WATCH THIS SPACE

WATCH THIS SPACE

Do Not Press Artist Ghostcat DateLate 2020 Location Various locations across central Christchurch

Although Ōtautahi’s impressive murals have gained publicity and attention as the city’s urban art profile has developed, if you look closer, our streets are also filled with smaller interventions that add humour, commentaries, and signs of presence. Local artist Ghostcat, known for his intricate scratch-built miniatures of Christchurch buildings, provided playful examples of this approach with a series of additions to the central city in late 2020. The artist’s tiny, distressed consoles mysteriously appeared on various urban surfaces, greeting passing viewers with the engraved warning ‘DO NOT PRESS’ below an enticing red button, playing on our willing tendency to push buttons both literally and figuratively. In an environment where we are bombarded with instructions on where to go and how to act, the small, seemingly inconsequential buttons provided a chance to resist. Unfortunately, the guerrilla sculptures were filled with sriracha sauce that would ooze out when the button was pushed hard enough, giving the viewer a spicy surprise!

Explore more of Ōtautahi’s urban art on a Watch This Space guided street art tour! Emailtours@watchthisspace.org.nz for booking information.

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