Through his archival and sculptural practice, Daegan Wells has been observing researching and collecting artefacts from the Christchurch Residential Red Zone for several years, considering the exploration of this largely unoccupied area to be like a drawing. It was during this process he came across W. A. Sutton’s former home studio, caught in flux between the Earthquake Commission and Heritage New Zealand. While the surrounding neighbourhood has been transformed into an empty grassed landscape, the Sutton House remains, isolated and overgrown—prone to vandalism and in disrepair. Private Lodgings largely focuses on the surrounding garden, a site of memory for many who came and went from Sutton’s studio from 1963 to 1992.

 Image: Daegan Wells, Extract from 'Private Lodgings' (W. A. Sutton's Garden), Silver gelatine print, 2016

Photo Credit: Daniela Aebli