Wellington Airport has actually listened to the massive public opposition to the Wellywood sign (and potential legal troubles from Hollywood) and have ditched the idea.
Thank God for that.
Wellington Airport has backed down from a proposal to erect a "Wellywood" sign and is asking the public for alternative ideas.
… [O]pposition from the public – and a possible legal stoush after Hollywood lawyers said it would be a trademark violation – led to a change of plans.
Wellington Airport chief executive Steve Fitzgerald today invited alternative ideas for "a sign celebrating the global success of Wellington’s film industry" to be submitted via Facebook.
The question now is whereabouts on Facebook do we leave our ideas? There’s nothing for Wellington Airport, so we’re just left with the "Hey, let’s NOT have a "WELLYWOOD" sign in Wellington" group, and the slightly strange "Support Wellywood" page.
Let’s hope that whatever they come up with to grace the Miramar hills is something we’ll love.
UPDATE: The Facebook page for Wellington International Airport has appeared. Have at it!
So, right now there’s a whole lot of really good stuff being exhibited in Wellington’s galleries.
After the hugely successful Yayoi Kusama exhibition turned the gallery into a magical wonderland, the main gallery space has now been given over to three also wonderful artists.
More after the jump.
You know there’s that cat you see on the way to the bus stop – the one that rolls around on the footpath and lets you tickle his belly, and you’ve nicknamed him Captain Choicepants? Well, that’s a neighbourhood cat.
Inspired by the Neighbour Cats zines, Petra Jane has created a public Google map of neighbourhood cats around Wellington and beyond.
So if there’s a furry rogue in your ‘hood, add it to the map!
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UPDATE: The Neighbourhood Cats map has been shut down. Could this be to foil potential catnappers? Oh well – you’ll just have to create a map in your mind.
A proposal was unveiled yesterday for a Weta Workshop-designed rugby-themed sculpture to grace the city, somewhere, In Time For The Rugby World Cup.
The sculpture is highly symbolic, with the DomPost providing a list of all the symbolism, but what does the sculpture most resemble?
The Wellywood sign madness/awesomeness continues!
Aucklander Edward from has created the Wellywood Sign Generator.
This is a crop of my attempt, where I have added a helpful "lol" to explain that the sign is a "send-up" and a "tongue-in-cheek play" on the Hollywood sign.
Everyone knows that while Wellington has a world-class, award-winning film production industry, it’s been sorely lacking one serious thing: a giant sign proclaiming WELLYWOOD.
Well, our prayers have been answered! By June a giant WELLYWOOD sign will be erected in the hills of Miramar, and will serve as a visual distraction for passengers suffering a bumpy approach to the airport.
Quoted in the Dom Post, Mayor Kerry sez:
"The sign will be one of the first things people will see when they arrive in Wellington. They will be left in no doubt that this is the heart and soul of New Zealand’s film industry."
Unless you make the approach from the Lyall Bay end of the runway. In which case, you will be left thinking you’ve just arrived in Wellington, not the world centre of the film-making universe.
Oh, I suppose I shouldn’t mock it. After all, the Hollywood sign turned that small Los Angeles village into a film-making centre second only to Wellington.
And, to be fair, it’s a little embarassing that Mosgiel has a giant sign in the hills but Wellington doesn’t yet.
Next Tuesday, 2 March, sees the very first Ignite evening in Wellington, 6.30 at the Paramount Theatre.
Ignite is similar in format to Pecha Kucha evenings. With Ignite, the speakers have five minutes each to deliver 20 slides, at 15 seconds per slide. This constraint will (hopefully) unleash creavity and causes audiences brains to ignite with inspiration. Or something like that.
The line-up so far has something for everyone:
James Everett – Design for Play
Mike Brown – Cycling across America
Tim McNamara – Kiwis helping Haiti (& more!)
Lenz Gschwendtner – Realising your ideas
Julia Holderness – Venice Biennial
Dave Moskovitz – The music industry
Mark Harris – ACTA – We *could* tell you, but we’d have to kill you
Dave ten Have – Nothing to fear, but fear
Melissa Clark-Reynolds
Sarah Harpur
David Ritchie
Find out more at the Ignite website. Admission is free, but make sure you register if you want to go. It’s going to be a good one.
The "Excuse Me" guy aside, Wellington doesn’t see all that many panhandlers around. But recently, a fellow has taken up in the doorway of the old United Video on Courtenay Place, with a sign advising passersby by that he’s looking for money for a trip to Auckland.
What lies in this golden land is uncertain. When I passed by the spot tonight, he was nowhere to be seen, but someone had made this sign:
A guerilla art project? A clever anti-panhandling measure? Or perhaps this will become a new tourist attraction – get your photo taken looking forlorn under the sign, and maybe one day you too will make it to Auckland.
AC/DC – the greatest band on the planet – are playing in Wellington tonight and Saturday on the Black Ice tour, and the city has been overrun by bogans, glorious bogans.
Stuff reports on the invasion, including a quote from one fan who reckons, "I’d say every bogan from around the country will be there."
Meanwhile, the arrival of our black-T-shirted brethren has not gone unnoticed on Twitter:
@CUSTOMSBREWBAR ghuznee street is crawling with old bogans… so many black jeans and metal tshirts! "Throw your goats up"
@meganhuddleston There are a ridiculous number of bogans in town. THUNDER!
@bnolan Lol at all the bogans outside. It’s awesome how you can just tell they’re going to ACDC. Super nice people so far too! Rock on! #acdc #wlg
@Narelle_NZ Saw at least 15 bogans and 2 mini-bogans on the way to get lunch #acdc #wellington
@bradgallen Today wellington = So. Many. Bogans…
@missannajane The black holey jumpers and ACDC t-shirts are out en force on the streets of Wellington. Apparently, bogans drink Starbucks.
We welcome any comments or observations of the bogan invasion. Man, Wellington is gonna go off this weekend!
NZ History have recently added an amazing tea towel, thought to be from the mid-1960s, listing the coffee houses of Wellington.
It’s very cool to see such a list of classy joints that our forefathers and foremothers ran, making Wellington such a good coffee town.
Only a couple of these places are still in existence today (and the Matterhorn’s specialty is no longer "Continental cakes"). I wonder what businesses can now be found in these locations.
(And it’s interesting that in the days before the Beehive and the Fern Ball, the icon of Wellington was, er, the National War Memorial, and National Museum and Gallery.)