Newspaper Reading Club
Christchurch Poster Project
08 Sep — 08 Oct 2015
125 Papanui Rd, Merivale, Christchurch 8014
110 Peterborough St, Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8013
West side of Colombo Street Bridge, Victoria Square, Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8013
166 Armagh St, Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8011
81 Lichfield St, Central Christchurch, Christchurch 8011
231 High St, Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8011
127 Manchester St, Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8011
366 Colombo St, Sydenham, Christchurch 8023
Heathcote Domain parking lot, Heathcote Valley, Christchurch 8022
13 London St, Lyttelton, Christchurch 8082
291 Taylors Mistake Rd, Scarborough, Christchurch 8081
For this iteration of Newspaper Reading Club, Fiona Connor and Michala Paludan invited eleven Christchurch locals to meet and read aloud from a newspaper or periodical of their choosing. The activity articulates the familiar process of skimming, commenting and editing that occurs when processing the news. Each reading has been transcribed, produced as a poster and pasted up in the location where the reading took place, returning these personalised news documents to public space.
Like never before, reading the news in Christchurch is critically important for understanding the politics and power relationships shaping the rebuild. With burgeoning online news forums (both official and grassroots platforms), and the decline of long-form investigative journalism in New Zealand, it is timely to consider the state of the news within our knowledge-based economy.
Established in 2011, Newspaper Reading Club is an ongoing collaborative project that takes form variously as performances, posters, radio broadcasts and publications. The project considers how people access the news and engage with current affairs.