Artworks and creative installations : Christchurch City Council

Art, greening and temporary sculptures can improve the visual appeal of urban areas, by providing a point of interest, and contrast in colour and texture to streets and buildings.

Murals are one of the easiest ways to enhance the visual appeal of urban areas as they are visible from a distance and add vitality to the surroundings. Physical artworks and installations can be modular so that they can be moved as spaces become available or change over time.

Construction site hoardings can be transformed into creative hoardings, featuring artwork or quality design to add vibrancy and interest while construction is underway. Explore our toolkit for creative hoardings(external link).

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In 2024, artist Kophie Su’a-Hulsbosch collaborated with organisations on Cashel Street—Tagata Moana, Elim Church, and Youth and Cultural Development – to create a vibrant mural on Elim Church's wall at 285 Cashel Street.

Students from Tagata Moana Trust initiated the co-design process, with ideas for the mural including Pasifika culture, the ocean, navigation, and youth.

A young Samoan woman from Elim Church volunteered as the mural's model; Sandra is shown surrounded by Pacific and New Zealand native flora.

The Tuālima on her hand symbolize her ancestors and protection, while the symbols at her fingertips represent the Fa'agogo (seabird), a symbol of navigation and guidance.

This mural honours the historical and cultural journeys of Pacific peoples, celebrating their exploration and cultural interconnectedness. It also highlights the impact of rising sea levels due to climate change, particularly on Pacific Islands like Tuvalu.

In 2024, artist Dcypher painted a large-scale mural on the building at the corner of Southwark and Manchester Streets.

This prominent wall, chosen for its visibility to the new residential population and people travelling along Manchester Street, now showcases a mural that reflects community ideas about the neighbourhood’s future.

Inspired by feedback from the South-East Central Neighbourhood Plan process, the mural celebrates the neighbourhood’s envisioned future as a green, walkable, and cycle-friendly space.

The Central City Action Plan(external link) recognised a need for small-scale lighting to improve perceptions of safety and attract more visitors to Central City spaces after dark.

In 2018 we installed gobos in the Central City to project lighted art and design onto footpaths, creating a creative, light trail scattered around the city at night.

In 2025, the projectors were relocated to key High Street intersections between Cashel, Lichfield and Tuam Streets, enhancing the nighttime walking experience and complementing recent street improvements. New, bespoke designs were introduced to this new location, bringing fresh interest to High Street.

The new designs – ‘High Street in Motion’ – celebrate High Street’s history as a key transport route in Ōtautahi Christchurch, crossing the Central City grid pattern of streets to connect eastern suburbs: Sumner, Heathcote and Ferrymead.

The collection of new designs shows different ways people have travelled along High Street since colonial times – from walking, cycling, and horse-drawn cabs to buses, cars, and the iconic Christchurch tram. (Did you know trams were once pulled by horses?).

‘High Street in Motion’ reflects not just modes of transport, but also how travel itself has shaped—and been shaped by— Ōtautahi Christchurch’s evolution as a city.

Take a walk along High Street and see which ones you can find.

In 2019 we sought proposals for fun, eye-catching and innovative displays from lighting specialists. The competition sought to showcase local industry talent and encourage wider participation in shaping city spaces.

2000 people voted for their favourite lighting display from the top three finalists. ‘Spire’ by Shades Arcade took out the competition, featuring nine spires that changed colour as people moved around the installation.

Also supported by the Enliven Places Programme, 'Talking Tree' came alive at night to tell jokes and offer suggestions about where to explore in the Central City. This project was designed by artist Tim Budgen in collaboration with animation students from Ara Institute of Canterbury.

Spire and Talking Tree were active in Cathedral Square from August to November 2019 and returned to the city in June 2020 for part of the winter season.

Spire was recently gifted back to its original designers, who used the display for an indoor exhibition at Stanmore Block in June 2023. We look forward to seeing Spire around the community in the future.

Express by Kristy McDonald and Ryan Navickas collates slivers of artworks crafted by fellow students at Ara Institute of Canterbury studying design, art and photography. Express is based on a theme of revealing your inner passions.

Enliven Places collaborated with Ara to bring a splash of colour to the prominent façade of Ara’s campus building on lower High Street. Student artists designed the work as part of their Professional Practice course, which provides work experience by matching students with real world project briefs.

This artwork can be found on the High Street-facing side of the Ara building at 248 Tuam Street.

In 2020, Enliven Places facilitated and funded a mural at a vacant site at 200 St Asaph Street, to improve the amenity of the local area and create a sense of place.

Cassandra's Dream reflects on the innovative and downtown character of Central City South, which has begun to flourish with new business and unique attractions. The mural was designed and installed by students at nearby Yoobee School of Design.

Local stakeholder Box112 supported the project by creating a pedestrian laneway across the site to connect St Asaph and Welles Streets, using planter boxes and a sealed surface to support pedestrian movement.

Sydenham-based designers Andrew Veitch and Bevan Whiting from Frontal Lobe created this six-metre tall artwork as a reflection of the beautiful dahlia beds in the Botanic Gardens. The project was delivered in 2019 as part of a ‘Light up the City’ theme which aims to add light, interest and vibrancy to underutilised or vacant spaces.

Dahlias is located opposite the central Bus Interchange and EntX cinema. The artwork encourages people to pause, rest and reflect. The structure also lights up at night, adding extra vibrancy to this busy intersection.

In 2017, local artists were given the opportunity to submit mural designs for a prominent blank wall, to improve the amenity of this central area and add to the Christchurch street art scene. The public was asked to vote(external link) for their favourite of the three top designs.

Over 5,000 Cantabrians got involved in selecting the design for a new central city mural.

The winning design, 'Rise From the Rubble(external link)' by Brandon Warrell was a clear favourite. Onlookers watched their chosen design come to life on the side of the Ibis Hotel on Hereford Street over two weeks.

“The design I have created shows the beauty of NZ’s flora and fauna with the Kowhai and Silvereye as the main elements of the mural. I see a dynamic future for Christchurch as this beauty is rising from the rubble of the fallen city in the hope to bring inspiration to the people of Christchurch. The intention is to acknowledge the great loss but to look forward to the future and the magnificent new life as the city continues to rebuild.” - Brandon Warrell.