In the neighbourhood

For some reason (i.e. one not known to me) the retailers in Eden Valley have decided to join forces against tagging. What has resulted is some colourful and interesting new graffs, which are sure to scare those tagging hooligans away.

This one is so clever, I only just got it now!

It may well have been inspired by the efforts of Dan Tippett and DLT at the Kingsland Train Station. Unfortunately if you want to see this mural you'd better get there quick, 'cause its days are numbered due to numerous changes being in our neighbourhood made for the Rugby World Cup. A real shame if you ask me.

Thanks to Timespanner for making sure this was brought to our attention and for the photos. On the plus side thanks to our forward thinking community board has made sure their will be plenty of new art works from Dan and his crew gracing our neighbourhoods blank walls in no time.

What I have been doing while not blogging

Here's a brief update:

Have seen two movies - Coco Avant Chanel and Sunshine Cleaning. I liked the first one more than the second one.

Coco Avant Chanel is not a good movie if you actually want to know about Coco Chanel. But it is a biopic so I guess a bit of embellishment is to be expected. I really liked the costuming and set design. Audrey Tautou is fantastic. I like the sincerity she brings to this role. But I thought the ending was a bit abrupt and over-laboured.

Sunshine Cleaning was just okay. Once again a poorly ended movie. I am guessing it must be a hard task to come up with a good ending for a movie... maybe?

Also went alone to one of the talks in the series of Mayoral Conversations. Last night was Rita Justesen talking about the revitalisation of the Copenhagen waterfront. Unfortunately, the venue was truly appalling. Aotea Centre 'conference facilities' are not good at all. The room was the wrong size and shape, so no one could properly see or hear the speaker. The screens for projecting the presentation on to were too low. As a result everyone was bobbing side to side, up and down and arching their necks to see. I would like to point out that it is advertised on The Edge's website as being "New Zealand’s premier conference destination, an unrivalled complex in which to do business." I beg to differ. So as you can tell this was a big distraction in being able to enjoy the event.

My conclusion on the mayoral conversation series: Don't go. The wine is no longer good, the venue isn't likely to be either, the speakers are okay, and the dumb questions people ask are likely to annoy you. In the future I am planning to watch them on YouTube.

On the up side, I am now thinking of adding Denmark onto my list of places to go. It looks pretty. Copenhagen - "It's Chic. It's Exciting." And it has interesting architecture. Maybe my love of architecture and interest in urban planning is thanks to my Danish ancestry?!

Some photos of Copenhagen from: VisitCopenhagen.com

Garden of Eden

Here's a story about something interesting that I have been keeping an eye on over the past few years. It starts with an inner city site, known as 17 Kelly Street, Mt Eden. A site that could best be described as prime estate. Being considered prime real estate has meant this site has been fought over by various parties for many years and like all good battles it has not been without its controversies and victims.

I don't really need to tell you all this because if you go here it tells you all you need to know. But in case you don't here's the long and short of it:

In a previous life this site was home to a dental training school. Before the site was a dental training school it was earmarked as a public reserve (pre 1940s I think) but it never happened.

During it's time as a dental training school in the 1960s and 1970s they used to "throw spare amalgam out the window." As a result the soil, plants, and trees on the site become contaminated.

Fast forward to 2000 when ESRI (a crown institute who became the lucky owners) decide they no longer want the site and begin the process of selling it. A process which becomes the subject of much controversy. Before they can safely sell it they spend about $1 million on decontamination.

ESRI then sell it to a developer (who just happens to be the former CFO of ESRI) with an elaborate plan to develop the site into 22 high-density 'luxury' townhouses. The City Council was thrilled of course, because this area of Mt Eden is zoned for population growth and the development ticks all their boxes. The local residents were not so thrilled because they don't want a high-density development next door, they want a park. The local iwi are also not impressed because they have a Waitangi Tribunal claim related to this area.

Nearly ten years after the debacle first began, several resource consents and angry resident meetings later, in 2008 the developer pulls the plug on the development and the site goes on the market, later becoming subject to a mortgagee sale.

In the meantime, the unused site has been surrounded by a 100m wall. Far too tempting for taggers, the wall is soon covered in graffiti, which the owner paints over with grey paint every few days. The residents become annoyed by the tagging, but even more annoyed by the ugly grey paint. So they arrange 2 mural painting parties, inviting artists to come and help cheer the place up. The owner paints over them in the grey paint. The residents paint more murals, the owner paints over them again. The Council gets involved. It starts to get nasty.

Photo from NZ Herald article about Kelly Street Walls

By now you can probably appreciate the history of this site is long, complicated and involves a lot of angry people. Now one year on from the development plans being scrapped, the future of the site is still unclear. The local residents continue to fight for the site to become a park, a decision which the Council is yet to accept. And then just when you thought enough has happened here, one last development has occurred in the past few months that gives you the sense that this story is far from over...

The Garden of Eden Project

The Site

Blue Tree

Yellow Tree

Birdhouse

Earth Drum

Wall of Life

Ciao for now

Far Michael Jackson had a flash as funeral!

His daughter totally broke my heart.

Andrew from Cheese on Toast was on 3 news today and on Morning report talking about the MJ tribute album. And they were playing it on Kiwi FM today. Good work.

I totally loved this mural in Otara by Dean Purcell:

Source: 3 news

Well, I'm out for a while. Will try and post in a week or so.