8 June 1992 Christchurch Needs To "Shine" At Night

Christchurch "the city that shines" needs to shine as magically at night as in the daytime, says Lincoln University Landscape Architecture lecturer Lisa Gelfand.

"At the moment it is probably not making much more of an evening impact than a lot of other New Zealand centres," she says.

"However, with the combination of the Avon River, the trees, the marvellous old buildings, the open spaces of the squares, and the narrow spaces of inner-city lanes, Christchurch has enormous potential to make an exciting impact at night through the creative use of light.

"I'm not talking about an unbridled increase in electricity usage, but about a more thoughtful utilisation of the normally acceptable levels of urban consumption.

"For a number of years Lincoln University's Landscape Architecture Department has been encouraging its students to think about the use of light at night, as much as in the daytime, when considering the architecture of cities.

"To this end we have presented two light shows in Christchurch – one in Cranmer Square and one on the banks of the Avon. We are now about to present a third show, 'Light In The Dark', in Victoria Square this Thursday between 6 and 8pm.

"This is a public participation event which will explore and illustrate various possibilities for the creative use of light in public places.

"We appreciate that with power shortages it might not be the most appropriate time to talk about lighting up the dark, however we assure the public that the students will be demonstrating efficiency by using 12-volt batteries – just one for each of their installations.

"The 70 students involved will be working in groups and teams ... there will be sound and movement as well as light, and we are hoping for public participation and involvement.

"We make the point that even in winter and at night, public spaces still exist and are able to be used. Through the medium of light their presence and function can be enhanced and their integration with the rest of the cityscape can be maintained around the clock and over all the seasons.

"Later on, as landscape architects, many of our students will be involved in designing urban spaces and we hope the lessons they learn about light will be retained.

"So – let's make Christchurch the city that shines 24 hours a day, and not just when the sun's beaming," says Ms Gelfand.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand