Planet Football

Media Release 18 May 2006

Weltsprache Fußball -
Planet Football

It has been described as the people’s sport because it speaks a universal language. No matter your culture, your religion, your social standing or your political views, the game of football transcends these barriers and unites the globe.

From mosque courtyards to middle-class English gardens, football stadiums and refugee camps, Planet Football is a photographic exhibition that celebrates the world of football – great moments on and off the soccer field and the magic of the game that stirs passions and knows no cultural or national boundaries.

Planet Football will be exclusively exhibited in New Zealand at the Christchurch Art Gallery, from 10 June to 16 July, 2006. The exhibition of historical and contemporary football photographs will be on show to coincide the 2006 FIFA World Cup, in Germany.

As the 50 Planet Football images show, football is a social phenomenon that brings peoples together. In essence, it is the same scene - a round-shaped ball, an open area and a group of players who have a passion for the game. What Planet Football has captured is the many styles, places and eras.

Selected from more than 4000 images, this exhibition was put together by the Goethe-Institut in Germany, in conjunction with world-renowned photography agency Magnum Photos. It includes works by such photographers as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Abbas, Chris Steele-Perkins, Luc Delahaye, Josef Koudelka, Brice Gilden, Susan Meiselas, Martin Parr and Marc Riboud.

Since before its formation in the 1940s, Magnum Agency members have photographed the world of football, documenting the players, the supporters and the game from barefoot matches in African mud and on a Brazilian beach to kicking cans in British backstreets.

“Planet Football shows how deep the roots of football run, how wide they are spread and how football culture crosses every boundary of nationality, race and religion,” says acting Gallery Director Hubert Klaassens.

“This is a fantastic exhibition. The photos depict the beauty of the game, while providing a fascinating social insight into various areas of the world over many decades.”

During the exhibition, the Gallery will continuously show Shoot Goals! Shoot Movies in the foyer. This is a selection of 44 international short films all with the theme of football – children and their desires, fans and their dreams, the shadow politics casts over the sport, satirical clips, and moments of joy despite some appalling conditions.

The Montana Wednesday Evening programme will showcase a different football film during the four weeks from 14 June to 5 July, at 6pm.

- 14 June – The Cup

- 21 June – One Day in Europe

- 28 June – The Other Final

- 5 July – The Champions

There will also be a soccer skills demonstration by representatives from Christchurch soccer clubs on Sunday, 11 June, at 2pm on the Gallery forecourt or inside the foyer, if wet.

ENDS

PLANET FOOTBALL at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu
Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch, 10 June to 16 July 2006
Admission: free

An exhibition by the Goethe-Institut, conceived in cooperation with MAGNUM PHOTOS.

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