Photography Festival Opens With Uplifting Views

NEWS RELEASE
Thursday 31 May

Photography Festival Opens With Uplifting Auckland Views

Manukau Square is to host a unique outdoor photography exhibition which will change the way travellers and locals view Manukau City.

The Manukau Flightpath display opens at 10.30am on Friday June 1 and will feature a stunning collection of large format photo flags. Each flag contains a bird’s eye view of dramatic landscapes below the flight path to Auckland Airport.

Unlike traditional exhibitions, the Manukau Flightpath flags invite visitors to look up, to see the distant views below.

Festival organisers say the images were handpicked to highlight the remarkable contrasts between Manukau’s striking landforms and rich colours, as well as the intricate patterns of urban and commercial developments.

From the air, neighbourhoods are transformed into intriguing grid patterns. Rivers and streams snake their way through lush green countryside.

Even airport runways take on a life and pattern of their own.

The exhibition is the first of its kind in the Auckland region. It also marks South Auckland’s first year of involvement in the hugely popular festival.
Festival organiser Julia Durkin says Manukau Flightpath will have enormous appeal. She says the flight path to Auckland Airport is the arrival and departure point for millions of New Zealand journeys.

“The festival has been going for four years so we're really pleased to bring it to Manukau for this exciting exhibition,” she says.

“We are sure Manukau residents will be amazed at what their city looks like from above.”

“These photos show the recent changes in landscape such as urban housing at Botany and the volcanic remnants of Crater Hill.

Residents are going to be surprised and delighted by the detail of what’s on display.”

The exhibition’s joint sponsors are the Manukau City Council and Auckland International Airport Limited.

The Chief Executive of Auckland Airport, Don Huse says the company is proud to support the exhibition. He says it has an obvious fit with the airport’s operations.

“The photos provide a unique insight into the view that air travellers have over Manukau,” he says.

“As New Zealand’s gateway, Auckland Airport is the first welcome and last farewell for over 12 million visitors every year, so we are very pleased to have been able to support the event.”

The Auckland Festival of Photography is Auckland’s largest visual arts event and features a multitude of exhibitions and activities reflecting four distinct themes: Culture, Identify, Art and Participation.

The festival is now in its fourth year and runs from June 1 to June 24.

ENDS

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