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Dorothy – 02/12/05
My Place – this book would be the ideal present for so many people – perfect to dip into, ideal to put on the coffee table for your visitors to browse through. The evocative title immediately made me think about what place is most special to me and aroused my curiosity about the choices other people had made. Nearly seventy short descriptions supplied by a wide range of people in Christchurch, each with an accompanying photo, together form a mosaic-like picture of what Christchurch people truly value. It is set in Christchurch because that is where the idea for the project was born, but the stories could well have originated in any New Zealand city – written by a mix of people born and bred in the city and immigrants, ranging in age from teenagers to senior citizens. It is a fascinating book and can be ordered from the publisher at a special Christmas discount – $14.95.
| <img src="https://www.nzine.co.nz/article_images/myplace.jpg" border=1 alt="The cover of My Place highlights the theme – places that have special meaning” title=”The cover of My Place highlights the theme – places that have special meaning”> |
| The cover of My Place highlights the theme – places that have special meaning |
How did the project begin? In the year 2000 the School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury, began using photography, oral history and documentary writing to put together a digital archive. This material has been the source for a hugely popular exhibition and now a book entitled My Place.
The text was drawn from Christchurch volunteers, prepared by Glenn Busch, senior lecturer at the School of Fine Arts,, and illustrated with photographs taken by photo journalist Bruce Connew together with Press photographer Dean Kozanic and students from the documentary programme of the School of Fine Arts.
People were encouraged to contribute to My Place by this advertisement put in the Press by Glenn Busch. “Consider this – where is it that comes to mind when you’re asked to think about a place that’s significant to you? What makes one place more important to you than another? What’s your connection with this place and what is it that continues to make it important in your life today?”
Some favourite places As I read I was amazed time and again by the variety of the places chosen. Here is a random selection of the favourite places.
Favourite shops feature in a number of the stories. A family working in a business where they aim to fix whatever is brought in for repair are pictured on the cover in front of shelves full of spare parts and useful bits. A granddaughter writes of the precious memories associated with the corner store, still unchanged, in Abberley Crescent near the home of her grandparents who used to give her a penny to spend at the store.
Places remembered from their youth are important to a number of contributors – the home of grandparents in the Avon Loop, Christchurch Boys’ High School, Mona Vale.
Places that offer peace and an opportunity for thoughts about the past and the present, decision making, or quiet conversation, include churches and outdoor areas – Whitewash Head, the Linwood Cemetery, the beach at Rapaki, Lake Victoria.
Workplaces are important to many people and choices are as varied as the Christchurch Central Library, the kitchen of the Governors Bay Hotel, a tattooing studio, the prison central to the life of a prison officer, the Indian family restaurant, a video rental shop, Step Ahead – a centre for rehabilitation ….
Places in which people have invested time and energy have special meaning, like Ferrymead, the dance studio, amateur theatre, a cafe to welcome young people who need friendship. An Egyptian couple who immigrated to New Zealand thirty five years ago still treasure the home they bought when they arrived, and on which countless hours were spent on repairs and renovations.
If you are tired of hearing generalisations about how materialistic New Zealanders have become, then reading this book will show you that for many Kiwis what is most valuable is beyond price.
Don’t delay. Give yourself or someone else My Place as a Christmas present. Order this book from Canterbury University Press while it is a Christmas special.
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