B.
'This place that we're in now...'
Behind the scenes
In the next issue of Bulletin, Christchurch writer Sally Blundell talks to artist Julia Morison about her post-quake sculptures and 'liqueurfaction' paintings, which go on show on Friday in Christchurch Art Gallery's latest Outer Spaces project. Here's a little of what Julia has to say:
'After the earthquake I was really distracted. It took quite a long time before I could get back into the studio so I was getting a bit panicky and even then, when I did get back, I found I was really struggling. The paintings just weren't working, they didn't seem relevant – the preoccupations didn't make sense. I was making these other things on the side, just as a distraction, then I started to develop them into an exhibition. I don't want to be defined as an earthquake artist but I knew I had to deal with it in some way, I think it's something we have to do. Not to over-aestheticise it – I have a problem with people going into a disaster and doing that – but to deal with the situation I found myself in.
![Image](/media/cache/28/53/285345bbeea7918229ebcf176a21eba1.jpg)
'At this time I was just picking up stuff on the street, finding things at Riccarton Market, in garage sales and at Watson's [auction house] – simple things, serendipitous things, things that had been thrown up, that were interesting. The boxes I found on the road – I filled them with liquefaction and silt and dated them. I guess I was saying, let's rebuild with liquefaction, let's make bricks of it!
![Image](/media/cache/09/0d/090dff4fccade63413f16ee279a8aaa2.jpg)
'The title Meet me on the other side relates to the day of the earthquake. The cell phones weren't functioning and I kept getting this repeated text message – it was pretty disturbing. The city was like a film set – all grey, and smoky and watery. It's weird – I don't remember that day properly, I don't think you can. It's like if you have ever had a broken heart, if you felt that pain continually you would never venture forth again. But I was thinking about this place that we're in now and how we have to traverse this space, so 'meet me on the other side' has a number of connotations.
'It's emotional, yes, and geographic. But it's also about collectiveness – meet me on the other side, join me on the other side. Because we've got a lot to do and a lot to get through before we do meet up...'
![Image](/media/cache/62/1c/621cc44a43595cb23121a9458d2614c4.jpg)