Media Release 27 June 2012

Spectacular light display to open Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular

Spectacular illuminated shapes of flowers, spheres and cones featuring designs by the artistically renowned Peranakan culture of South East Asia will light up this year’s Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular running from October 26 to November 4.

In celebration of the 10-day Garden Festival’s 25th anniversary, it will be the first time more than 50 of the Peranakan Lights are exhibited in Australasia and the second showing world wide after first wowing crowds at the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix earlier in the year.

Created from a collaboration between Singaporean artist Sarah Martin and Italian artist Paolo Maimone, the Lights are inflated, illuminated shapes screen printed with designs of traditional Peranakan art - renowned for its rich and opulent designs in ceramics, embroidery, screen-printing and architecture.

The Peranakan Lights are a new representation of the Peranakan culture which has a heritage dating from the sixteenth century, says artist Sarah Martin.

“The Lights reflect elements of their design in architecture, in their traditional cloths, in their jewellery – and bring it all together to reflect the gentle beauty that is the Peranakan culture,” explains Sarah.

“It is simply amazing that the Peranakan Lights will come to Taranaki, a place that holds natural beauty and culture close to the heart. The Peranakan culture is a culture that is struggling to maintain its identity, its richness and its beauty in light of rapid modernisation. To have this culture spread its wings to new minds and hearts goes beyond the expectation of what it was created for.”

Celebrating its 25th year as a garden festival, the Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular will offer visitors the unique opportunity to visit 50 of New Zealand’s most stunning private and public gardens.

Located right around Taranaki, visitors will enjoy strolling through large park-like country gardens, geometric and intimate inner city potager gardens, sub-tropical and rainforest gardens.

As New Zealand’s Premier Spring Festival, visitors can experience an extensive events programme featuring TV gardening stars, Lynda Hallinan and Tony Murrell, a stunning fashion show, guided walks and a garden speaker series and much more.

The Peranakan Lights is this year’s unique Landscape Design Project supported with funding from the TSB Community Trust. The Lights will be installed in New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park in the area known as the Brooklands Lawn enabling anyone to come and enjoy what will be an impressive first for New Zealand, says Festival manager, Lisa Haskell.

“Each year, the Landscape Design Project aims to add a completely new dimension to the Festival,” says Lisa.

“Day or night, the Peranakan Lights will simply be a stunning visual experience for locals as well as the thousands of visitors who attend the Festival.”

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