185 Empty Chairs

A local memorial in Christchurch, there are 185 empty chairs here, all painted white, a tribute to, and symbolizing every person who died in the February 22 2011 earthquake. 185 Empty Chairs, an poignant and telling memorial installation, is the idea and work of Christchurch painter, paperhanger and artist, Pete Majendie. This memorial has been resited, and is now over the road from the Cardboard Cathedral, a temporary cathedral that is being erected to fill in the gap while the old cathedral's fate is endlessly and painfully debated. Nearby is the former site of the CTV building, where so many of those people lost their lives. It's a sobering and thought provoking place to stop awhile.