Stories

The wave of smart devices has reached the garden. Canopy Landscape Architects’ Julie Greenslade and Paul Roper-Gee look at the benefits. Landscapes are going increasingly high-tech, with a range of smart gadgets and digital solutions available to enhance your outdoor environment. As we think about the holidays ahead, here are some ideas for your summer garden, whether you are staying at home or heading away. Smart sprinklers can replace traditional irrigation controllers. They use internet-based weather forecasting to create real-time watering schedules for your garden. These will make the most of the water being used by only turning on when needed, thus reducing wastage. They can be set to run on autopilot or controlled remotely through smartphone apps so you can keep an eye on things while away. The trickery can be taken even further by combining with plant sensors that monitor the soil and air conditions in specific areas of...

Christchurch is home to a thriving community of jewellers producing stunning pieces for every occasion, from engagement and wedding rings to precious gifts for very precious people. The artisan jewellers at three of the city’s leading practices – Via Sollertia, The Filing Kabinett and Sophie Divett Jewellery – tell Cityscape where they find inspiration, how they got started and how hard it can be sometimes to let a piece go. The Filing Kabinett How would you describe your jewellery style? Our style is contemporary leaning towards art jewellery. Important for us are uniqueness and good design. We use traditional materials such as gold and silver along with a variety of other precious and non-precious materials. Where do you find inspiration? Inspiration comes from many sources, whether it be from specific investigations of an idea or something we have observed during our day-to-day travels. Lynn often finds inspiration in the botanical world...

Christchurch is home to a thriving community of jewellers producing stunning pieces for every occasion, from engagement and wedding rings to precious gifts for very precious people. The artisan jewellers at three of the city’s leading practices – Via Sollertia, The Filing Kabinett and Sophie Divett Jewellery – tell Cityscape where they find inspiration, how they got started and how hard it can be sometimes to let a piece go. Sophie Divett Jewellery How would you describe your jewellery style? Organic, understated and made to be worn every day. Where do you find inspiration? My biggest inspirations come from nature, especially our unique native plants that we have here in New Zealand. I’m also very inspired by ancient artefacts – the sense of history, the surface textures that show the life they’ve had and become as important a part of the piece as the original design. What are you working on...

The days are counting down to Christmas, which means the pressure is on to nail the perfect gift for all those on your ‘Nice’ list. To help you, the latest Cityscape has a curated Christmas gift guide brimming with ideas fresh and failsafe. You’ll be in the good books at least till Easter! See the full guide here. Or Jump to one of our themed sections. Conscious ConsumerJet SetterDesign BuffFoodie FanaticTiny TotsCoture QueenSecret SantaOut of the Box

Synth pop tribute band Automatic 80s will keep the vibe going in The Edge Public Village. We talk to vocalist Justin Maclaren. You’re obviously all big fans of ‘80s music – what’s the attraction? This is the music of our youth so it therefore holds significant nostalgic importance for us personally. Secondly, this is the decade when many musicians departed from guitar-driven music and started experimenting with synthesizers, many with a lack of knowledge of how to play keyboards. This produced an era punctuated with huge pop hits featuring simple but memorable synth riffs that we find very enjoyable to play, and audiences love to dance and sing along to these ‘80s anthems. You recreate that whole time with your lighting and backdrops – what’s the trick there? Throughout the history of this band, which originally formed in Christchurch in 1985 as Amez Amez, we have always maintained a high production...

Louis Baker is living the dream after his rapid ascent to the heights of Kiwi music. Ahead of his appearance at December’s South Island Wine & Food Festival, he tells Cityscape how he got started, and who his heroes are. Your career has come a long way in a short time – your head must be in a spin? It’s been a joy to have my passion become a full-time career. I’m very grateful to be able to make music and tour – it’s what I’ve always wanted to do, so it feels a bit like living the dream. When did you start to feel you had a future in music? I fell in love with music at an early age but started to feel I had a future in it from age 17 when I was a top-five finalist in the secondary schools Play It Strange songwriting competition. How important...

Hot offerings from the world of cool technology. Superb Snaps OPPO are the kings at perfecting mobile phone cameras and the latest model, the OPPO A9 2020, lives up to these expectations – it has five built in cameras! The front camera is 16MP and the rear quad camera 48MP. It will give you shake-free filming and also sports a huge 5000mAh battery. oppo.com/nz Smooth Cycling If you’re looking for an e-bike that feels like you’re riding a cloud, check out the eZee Sprint T4 Electric Bike. This all-rounder has a smart torque sensor and rear hydraulic brakes that helpsmooth the ride. actionbicycleclub.com See the Sound Transform your music into life with the uber-cool Nanoleaf Rhythm. These smart light panels produce some captivating colours and will connect to your music and dance along to the beat. Our hot tip is to try the sunrise scene – this is where you can...

Our good friends at Three Boys Brewery are buzzing with excitement as they’ve taken home 11 medals, after entering 12 beers at the NZ Beer Awards. They picked up 3 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze! We already know Three Boys’ beer is a step above the rest, but this award just solidifies it. Their brewery is well worth a visit, too – you can go on a tour and find out how such perfect beer is crafted, and of course be able to taste the goodness for yourself. threeboysbrewery.co.nz

Circle January 23 to February 16 in your diary for 2020, Cityscapers – everyone’s favourite buskers festival is back! Bread & Circus – World Buskers Festival returns to the city for its 25th year, and headlining the 2020 edition is ‘champagne cabaret’ show Blanc de Blanc. Taking over the always popular Spiegeltent, the show brings together the finest cabaret and acrobatic talent from around the world, serving a blend of vintage glamour, high-end spectacle and titillating acts to infatuate and delight. From the creative team behind the worldwide smash hits LIMBO and Cantina, Blanc de Blanc will hit Christchurch direct from a triumphant run at the Sydney Opera House and London's West End. The ever-popular festival galas will return to the Isaac Theatre Royal, as will the immersive long-table dining event, Feast of Fools, set to take place at an iconic Christchurch location. The full programme of ticketed shows, busking pitches,...

The good folks at BurgerFuel have teamed up with Life Health Foods to create a mouth-watering customised classic burger repping an Alternative Meat Co. plant-based protein. The Alternative Muscle burger will be available for a limited time from November 5 and is for all those flexitarian or reducetarians out there – it can be made vegan too! Think gourmet cheeseburger but better! This bad boy sports an Alternative Meat Co. patty that is formulated to look, cook and taste like real beef, cooked ‘smashed juicy’, a method perfected by the BurgerFuel team that results in a caramelised finish. The burger also includes melted cheddar, tangy sandwich pickles, Dijon mustard, batch-brewed tomato relish, and free-range BurgerFuel Aioli, all within an artisan wholemeal bun – yum! If you’re frothing over the thought of this delicious burger, get it on your radar stat before it’s gone! burgerfuel.co.nz

Cityscape catches up with CoLab Architecture’s Tobin Smith and Blair Paterson to discuss the relationship between fashion and architecture. Urban Cottage Image: Stephen Goodenough International movements in architecture and fashion have often been influenced by one another, and both in turn are heavily influenced by climate, culture and individual identity. Both can also illustrate a balance between necessity and luxury. Sometimes the confluence between architecture and fashion is crystal-clear. Art Deco, for example, demonstrates a period when architecture, clothing, jewellery and furniture were very much aligned. The downside though is that with such a strong and easily identifiable aesthetic, the timelessness of the architecture can be subject to a lifespan similar to the fashion. As we’ve found our design feet in New Zealand, we have evolved a style of architecture that is unique to our local context and climate, moving on from outside influences. Materiality, sustainability and contextual sensibility take precedence...

The racing will be thrilling on Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Cup Day but for many of those in attendance the real contest will be the trackside fashion stakes, The Crossing Fashion Starts Here Best Dressed Competition. Hand on heart that’s probably true for us here in the Cityscape office! It’s not too late to organise your outfit and you can enter up till noon on the day. To get started on your winning style, head to The Crossing and its great range of fashion outlets from international flagship stores such as H&M, Country Road and SEED alongside top New Zealand designers Barkers, IVYBLU, Workshop and RUBY. Madisons Off Broadway offer a stunning range of special-occasion wear, with brands such as Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren. To give you the inside running, we check in with judges Deanna Didovich, designer with RUBY; Shelley Ferguson, editorial director of home and fashion...

The Crossing Fashion Starts Here Best Dressed Competition is a highlight of Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Day. To give you the inside running, we check in with head judge Jackie O’Fee, owner of Signature Style, to see what she is looking for in a winner. What’s the golden rule of race day fashion? Just look gorgeous and have fun! What will you be looking for on the day? Attention to detail, and that’s every detail from the top of your head to the sole of your shoe – it gets so hard to pick a winner that one year we really did eliminate one of the finalists due to her shoe being broken! I’ll also be looking to see on-trend looks – as an example, this year I’m expecting we’ll see a lot of statement sleeves, and I love colour! How important is it to work a theme? It’s important that...

Rust never sleeps and neither it seems does ‘rust artist’ Don Service, who has added gallery owner to his impressive CV. He tells Cityscape how RightSide Gallery came to be, how his own art has evolved, and how he relaxes when he finds the time. You are something of a jack-of-all-trades in the art world – how did that come about? I get asked to do lots of different things – art hanging, art repairs and art technician jobs – that come in through word of mouth so I usually say yes then figure it out from there. I have a varied background career-wise, which gives me the confidence to say yes, but art and design has always been my passion. Tell us about your new gallery and the artists represented? I have wanted a workshop and showroom for years, it just took a while to bring it all together. I...

November means the start of party season for Cityscapers, with Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Cup Day kicking off the action, followed by more fun and racing on Show Day. The New Zealand Agricultural Show will bring the country to town, and there’s an early Christmas cracker when Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park brings together onstage performance and offstage pyrotechnics. Culture comes to the party too, with the Royal NZ Ballet in town as well as concerts by renown cellist Yo-Yo Ma, music legends Lloyd Cole and America, and a slice of synth pop from Hermitude. Yo-Yo Ma In a feat of musicality and endurance, legendary musician and humanitarian Yo-Yo Ma will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello in one sitting at the Christchurch Town Hall on Tuesday November 12. This performance is his New Zealand debut and is part of his Bach Project, which consists of 36 days...

Nick Paris from Lumière reviews three of the best from the current crop of cinema releases. Plus a neat round-up of some of the best books, albums and television to satisfy your entertainment needs. Watching The Peanut Butter Falcon A down-on-his-luck crab fisherman embarks on a journey to get a young man with Down syndrome to a wrestling school and away from the retirement home where he’s lived for the past 2½ years. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Bruce Dern and Dakota Johnson, this tale through the dangerous yet relaxing vibes of the Southern Atlantic land and seascape combines the heart of the Hunt for the Wilderpeople with the ‘pages’ of a Mark Twain adventure. Look out for it in January. Don’t Look Now The chilling and mysterious Nic Roeg classic pitches Venice’s back alleys into a brilliant chamber piece of madness. Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie’s relationship is formed by the tragedy...

Cityscape turns to the experts at Cutler & Co to find out what the cutting-edge trends in menswear are this season. Cutler & Co’s Colombo Street store is an emporium of excellence dedicated to those men who dare to be a bit different when it comes to their wardrobe. There’s a huge range of styles and fabrics to choose from in sports jackets, shirts, trousers, denim and all the trimmings but what really sets this independent boutique apart is the expert advice of store manager Liam Strachan. Liam works closely with director John Wright, whose keen eye has been trained through his many buying trips to the fashion capitals of Europe, particularly London, Florence and Milan. As well as their own brand, Cutler & Co stock complementary brands such as LTB Jeans from Turkey, and Dstrezzed and No Excess, both from the Netherlands. Cityscape checked in with these masters of style...

Karoline Tamati, aka Ladi6, is back in the studio, back on stage and back from the brink of completely losing her voice. Ahead of her performance at the South Island Wine & Food Festival in December, she shares her relief and her dreams for the future with Cityscape. How’s work going on the new album? It’s going slowly – I always forget how much time it takes. It’s always good for me to remember to have deadlines but also to trust the process and forget the pressure. You’ve had a rough time over the last few years, including losing your voice – you must be enjoying getting back on stage and back in the studio? Did you ever start to wonder if you would return? When I lost my voice and was recovering I did wonder, and it was heartbreaking, I can’t lie. So, as you can imagine getting my voice...