eringraceohara - Tumblr blog

[eringraceohara]

R E F L E C T I O N

My project has come from my own interest in abandoned buildings that I have spent time exploring and researching. I'm interested in the way these buildings have been left and the way they've rotted.  The things or lack of things inside tell a story about who existed there, and why it was left that way. A place I have focused on for this project particularly is Erskine College in island bay. It was built in 1905 by the society of the sacred heart and served as a catholic girls boarding school until its closure in 1985. 

You may know that it the site Erskine is placed on has been purchased by property developers with the intention of demolishing a majority of the building to create a series of residential apartments and villas along with community oriented businesses. At first I was focusing on personifying the college and speaking on behalf of the building asking its visitors to be remembered. I wanted to tell the story of Erskine for people to appreciate before it's scheduled demolition. I felt a sense of urgency to get inside the building as much as I could before it's gone. 

I looked at creating sculpture out of the rubbish that's left inside. I wanted to leave a mark in the building in a creative and non wasteful way. This idea was squashed by my inability to get inside safely. The constant presence of construction and demolition workers had made visiting Erskine very difficult. My next idea was to write letters from Erskine as if it was a person. I distressed paper and wrote letters that spoke as if different rooms had their own memories of what used to happen in them. The letters were intended to provoke thoughts of their readers about the history of the building and the lives that were influenced there. The more I thought about it, however, the more i realised that there is absolutely no way of knowing If the letters would ever be seen. Although for a time that was going to be the point, I wanted to make these abandoned places more visible to the public. thats were I realised the strength of response that had been coming from my instagram posts. 

Since starting this project I have been posting on instagram photos of my visits to Erskine which have obviously had a bit of response. lately, I have been followed by 5 or so other urban exploration blogs and I have been in contact with someone from Urbex_Nz sharing stories and experiences of our trips to Erskine. This has sort of just become something that I do. My bestie and I have plans to visit other abandoned sites located in the lower north island and will most definitely endeavour to explore as we travel the country over summer. The instagram account I made specifically for urban exploring will be updated with photos of these adventures as we find them. I’ll make sure to use a uniform hashtag for each post so that people can follow our journey and be nosy from the comfort of their own homes. 

[eringraceohara]

W H E R E   N O W ?

My project has taken a turn toward the digital. after observing the way Instagram has brought like minded people together and allowed people to see into a space that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to see, has made me think. I can use instagram and other social media platforms to make abandoned spaces go from invisible to visible. An important part of urban exploration for me, is that these buildings are kept a secret and has an element of exclusivity due to the fact that to find these places, you really have to be looking more than the average person. I don't want to make it easy for any old Tom, Dick or Harry to find these abandoned spaces, but rather I would like to publish some cool photos of thee places. I could unify these posts with one common hashtag for people to search and follow. I imagine this would create a bit of an online community following as people wait for new photos to be published and to discover another part of the city they didn't know existed.  People like the ones who commented on my instagram photos can get an inside look of some obscure, mysterious places without actually having to go there themselves. I think this will encourage people to think bigger about the cities they live in and understand that things aren't always as they seem. 

A U D I E N C E The audience for this idea changes from the few people who actually make it inside abandoned places to a wider online community of interested people. There are dozens of instagrams dedicated to urban exploration all over the world so I know that I'm not the only one interested in things like this. A simple search of “#urbanexploration” or “#abandonedbuilding” in social media platforms such as instagram, facebook or Tumblr would bring up my page that would be dedicated to urban exploring and discovering abandoned buildings. Exposing local places the have been abandoned online creates a new cyber space for people to engage in. The ability to comment on photos and talk to other like minded people will create a conversation about these places and, in a way, bring them back to life. 

[eringraceohara]

Erskine in its early days

[eringraceohara]

I have made an Instagram account dedicated to my urban exploration. It's been the online response that has created the most interesting outcomes in his project. I was never going to be able to know of anyone has seen my letters or seen our sign in entry into the building so to gauge interaction with my efforts I decided to hashtag photos of the work I've been doing. The hashtags allow people to search with keywords to find anything they might be looking for. The community of urban explorers in New Zealand and all over the world have become more visible to me and I have been able to interact with these people through social media. We all have one thing in common, remembering abandoned places and telling their stories. I never imagined there would be so many people interested!

[eringraceohara]

Something interesting that has come from this project has been the response from my Instagram posts of Erskine. A couple friends have commented asking where it is or if they can get inside. I have kept quite and not replied to them because I don't want to give it away and I don't want them risking trying to get inside. I love that people are noticing and remembering such a beautiful place in Wellington and that Instagram has helped in that process. It's making the invisible, visible. I have also been requested to be followed by "@urbexnz". They are the group who explore abandoned places all over the world but they have been to Erskine a few times too. Their Instagram page was how I found out about Erskine in the first place so it's quite the compliment to be followed by them!

[eringraceohara]

These are the four letters placed at four locations surrounding Erskine College. The first letter was pinned to the construction worker entrance to the building and is the letter that lets the reader know there are more letters to find. 

The second letter I attached to the gate thats locked where the tree fellers get in. I put the letter here because i knew that if the first letter wasnt seen, this one definitely would be. 

The third and fourth letters I put on machinery. there were two diggers on the front garden/tree area where a majority of their work has been focused. 

Im sure that at least one or two of these letters will be found. I know theres no way of ever knowing that they’ve been read and understood but i guess thats not the point. its just meant to be a silent protest and a final tribute to Erskine before its gone forever. 

[eringraceohara]

Tuesday 22nd November 1.30pm These photos were taken as we approached the building intending to go inside and plant the letters. Unfortunately it wasn’t safe to go in because there were construction workers all over the place. We managed to sneak around the back that was now wardened off with orange mesh. We were setting up he bridge when we heard voices coming around the corner. I think they must’ve been site inspectors or project managers. We had to hide quickly behind the wooden structure underneath the bridge as wait for them to leave. We decided it was too risky to continue and decided to take down the bridge before quietly leaving. We returned later that night as I’ve posted about already. In one of these photos you can see some graffiti that says "urbex nz" I think it's from the urbanex crew that came and visited a few days before us, I thought it was interesting that they tagged something since they're usually all about anonymity and leaving things as they are. It must've been their final tribute like me .

[eringraceohara]

Tuesday 22nd November 10pm These are the letters rolled up and tied with some brown string. We had climbed around to the entrance and were about to set up the bridge to get in but we heard lots of scary ticking noises so I wimped out and we didn't go inside. It wouldn't have been the wisest move to go in the dark considering it wouldn't be entirely my problem if something went wrong, an institution is sort of involved now (my university). Unfortunately this was our last chance to go inside Erskine before Friday when I present this project so we had to quickly think of an alternative for the letters. I decided to place them around the building instead of inside of it. There's no way of me actually getting in by myself either, It takes two people to construct the bridge and climb across.

[eringraceohara]

I have decided to continue with my letter idea where I write on behalf of Erskine College and ask fellow urban explorers to stop and remember the place Erskine use to be. I want to make the paper look as old as Erskine so I’ve tea died and crumpled the edges. It looks pretty authentic, if I do say so myself. These little message in a bottle things I saw in uncle bills reminded me of what I’m doing here and I was tempted to buy some but that’s more of a pirate thing to do and doesn’t really fit in with letters at a school, so I didn’t buy them. I’m going to place my letters at 4 different places around. 1, in the back entrance where I get in. 2, in the ball room.3, in the corridor and 4, by the chapel entrance.

[eringraceohara]

these are the four letters that i’ve written on behalf of Erskine college. there addressed to anyone who will notice, to a spirited urban explorer, and to the demolition and construction workers. The idea is that ill leave the first letter in a really obvious place, probably the place where i get inside myself and then the rest of the letters in the building for anyone to find. They're tea stained, crumpled then i splashed water on the black ink to really make them look ooooold. 

[eringraceohara]

Urbex Central New Zealand are a group of urban explorers that enter abandoned buildings, take a few photos and then leave. 

Their website has been a source of many of my own urban explorations and have provided a lot of insight and provoked intrigue into the mystery that is Erskine.

 I noticed on their website that they have been back to Erskine one last time as a tribe to the building. Im really happy to see that it still has a current and regular following of urban explorers going to visit it. 

It reminds me of the way people go to visit elderly or sick relatives when they're in hospital in their last days. We all know it’ll be gone soon so were making the most of it still being around. 

[eringraceohara]

these are screen shots of the Erskine Development website. I’ve realised after reading further into the plan that they're actually planning on restoring the chapel and using it as a function centre. This makes me happy but its still disappointing that the rest of the college is being torn down. The way they write about the site highlights that these developers have considered the rich history of this place in their designs, specifically referencing the french gothic style of architecture with Scandinavian influence for a modern look. Typical minimalist designs. Yawn yawn. 

[eringraceohara]

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This place is absolutely beautiful and I am genuinely sad that its going to be gone and replaced by a bunch of mod minimalistic apartments. how boring! I know the housing crisis is a thing but what about the history thats being wiped out in the process?! 

[eringraceohara]

artist inspiration: Artist Francisco de Pajaro makes art out of garbage piles left on the street. He’s built a huge following making little trash monsters in London this summer. According to de Pajaro’s blog, Art is Trash, the artist first started painting on trash in Spain a few years ago.

“Rubbish is the only legal place you can make art on the street,” he told James Buxton of Global Street Art.

Read more at https://www.businessinsider.com.au/francisco-de-pajaro-london-trash-monsters-2013-8#VE7Ldl37pB5S0I8u.99

What if I make something out of the rubble and rubbish that is left on the floor in the ball room?

Theres this great big ball room in the middle of the ground floor level in Erskine that is covered in lengths of tulle, broken plaster, magazines and boxes of random crap. I could make a statement by tidying this all up and being creative with the stuff. build a sculpture or write a message on the floor using the stuff.

[eringraceohara]

Tuesday 14th November 2017 I just went back to erskine to see if anything had happened to the jar we put there and as I parked up two big demolition trucks rolled up the road and there were men in hard hats surrounding the fence we jump. Looks like our erskine days might be properly over

[eringraceohara]

Monday 13th November 2017 After watching an Interview with a woman who was a student at Sacred Heart Erskine College starting in 1933. Jean MacKenzie shared a few of her memories whilst attending the college and boarding school. This interview evoked the thought of personifying the building by writing on behalf of Erskine as if it were a real person with the intention of asking people to remember the building and respect it for its history and beauty. I wanted to hand write the letter to keep it personal and to make it more interesting for the person who may or may not find it. I put the letter in a jar labeled "important message" and left it on the back door step where the construction workers enter and exit. On reflection the letter seems a little too poetic and some of the language used isn't really how anyone talks about themselves so I need to be more intentional about what any writing says and what I use to write it. The jar will keep it from being water damaged and leave a vessel for someone to write back if they want to. How can I further this idea?..

[eringraceohara]

Monday 6th November 2017 My first trip to Erskine since the start of this project. Getting inside was difficult because our usual way in was blocked and the back up way in was also compromised. We had to make a bridge from a wooden structure near the building to the roof of Erskine with some wood logs as seen in the photos. I went with the intention of leaving a mark that obviously gives away that I have been inside. I didn't want to damage anything or take away or leave anything there so I decided to set up a marque that I found in the "craft room". lThis room is full of left over decorations that, I assume, are from the weddings that were once hosted in the chapel. The marque was the beginning of an idea that I wanted to develope, I thought I could set up a table and chairs and decorate it with left over wedding decorations found in the ball room and craft room. But this idea seemed a bit flakey and didn't really have a purpose behind it so I've left it for now. We left after seeing up the marque. At least the ball is rolling now...