Flare presents: Hurihanga

This Matariki, we’re lighting up one of Ōtautahi’s most iconic buildings Christ Church Cathedral with Hurihanga, a powerful large-scale projection artwork led by Ngāi Tahu artist Sam Emerson. Presented by Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival in collaboration with Offline Collective and Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project, this free public event will transform the Cathedral into a canvas of light, honouring stories of renewal, remembrance, and whakapapa through breathtaking digital visuals and mātauranga Māori. 

We’re aiming to raise $10,000 to help fund projection technology, artist fees, and installation. 

Be part of bringing light back to the heart of our city.

This project is a collaboration between Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival, Offline Collective, and Christ Church Cathedral, who are generously providing the Cathedral as our canvas.

• Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival, led by Selina Faimalo, produces street art festivals and creative public projects that bring life, culture, and colour to the city. With a focus on accessibility and representation, Flare has transformed blank walls into bold, visual stories across Ōtautahi.
• Offline Collective is a Christchurch-based digital arts studio led by Ngāi Tahu artist Sam Emerson, alongside Michael Duggan and Charlie Pitts. They specialise in 3D/2D motion graphics and projection work that fuses technology with storytelling and mātauranga Māori.

Together, we’re creating a powerful moment of light and connection for Matariki projected onto one of the most iconic buildings in Ōtautahi.

We’re aiming to raise $10,000 to bring Hurihanga to life  and every dollar goes directly into making this special Matariki projection happen. 

Your support helps us cover:

• Artist fees – for Sam Emerson and the Offline Collective to design and create the projection artwork
• Creative development – including storyboarding and design time
• Projection equipment hire – high-quality AV gear to light up the Cathedral facade
• Projection box – to safely house, store, and install the projector on site
• Technical crew – to manage setup, install, and run the projection
• Project management – to coordinate artists, logistics, permissions, and delivery

Every contribution, big or small, helps bring light, art, and storytelling to the heart of Ōtautahi.

At Flare, we’re always looking for ways to bring art and life to the streets of Ōtautahi whether that’s through mural activations, graffiti jams, workshops, or large-scale projections. For years, we’ve dreamed of lighting up Christ Church Cathedral, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, and this Matariki, we finally have the chance.

Hurihanga is a projection artwork created by Ngāi Tahu artist Sam Emerson and Offline Collective, and it’s deeply rooted in mātauranga Māori, whakapapa, and the spirit of Matariki. Sam has long wanted to see his work projected onto the Cathedral a building that holds so much historical and emotional weight for the city and now we’re making it happen.

This project is about connection: connecting people to place, past to future, light to story. It’s a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate together right in the heart of the city.

This project is more than a projection it’s a moment of light, healing, and connection for Ōtautahi.

Hurihanga brings together digital art, te ao Māori, and one of the most meaningful sites in our city. Projecting mātauranga Māori onto the Christ Church Cathedral during Matariki is a powerful symbol of renewal honouring the past, celebrating the present, and looking with hope to the future.

In a city still rebuilding, this work reminds us that art has the power to bring people together, spark conversation, and reimagine what’s possible. It’s accessible, it’s free, and it’s for everyone.

By backing this project, you're helping us create something unforgettable a shared moment that reflects who we are and where we’re going.