How I Sketch, Write, and Walk into the Memorial

“How I Sketch, Write, and Walk into the Memorial － Wandering Notes on the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial” is an artist-in-residence project by Taiwanese artist Lin Ying-Chieh at The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora.

Centered on the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial, the project began with a serendipitous encounter. Coming from Taiwan, a nation also frequently touched by earthquakes, Lin was intrigued by how Christchurch preserves the memory of this history. While walking past the memorial for the first time with a friend from Taiwan, she unexpectedly recognized a name on the wall: Ms. Lee Hsin-Hung—a colleague of her friend’s mother and the only Taiwanese victim of the 2011 earthquake.

This coincidental meeting created a profound connection between the artist and the memorial. By interviewing a relative of Ms. Lee, the project presents the emotions and experiences of overseas victims and their families. During her month-long residency, Lin visited numerous earthquake-related sites and joined local walking tours, tracing paths from Cathedral Square to the Residential Red Zone in Avonside. Each day, after her explorations, she returned to the memorial to sketch. Her work focuses on the river’s reflections rather than tangible objects, attempting to capture those memories that remain distant and blurred beneath the surface of a seemingly complete commemorative site.

The Open Studio event will feature an ongoing interview, several weeks of sketches, and a zine, sharing her creative journey during this residency month.

Zoe's stay is pat of the self-funded residency here at Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre. 

More about the artists' work

Interview | Changhua-Based Artist Lin Ying Chieh – Asian Art Contemporary