Gloria of Greymouth

A lusciously illustrated hardback chronicling the artist’s creation of Greymouth’s famous pink church, Gloria.

In 2020, sculptor and poet Sam Duckor-Jones bought an abandoned church in Greymouth and named her Gloria.

With yarn-bombed rafters, a costume bazaar, a plush loft, papier-mâché parishioners in the pews, and pink neon light bouncing off a rhinestone piano, Gloria has become a celebration of queer creativity.

In this record of Gloria’s establishment, Sam wrestles with solitude, religion, intimacy, art, and identity. He finds community in fellow artists and friendly locals, and solace in the rhythms of a quiet life. Gloria of Greymouth is a chronicle of a magnificent transformation, a manifesto for play and pleasure, and the story of an artist’s being.