Interpreting the ‘rural mural’ phenomenon: Creative place-making in rural towns in South and Mid Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Consistent with discussions about public art and creative place-making in processes of rural settlement regeneration, this paper reports an enquiry into the recent appearance of large outdoor murals in several rural towns in the South and Mid Canterbury regions of Te Waipounamu the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. The enquiry is part of a larger study of rural settlement regeneration in which a variety of social, cultural, environmental, and economic revitalisation initiatives designed by local people are being interpreted. With that focus, our purpose in this paper is to describe and interpret the form and content of the murals under study and the ways they are used to distinguish places and their residents. Reflecting on the existing literature, which emphasises public art as a marker of place identity that is influenced by processes of commodification, we interpret the rural mural phenomenon as a key interlinked cultural and economic element in rural regeneration. Adding a policy dimension, we also examine the possibility of linking murals into wider networks of public art across Te Waipounamu the South Island.