Relocated Houses, Wellington, 2009, 2 digital prints on paper, 60x82cm and C-print on paper, 60x88 cm.
his art project presents 19 houses for sale at Britton’s Yard, which have been relocated from various neighbourhoods in Wellington and its suburbs over recent years.Visiting each of these houses and recounting their histories offers the opportunity to reflect on the urbanisation, construction, transformation and future of the city of Wellington.
Arriving at Britton’s Yard, one’s first impression is of a ghost town. Removed from their original contexts, the houses are caught between a distant past and their future reinstatement to another site. While recovering the origins of each house, a range of issues surfaced - concerning heritage, land ownership, the endless subdivision of land, the evolution of regulated urban planning, changing fashions, and the building of luxury homes in the 21st century.