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The Single Object

(Photo: Stephen Goodenough)
18th January, 2022

The Single Object: The brutal beauty of Christchurch Town Hall’s concrete

Concrete is a slurry of cement, water, air, gravel, stones and sand. In Christchurch it's also an essential part of the city's history.
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By Jessica Halliday
Guest writer
There’s a fascinating story behind the Civic theatre curtain (Photos: collection of Robyn Tubb; additional design: Tina Tiller)
25th November, 2021

The Single Object: Flamingos in stitches

The fascinating back story to The Civic theatre's beloved flamingo curtain.
By Sebastian Clarke
Guest Writer
Photo: The Single Object
24th August, 2021

Watch every episode of The Single Object here

Five everyday objects, five incredible stories.
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By The Spinoff
Staff writers
David Williams’ pen (Photo: The Single Object)
30th May, 2021

The story of a mighty pen

Madeleine Chapman inspects a pen, and learns about the power of privilege.
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By Madeleine Chapman
Editor
David Williams’ pen (Photo: The Single Object)
11th May, 2021

The Single Object: How this pen was used to highlight police racism

Watch | One morning in 1978, a university lecturer walked into the police station and made a confession. His crime? Stealing a ballpoint pen.
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By The Spinoff
Staff writers
Photo: The Single Object
6th May, 2021

Heavy metal afterlives: A sideways appreciation of the NZ Chinese Growers Monthly typeface

Kerry Ann Lee looks at the enduring appeal of Chinese typeface and letterpress design in the digital age.
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By Kerry Ann Lee
Guest writer
The typeface used to publish the Chinese Growers’ Monthly Journal (Photo: The Single Object)
4th May, 2021

The Single Object: The typeface that told the stories of Chinese New Zealanders

Watch | This set of heavy lead typeface has a fascinating story to tell about the history of Chinese New Zealanders.
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By The Spinoff
Staff writers
John Scott’s Futuna Chapel in Wellington (Photo: The Single Object)
29th April, 2021

What John Scott taught me about architecture

John Scott broke barriers for Māori architecture – and paved the way for future generations of Māori architects like Jade Kake.
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By Jade Kake
Guest writer
The pou in Futuna Chapel (Photo: The Single Object)
27th April, 2021

The Single Object: The pou of Māori architect John Scott

Video | John Scott’s use of pou in his modernist designs helped bring two architectural worlds together.
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By The Spinoff
Staff writers
Lema Shamamba’s embroidery (Photo: The Single Object)
22nd April, 2021

The incredible life story behind this embroidery

Every stitch of Lema Shamamba's embroidery tells a part of her story – and brings her closer to her homeland.
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By Madeleine Chapman
Editor
Lema Shamamba’s embroidery (Photo: The Single Object)
20th April, 2021

The Single Object: The embroidery with a story to tell

Video | It’s embroidery, but not as you know it.
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By The Spinoff
Staff writers
Mike Smith’s chainsaw (Photo: The Single Object)
15th April, 2021

The rise and fall of the pine on One Tree Hill

The 1994 chainsaw attack on the pine wasn't a simple act of vandalism – it was an act of protest informed by centuries of history.
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By Hanahiva Rose
Guest writer
The chainsaw Mike Smith used on Maungakiekie One Tree Hill in 1994 (Photo: The Single Object)
13th April, 2021

The Single Object: The chainsaw heard across Aotearoa

Video | 'You're in a dangerous place here,' Mike Smith warned a group of teenagers. 'I'm about to drop this tree, and it’s gonna fall on your car.'
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By The Spinoff
Staff writers
Photo: The Single Object
6th April, 2021

Watch the trailer for The Single Object, a new video series coming soon

Five ordinary objects, five incredible stories.
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By The Spinoff
Staff writers
(Photo: Stephen Goodenough)
22nd March, 2021

The Single Object: The truth and beauty of the Christchurch Town Hall’s concrete

In her love for the Christchurch Town Hall, Jessica Halliday revels in the history, allure and power of its key material: concrete. 
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By Jessica Halliday
Guest writer
Pages from the official COMPAC booklet issued by the New Zealand Post Office. Courtesy: Archives New Zealand (R21682129).
1st April, 2020

The Single Object: The internet cable that connects us to the rest of the world

Bronwyn Holloway-Smith shares her obsession with the 30,000km long Southern Cross Cable and the effect it's had on our national identity. 
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By Bronwyn Holloway-Smith
Guest writer
The simply titled 19.4.96 is a recording of the first live outing of Pumice as a solo act. (Image:  Samuel Hartnett).
3rd November, 2019

The Single Object: The back country record cutter putting New Zealand music on plastic

In a shed at the foothills of the Southern Alps, Peter King has made special lathe cuts of recordings by an eclectic array of musicians.
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By Kiran Dass
Guest writer
Are these the same skis? Robert Falcon Scott (L) in Antartica, Boris Daniel (R) in Canterbury (Images: Getty Images, ‘People Politics and Power Stations’, edited by John Martin, BWB, 1991).
14th November, 2018

The Single Object: a quest for a set of heroic skis

James Dann explores Christchurch's ties to the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, and embarks on his own journey of discovery in pursuit of a pair of skis.
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By James Dann
Guest writer
Lakiloko Keakea at work (Images: Haru Sameshima)
11th October, 2018

The Single Object: Lakiloko and the functional beauty of Tuvalu art

Madeleine Chapman explores the beauty and purpose of Tuvalu art, and meets one of its foremost creators, Lakiloko Keakea.
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By Madeleine Chapman
Editor
The Journal’s then-editor Lionel Chan (Chan Lai Hung 陳賴洪) working in the office, circa 1960s. (Image reproduced courtesy of Ting Chan.)
16th September, 2018

The Single Object: A metric tonne of Chinese-New Zealand history

Emma Ng examines the once lost Chinese typeface used to print the New Zealand Chinese Growers’ Monthly Journal. 
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By Emma Ng
Guest writer

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The Spinoff is subject to NZ Media Council procedures. A complaint must be first directed in writing, within one month of publication, to info@thespinoff.co.nz. If not satisfied with the response, the complaint may be referred to the online complaint form at www.presscouncil.org.nz along with a link to the relevant story and all correspondence with the publication.

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