it is a road trip through a few eras, which is, to borrow a phrase, “for the children”…

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Music is the closest thing I will get to time travel in my lifetime. Not to say I don’t listen to contemporary artists, I listen to a wide range of stuff. But two years ago a couple things happened. I became a father and I found a new art medium: bootleg art toys. Being a father lends itself to reflecting on one’s own childhood experiences. Trying to work out what makes you, you. Working in this new medium that invites play, wonder and nostalgia, my listening habits seem to be a higher percentage of things I listened to as a kid. Certain albums, artists, songs or even lyrics acting as doorways to memories I can pull on, to pass onto not only my art but to my children too. I hope you like these memories I put together for y’all. Stay dope, peace homies.

Fall Out Boy – Hum Hallelujah

Warren G – Regulate

Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

Flobots – Handlebars

Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.

And That Was… June 2022

June, smack bang the middle of the year. We can see the path to spring and summer in front of us (OK, that might be optimistic, but from a strictly numerical point of view…). But the midst of winter does not mean there was nothing on – sure, the weather is a little bit more unpredictable and the mornings colder, but the tricks and treats keep coming. The last month has seen some interesting propositions and amazing opportunities, the chance to connect with a wide range of people and, of course, some awesome art…

The Little Street Art Festival Boost Ōtautahi Campaign

As you may know, Watch This Space is developing The Little Street Art Festival, a street art event with a different spin – spotlighting the smaller scale and great diversity of urban art across Ōtautahi. From small-scale paintings and stencils, to sculptural installations, craftivism and light-based work, the festival will provide a unique platform for local and Aotearoa urban creatives. But, to bring the Little Street Art Festival to life, it requires money! We undertook a Boost Ōtautahi fundraiser through June – and thanks to the generosity of our friends, whanau and networks, we raised $15,000! This is a fantastic building block for the festival – we are super excited!

JZA’s Street Signs

We have loved spotting JZA’s sneaky street sign alterations around the city. Bringing a smile to people’s faces, declarations such as ONE LOVE, ONE EARTH and more show how little interventions can provide meaningful impacts to our daily experiences.

A Quick Trip to Akaroa

I was also lucky enough to have the chance for a nice drive to Akaroa, where I presented a talk about the complexities of urban art to an enthusiastic crowd in an amazing venue, the picturesque St Pauls Church. The chance to field questions and share my passion for graffiti, street art and neo muralism with an audience keen to engage was a pleasure and ultimately stimulating. It’s funny the places you can find yourself…

Crossing Live to Australia

To add to the list of unexpected happenings in June, I was also lucky enough to meet up with Steve Jacobs and cross live to Studio 10 in Australia as the roving reporter toured the South Island. Over a lightning quick tour of some of the street art around Little High, we chatted about why urban art has been so important for the city…

Josh Bradshaw’s Things I Thought You’d Say, Or Don’t @ Absolution

It was great to finally see a new solo show from Josh Bradshaw, whose new creative direction is a far cry from his previous identity – refreshingly urban, punky and monochromatic, I’m onboard (and have been for a while). His show at Absolution was a perfect tonic for a cold winter evening, beers and chats in an intimate environment with fresh art to explore. Perfect.

What made your list for June 2022? let us know in the comments!

And That Was… May 2022

May is the month when you can feel winter coming, daylight savings ends, the weather becomes just that little bit more unpredictable, and t-shirts start to be accompanied by warmer layers (just in case), yet we can also ignore these signs and enjoy the final throes of Summer’s waning presence. This May, we have enjoyed a range of treats, from the streets of Ōtautahi to gallery walls in Te- Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, a beautiful secluded gem in Waltham, a haunting surprise outside one of our favourite bars and the odd geeky nightmare…

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Cape of Storms – The Paste-Up Project

We welcomed the third artist to the Phantom bollard take-over The Paste-Up Project, with Cape of Storms adorning the circular structure with a signature blast of colourful retro collage posters. The installation, titled Foreign Objects, reflects on the adjustment to life in Aotearoa, highlighting Kiwi quirks through nostalgic compositions of food and fashion and vintage media. The appearance is easily mistaken for official poster advertising, until closer inspection reveals the acerbic humour – check it out on Manchester Street!

Jessie Rawcliffe – Adam Portraiture Award

We’ve always known our pal Jessie Rawcliffe was super talented – now she has the certificate to prove it! Jessie’s striking portrait Richard, of Wellington tattoo artist Richard Warnock, was highly commended in the Adam Portraiture Awards at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery in the capital. From 351 entries, the Adam Awards exhibition was narrowed down to 45 works, with Jessie’s painting being placed in the top 7 by judges Linda Tyler and Karl Maughan.

The Haunted Teacup

You may know about Watch This Space’s plans for The Little Street Art Festival in 2023 (if not, more to come soon!) – but did you know about Ghostcat‘s Haunted Teacup – a work created to exemplify the types of works the festival will celebrate? The worn Victorian-styled automata viewing box has been surprising viewers passing The Last Word on New Regent Street through May, drawing people in with the promise of a terrifying supernatural experience, but is it what it seems? Go and check it out… If you dare!

7 Oaks Mural

We recently had the chance to work with Life in Vacant Spaces and the amazing community at Waltham’s 7 Oaks – an incredible site where array of groups make use of a beautiful space. Together we created a participatory mural welcoming visitors to 7 Oaks, a team effort where 3 year olds and those just a little bit older all contributed to a mural that draws on the surrounding environment.

Return to the Upside Down

Last, but not least, is a shout out to my nerdy side (which is possibly 73% of me) and the long anticipated debut of season four of everyone’s favourite 80’s homage Stranger Things! I may or may not have binged all seven episodes in one night, but who is asking, really? I also may have already re-watched it and now wait impatiently for the final two episodes… Bada Bada Boom!

What made your May list? Let us know!

Tune! with Jessie Rawcliffe

Jessie Rawcliffe is our next contributor to Tune! our ever-growing playlist of the music that inspires our favourite creatives. Jessie has built a reputation for her stunning works, often portrait-based, and constructed with intricate, painstaking detail. Her painting of Pōneke based tattooist and artist Richard Warnock is a finalist in The 2022 Adam Portraiture Award, a biennial competition and exhibition held at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery in Wellington. The Adam Portraiture Award is considered Aotearoa’s most prestigious painted portrait award. The first time she has been selected for the exhibition, Jessie’s painting is one of 45 works on public display from 26 May to 14 August.

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Music has been an ever present part of my life – it’s affected the people and aesthetics I’ve been exposed to and has been a way of connecting with others. It’s fair to say that it’s influenced what and how I make.

There’s plenty of music I love that won’t get played while I paint. I’m looking to get into a dissociative state. Having to change album is a massive buzz kill and I’m haunted by that stupid sound my UE Boom makes when it turns itself off.

As problematic as Spotify is, I heavily rely on autoplay from the first thing I pick to give me a few hours of agreeable background noise. I’m only partially listening.

Each of these artists lead in a direction I like going.

MF DOOM – A.T.H.F (Aqua Teen Hunger Force)

Minor Threat – Betray

Idles – Colossus

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)

[Video contains mature content]

Night Lunch – Haunted Mill

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Follow Jessie on Instagram and check out our expanding playlist in our other editions of Tune! right here on our blog…