‘Earth From Above’ Exhibition Launch Party

22 February 2006

Embassy To Host ‘Earth From Above’ Exhibition Launch Party

SKYCITY Entertainment Group is holding an invitation-only party at the historic Embassy Theatre to launch the New Zealand International Arts Festival’s showpiece exhibition ‘Earth from Above’.

The 23 February event, featuring red carpet, champagne and SKYCITY-catered hors ‘d oeuvres, has an “Opening Night” theme. Entertainment will be provided by swing band the Vipers, with contemporary percussionists Strike performing a piece by New Zealand composer Gareth Farr.

Around 150 guests will proceed from the Embassy to Waitangi Park for a first glimpse of the spectacular ‘Earth from

Above’ exhibition. The brainchild of French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, ‘Earth from Above’ is an exhibition of photographs from around the globe taken from the air. The visually stunning, large-scale images give a bird's-eye view of the extraordinary patterns and colours created in landscapes all over the world.

SKYCITY Managing Director Evan Davies said SKYCITY was delighted to take up a Gold sponsorship of the Festival and help bring such an internationally successful exhibition to Wellington. First shown in Paris in 2000, ‘Earth from Above’ has been seen in more than 70 cities by over 60 million people. “It’s an inspiring exhibition that SKYCITY takes great pride in being associated with,” Mr Davies said.

SKYCITY has long supported the visual arts. The five-star SKYCITY Grand Hotel includes nearly 1,000 unique New Zealand landscapes by well-known photographer Robin Morrison. Also on display at SKYCITY’s properties in Auckland, Hamilton and Queenstown are works by prominent New Zealand artists including Dick Frizzell, Shane Cotton, Neil Dawson, Karl Maughan and Phillip Trusttum.

SKYCITY’s Gold sponsorship of the Festival also builds on strong links the company has to Wellington, including the 2005 take over by Village SKYCITY Cinemas of operational management of the historic Embassy Theatre. Village SKYCITY Cinemas will also operate the nine-screen multiplex at Westfield Queensgate in Lower Hutt, on track to open in April 2006.

The ‘Earth from Above’ exhibition is free to the public at Waitangi Park for the entire Festival, 24 February 2006 - 19 March 2006.

ENDS

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