Lighting up the city after dark

As darkness falls in Cashel Mall this week passers-by may notice a new lighting installation projecting larger-than-life figures onto a prominent wall next to Rollickin' Gelato.

The Light Shadows projections will be on display 15 August - 20 September from 5pm to midnight, bringing playful moments to the city after dark.

Illuminated human figures, filmed and edited by Ara student Michael Vasava, will jump, run, play and dance their way across the wall.

The initiative has been developed by city-making social enterprise Gap Filler in conjunction with partner organisations InCommon and the White Room Creative Space.

“We wanted Light Shadows to involve and engage members of the community that are not normally represented in the Central City,” says Gap Filler Urban Play Coordinator Kate Finnerty.

“With our partners and individuals we’ve worked to show everyday people from diverse cultures.”

Light Shadows is a partnership with Christchurch City Council’s Enliven Places Programme, and is the first installation in the Programme’s new calendar of seasonal, creative Central City lighting installations.

"We're keen to support initiatives like this that help to create a fun and welcoming environment in the Central City," says Council Head of Sustainable City Growth and Property Bruce Rendall.

 Light Shadows is part of a wider Gap Filler Place of Play programme, a three year initiative to establish Ōtautahi as a “world capital of urban play” by reimagining the city as an urban playground.

“Place of Play is about making play part of the everyday, to engage and lighten people’s mood. Cities have changed, especially with the pandemic so we want to try and encourage people to engage and connect,” says Ms Finnerty.

Ideas in the pipeline include an interactive lighting installation, a digital tour of the city with specially created content activated through phones and a floating festival incorporating the Avon River.