Arts Circus
The Arts Circus is a post-earthquake initiative that was proposed to provide a transitional arts and entertainment village in the central city. Inspired by the Tollwood Festival in Munich, the Arts Circus design is based around a series of small to medium sized performance venues that will present a range of arts from the conventional to the experimental with accompanying and integrated hospitality and markets (initially proposed to sit beside and include the Odeon Theatre). It offered to host the city's established festivals and conceived new events like the Festival of Temporary Architecture (later FESTA) that engaged with the new city. The project gained widespread support from the arts community (promoted by Arts Voice) and was drafted into the original Christchurch City Council (CCC) Plan for the recovery of the city and the subsequent Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU) Blueprint. A partnership with Free Theatre saw the establishment of The Gym in the Arts Centre.
The original Arts Circus proposal in April 2011 was centered in a carpark next to the historic Odeon Theatre. Combining a series of venues and hospitality around a central marketplace, the Arts Circus was designed to offer a unique experience to complement new transitional ventures in Christchurch such as Re:Start and EPIC. When the original site was lost to the Central Government development of local regional council Environment Canterbury, further sites were explored most significantly Cathedral Square where a committee of local landowners voted to site Arts Circus around the cathedral. However, with the Blueprint focus shifting to permanent buildings and projects such as the new Convention Centre, the Arts Circus looked elsewhere for a site. Designers: George Parker, Jason Mill and Sam Martin.
It has been a joy to recently see the plans for the ‘The River of Arts’ and the ‘Arts Circus.’ I strongly support the philosophy behind the projects and see them as a great opportunity to weave together and make visible the numerous under currents of the arts that have made Christchurch a city of excellence and innovation."
Neil Dawson
Christchurch could be revamped and made into a more beautiful and enviable city than it has ever been. One way to do that is to embrace the concepts put forward by River of Arts and Arts Circus. Now is the time to become leaders here, not lapdogs; to seize the opportunity to produce something that we would be intensely proud of and others would admire.
Brian Turner
The vision here is outstanding."
Chris Doig
Arts Circus, Mark II. Designed by Jason Mill (Pivnice), this container venue was proposed for Market Square in the Arts Centre. An MOU was signed with the Arts Centre Trust board and supported by CCC, CERA and CNZ but the project has not gone ahead due to a lack of funding. However, Arts Circus has commenced through the partnership with Free Theatre in The Gym.
Media
"Munich yields concept for Christchurch Arts Circus", The Press, 18 October 2011
"Can Christchurch be revitalised", The Listener, 16 June 2012
"David Yencken: creating places for people". The Listener, 14th July 2012
"Can Christchurch be revitalised", The Listener, 16 June 2012
"David Yencken: creating places for people". The Listener, 14th July 2012
