"How did the brooch alter your experience of the city?"

After their adventures, participants are asked "How did the brooch alter your experience of the city?"

Here are some of their written responses:

"It made us stand up and take notice. We were more aware of our surroundings and what was going on around us. It made it exciting and fun to return to this part of the city. We observed some buildings that are no more but found beauty still in these areas.  We really relished, stopping, taking our time and observing. It helped us remember and move forward."

"I found myself looking at different things. Looking at details of things rather than just focusing on all the broken buildings. I became more observant around the clean-up of the CBD and realised how much is still fenced off and out of bounds".

"It made me think about the broken down buildings and making jewellery out of the broken materials. You can make it out  of pipes and you can still look beautiful. it's really cool what you can make out of just pipes and wood and leaves. Ruby (8)."


"On the is expedition with the brooch it seemed like taking it back where it belonged - to the treasured old gems of the city which are now mostly rubble. Seeing landmarks (eg Old Christchurch Girls High School) which have been removed - just a hole in the ground made the tears flow. But it also felt like a reclaiming of the territory - the brooch was part of the old city and on the brink of the new. Being part of an Art project, felt just right - the brooch is an expression of both the loss and resurrection, hope for the future,. We need more art in the city right now. It fitted well also in an ultramodern lunch venue. Just as it did in the old precincts."

"We certainly became more observant of the smaller things - the more positive things.  Great as a family to re-familiarise ourselves with a city that has changed in so many ways".


"ended up looking at the small details and the synergy that keep(sic) appearing with shapes, layers and twisting, reflections, detritus. Unnatural attraction to the aluminium legs of signage. Kept seeing birdnests of mangled scaffolding - giant rubble brooches."


"The architectural nature of the forms made me kind of hyper-aware of other similar forms and materials. So while I felt the brooch itself drew me to more mechanical/structural elements, I felt compelled to introduce the birch to more natural and fluid forms - the botanical gardens and the Earth From Above exhibition."


"No 13 full of surprises. Seeking sunlight then the shade of the fern house. Then he pined for plastic barricading after a "Peace" encounter"

"The woodsy nature of the material drew us to the woody spaces of the botanical gardens. Got us into the deal of the light and shade of spaces. Tangled tree forms easily merged together to create unique views."

"I'm unsure of the altering of my experience of the city through the brooch, but I have really enjoyed just wandering around and relaxing wearing this beautiful object. I spend so much time thinking about the city and all the implications of the earthquake and I have taken so many photos in the last few months. While wandering around today I spent more time thinking about how generous your art project is and how enriching it is to have someone like you Jacqui doing what you are doing, Thank you."

The expeditions begin...

Host A Brooch took off to a roaring start with a full contingent of dedicated urban jewellery adventurers. The first weekend's participants included solo explorers, couples, and wear+photographer teams and whole families. Some had stumbled across the project by chance, while others specifically came out to 'host a brooch'. Initially, we suggested people embark on individual adventures so as to immerse themselves fully in the project. However many pairs and groups proved that sharing the adventure intensified peoples' excitement and experimentation and generated dialogue about the changing city. Although the project's format was unusual, the broad range of visitors - ranging from elderly women and children to the tradies setting up the events tents - all embraced the concept.

Each adventure began by drawing a number to see which brooch to wear. This worked on the theory that a surprise selection might lead to a more novel experience of the city. Each person was equipped with 'user manual' and briefed for their adventures in the city... They were asked not to plan a route, but to "see where the brooch takes them", and along the way to notice and document the connections that arise with their surroundings.

Returning from their adventures, everyone was enthusiastic and energised, reporting increased attention to detail and sense of connection with their surroundings. For some, the city became highly colourised. For others, overlooked shapes, structures and tiny details jumped out. Some participants were highly aware of visual phenomena; others aural. In most cases the brooches drew attention to a range of both biological and architectural or mechanical structures. For some, the project brought about mixed feelings: as a positive counterbalance to the doom and destruction experienced during the past months, and a cathartic way of reconciling sadness and fear (see our first participant's video response). For others the adventure had nothing to do with the earthquakes whatsoever.

In each case, the act of taking photos honed people's perceptions and providing insight into each person's view-of-the-world-through-the-brooch. Conversations developed about: the future of the city; peoples' individual experiences of the city; the rapid pace of change in the city; potential materials for jewellery; enjoyment of seeing beauty in things usually overlooked; the sense of loss experienced by inner city families; and their enjoyment of reacquainting themselves with the city.
Many people also commented that they felt both compelled and permitted to behave freely and unconventionally: lying on tram tracks, posing with policemen, lying on the grass to take photos and wrapping themselves in mesh.


Thank you for all your thoughtful responses.

ABOUT HOST A BROOCH

Host A Brooch is a jewellery exhibition with a twist.

The project transforms urban debris into wearable artworks and explores how these work in the world. The public are invited to 'host' a brooch on an excursion through the city to see how it activates connections with their surroundings. 

The Host A Brooch 'depot' is located in a converted shipping container. Operating like a bike-sharing system, the public are invited to 'host a brooch' on an urban adventure. Just as a bicycle transforms our experience of a city – producing new sensory experiences, routes and encounters - jewellery also alters how we encounter a city.

Walking around the city, the body becomes the vehicle for a mobile intervention. The brooches claim a prominent position on the body, demanding attention and provoking conversation. As remnants of the city, they also draw attention to overlooked aspects of one’s surroundings, evoking material histories and connecting us with the material ecology of the city. 

Taking part, the goal is to wander the streets aimlessly. See where the brooch takes you. See what happens  - like a Situationist psycho-geography. On your adventures, take photos showing how the brooch connects you to your surroundings. 

Over the six weekends, each brooch is worn by multiple people, resulting in a myriad of different experiences. Wearers are asked to document their experiences with photos and notes. These accumulate in the exhibition, becoming a cartography of these jewellery-led adventures.

Host A Brooch is one of many projects that are currently exploring ways of reinvigorating Christchurch city through the arts. Although architectural and infrastructural change will take time, the arts can respond more immediately to reinject life into the city.

A catalogue will be produced to document the project.
Contact us (hostabrooch@gmail.com) to request a copy.