No, they’re not election-related, and hopefully the graffiti vandals will stay away.
The wonderful billboards are Jae Renaut’s exhibition of enlarged black and white photographs of some of Lyttelton’s lost heritage buildings.
Three images have so far gone up on the sites of the original buildings: the Salvation Army Barracks, the Harbour Light, and the old Civic Offices/Library.
This has been courtesy of a grant from Creative NZ, but the images are a collaborative labour of love. While the billboard photos are Jae’s, the recycled matai frames surrounding them are the work of local instrument maker Peter Stephen.
Christchurch City Libraries have supported the exhibition with a display of information on the historic buildings of Lyttelton in the Lyttelton Library. Jae has also donated his collection of black and white images of Lyttelton residential and commercial buildings to the library.
The boards will be up for some time so there are no excuses for missing the exhibition; however why not kill two birds with one stone (only figuratively speaking, please!) and make a day of it on Sunday 31 August to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Lyttelton Road Tunnel? You will be able to walk, bike, or skate through the Tunnel and enjoy a special market day too.
Jae is hoping to get more billboards up as he gets more funding; in the interim you can view other images in his collection and find out more information on the project’s website.
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