Biography
High Street Project was a long-running art gallery set up as an artist-run, not for-profit project with a particular focus on emerging artists. Housed by multiple venues (in and around Christchurch’s High Street) over the course of 19 years, it also functioned as a performance space for a number of underground or experimental acts prior to the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 – 2011. The project also employed a variety of ‘offsite’ spaces – one-off artworks in a public location.
For a huge chunk of the 2000’s both High Street Project and the Physics Room hosted regular gallery openings and performances, usually with ample supplies of free drinks and nibbles – as a result they were always well attended, no matter what was on display or who was performing.
I can’t speak for the quality of their art pieces, but I can say their performances were almost uniformly excellent – I’ve attended breath-taking performances, stretching the boundary of how you define ‘music’. The amount of experimental and noise shows hosted by HSP really accelerated from 2007 onwards.
Performances
Here’s a list of performances I’ve managed to extract from their website – some offsite venues have been noted:
- 2001: Steve Carr
- April 2005: Chris O’Connor, Greg Malcolm
- August 2005: Cortina
- December 2005: Fence
- July 2007: The Damned Evangelist
- October 2007: Golden Axe (Shop 12, Poplar Street)
- August 2008: The Borderline Ballroom Presents: Tujiko Norito, Ray Off, Greg Malcolm, llllllllllllllllll(NG Basement)
- September 2008: Lucky Dragons, Shannon (SOFA Gallery)
- October 2008: Sam Hamilton, Richard Neave & Nick Harte, Dirtroom, Adam Willets, Silent Spring (Music centre of Christchurch, 140a Barbadoes Street)
- October 2008: Greg Malcolm (Christchurch Media Club)
- December 2008: Shocking Pinks, Mount Pleasant, Bill Vosburgh?
- January 2009: Grunge Genesis: Weltschmertz, Richard Neave, LA Lakers,Adam Willetts
- January 2009: Eugene Chadbourne, Greg Malcolm (Wunderbar)
- February 2009: Tenniscoats, Tim Coster, Seth Rees
- February 2009: Dan Deacon, High Places, Adam Willets
- February 2009: El Guincho, As At, Mount Pleasant
- June 2009: Perlonex Preschool (Provincial Chambers)
- July 2009: Martin Reynolds
- July 2009: Creche & Adam Willets, NDLSS DMNSN
- August 2009: Vegan Icecream Bonfire: Space Ark Band, Grunge Revelations & Bruce Russell, Sam Hamilton, Velvet Hour, Chris O’Connor, Lucien Johnson, Greg Malcolm
- December 2010: Monopoly Child Star Searchers, Dolphins into the Future, LA Lakers
- December 2010: Free Choice Duo, LA Lakers, God Destroyer
- December 2010: Fabulous Diamonds, Witchuals, Luxury
- January 2011: Orchestra of Spheres, Reuben Derrick & IRD
- January 2011: Metal Rouge, Antony Milton, Adam Willets
- January 2011: Yek Koo, LA Lakers, Purple Pilgrims
- January 2011: Kutomo, Witchuals
- January 2011: Jason Kahn, Richard Francis, Antony Milton
- February 2011: Anla Courtis, Bruce Russell, Hi-Asobi
Looking at the list above might give you an idea of the breadth of styles HSP covered over the years – from minimalist electronic performers to extreme noise artists, from the ultra-obscure to the latest now-sound at the time.
Details
Locations
- 178a High Street, Central Christchurch (1992 – 1994)
- 132 High Street, Central Christchurch (1995 – 1997)
- 130 Hereford Street, Central Christchurch (1997 – ?)
- Level 1, Lichfield Lane – Accessed via 140a Lichfield Street, Central Christchurch (200? – 2009?)
- 84 Lichfield Street, Central Christchurch (2009 – 2011)
Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
130, Hereford Street, Central City, Christchurch, Christchurch City, Canterbury, 8011, New Zealand
Level 1 Lichfield Lane, SOL Square, accessed via 140a Lichfield Street
Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand
Current Status: No longer running
Active as a live music venue: 1992 – 2011
Manager: –
Website: https://hspgallery.blogspot.co.nz/
Capacity: –
All-Ages: Yes