Posts by Steve Parks
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…a corporate artwork that purports to say something about Wellington as a whole?
Is it purporting that though?
Steve Fitzgerald said:
Everyone benefits from increasing tourism for Wellington. …
We remain open to ideas for future projects to further raise Wellington’s international profile.
And (emphasis added):
"When we judged them against the things we were trying to achieve – to celebrate the film industry, making it clear it was in Wellington, and making it globally relevant – Wellywood was the clear No1”.
A Hollywood-style sign saying Miramar was a “reasonably distant No2”.
So yes, it seems to me this is about branding Wellington and not Miramar. (I wouldn’t be surprised if Fitzgerald has not mentioned Miramar in any of his public statements on this issue.)*
[*Edit: notwithstanding addressing a question put to him mentioning Miramar.]
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Muse: Hooray for Wellywood (Really!), in reply to giovanni tiso,
I think the biggest irritant for me – besides the idea that the airport gets to brand the whole city, and without consultation, which is appalling – is that when it became clear that everyone hated it, they opened the floor to suggestions for other signs. As if the hill couldn’t possibly survive without of any number of stupid-arse huge-lettered monikers.
Of course there are more egregious things to worry about in the country, possibly worthier of our outrage, but that people reacted to that particular act of imposition by a corporate board of a message designed to define who we are makes me not sorry at all. Kinda proud actually.
Yep.
But if we must have a sign there, I like Tau Henare’s suggestion:
KIA ORA
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Muse: Hooray for Wellywood (Really!), in reply to Kracklite,
I also liked the Sherlock revision a lot. At least that first episode.
I have also, just recently, by DVD, discovered that Matt Smith is definitely my favourite Doctor since Tom Baker.
I slightly preferred David Tennant. (While we're at it, here's my take on the 10th Doctor's death, and the Doctors' "regenerations" in general.)
But Smith is good, too, and new showrunner Steven Moffat is the most consistently interesting DW writer, for sure. I'm only watching series 6 on broadcast tv, but the first episode, The Impossible Astronaut, is the best season opener the Doctor's had. Moffat's credited on the Tintin script - I might have to watch the darn thing just for that alone.
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Muse: Hooray for Wellywood (Really!), in reply to Islander,
just where do you think the influence for that sign
is coming from? Hmmm?Personally, I quite liked most of Jackson’s earlier films, especially Heavenly Creatures. I thought the LOTR trilogy was okay (although despite that I have no interest in The Hobbit). King Kong was rubbish, and I haven’t seen The Lovely Bones, but strongly expect it to be rubbish as well.
All of that is entirely irrelevant. Jackson could have made the five best Hollywood films ever, each of which I’d watch over and over again, and I’d still be against the proposed ‘Wellywood’ sign. The problem per se is not that Jackson has made Hollywood films in Wellington, and it’s not the content of those films. The problem is Wellington Airport’s daft excursion into ‘tourism promotion’: taking a fairly lame epithet and trying to turn it into an indelible sign of the city.
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I'm kinda with George on the Asteron building. It's far from a great work of architecture, but it doesn't deserve the amount of ire it's getting from some. I guess I could understand a position like "they had the opportunity to create something notable, but instead we got meh". But it isn't awful.
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As long as my neighbour conform to the law, they don’t have to give a rodent’s rectum what I think about their gardens. Hell, I’m warming to the idea of a Robert Mapplethorpe tribute water feature just to freak the commuters. As far as I’m aware, the Wellington Airport has resource consent (though on principle, I’ve issues with it being non-notified) they’re building the damn thing on their land…
I don’t buy the “it’s their land” argument in this case. If your neighbour demonstrates bad taste with his garden decor it reflects only on him. It doesn’t represent you, or the rest of the suburb, let alone the city. The airport Wellywood sign is specifically intended to represent the city – or at least, it won’t be seen as just an airport thing.
I hate the exterior design of the new international terminal too, but that really is their prerogative. If the Wellywood sign was more obviously within the airport perimeter I’d feel differently. But sign isn’t purely an airport-associated logo like “Wild at Heart”; it’s to be presented, and will be perceived, as a general city logo. And as long as they’re doing that, I think it’s fair to tell them to fuck off.
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Hard News: Friday Fever, in reply to Julian Melville,
Great video, Julian.
Have I linked to this one already? Oldie but goodie. (Not strictly a one take, but seems like it for most of the duration.)
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Heh. Doctor Who credits, Buffy style.
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Hard News: The witless on the pitiless, in reply to chris,
An argument in which the protagonist is imposing his perception of a third party’s thought processes against others’ perceptions is always going to be – somewhat moot. When this third party has managed to evade detection for ten years, I’d emphasize – strikingly.
It's hard to tell what you're on about here, but Russell wasn't "imposing" his perception of Osama's thought processes. If you've got evidence to suggest OBL held quite different views to those attributed, feel free to share.