Christ Church's one-third restored Anglican Cathedral in the Square is welcoming the public inside its walls again, this time to host Canterbury artist 'Ghostcat' whose exhibition Ghosts on Every Corner will highlight lost and loved spaces in the city that hold memories of pre-earthquakes Christchurch.

Dean of Christchurch Very Rev Ben Truman said the exhibition preview was another chance for the public to enjoy the Cathedral space.

While as yet unable to return to its primary role as the home for a regular worshipping community, due to its partial restoration and 50-person gathering limit, the Cathedral still hosts periodic worship, such as this year's Ash Wednesday service and the 2025 Opening service for Cathedral Grammar staff. Public events like the exhibition preview help Cantabrians revisit their Cathedral that has always played a strong role in the heart of civic and regional life in the province.

“Going inside the Cathedral for community events has always been part of the city’s tradition, we are delighted to share it in this way." said Cathedral Dean Ben Truman.

"It's more than a religious building, it has a civic role. It's where people admired carpets of flowers at the Floral Festival, signed the book of condolences for the Pike River families, twisted their way up to the bell tower and admired our city from above, attended funerals and weddings, and it's where we hosted Kings and Queens.”

The Ghosts on Every Corner exhibition has also been made into a book with photography by Dave Richards and text by Dr Reuben Woods.

The preview day on Friday 21st March was booked out in two hours, offering the chance for 400 people to visit the Cathedral and see the exhibition in groups of fifty. Reuben Woods calls Ghosts on Every Corner “a love letter to the city”.

The show features intricate miniature recreations of diverse places, which like the Cathedral were much-loved by Cantabrians: from Smiths Bookstore, Echo Records, and Wizards Arcade to Java Café, the Cathedral Square Police Kiosk and the Deans Ave Sales Yard building. Organiser say it reveals how seemingly small and at times overlooked places can have a big impact on people and communities. These are places where lives played out, where people came of age and where bonds were formed.

Woods explained why he wanted Ghosts on Every Corner to go on display inside Christ Church Cathedral.

 “The Cathedral provided a link between many of the sites featured in Ghosts on Every Corner. Its current state of ongoing repair serves as a reminder of the precarious nature of many of our most cherished places.”

Following the sold-out preview of the exhibition in the Cathedral on Friday, the Ghosts on Every Corner exhibition will continue to be open to the public at the Pūmanawa Gallery at the Arts Centre from March 29 - 30 April, 2025.