North Shore Beaches by Moonlight

North Shore Beaches by Moonlight

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Attached is a media release about Wayne Wilson-Wong's photography exhibition of North Shore City scenes, which will soon go on display on the outside of Westfield Shore City in Takapuna.

North Shore City Council has given $1800 towards the exhibition, as part of the Auckland Photography Festival, because it wanted to share these stunning images with North Shore residents and visitors.

Wayne Wong's photographs will also be used in the 2007 North Shore City Council visitor guide and other tourism publications.

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North Shore Beaches by Moonlight

Wayne Wilson-Wong

Dates: 8th June to mid July 2006

Exhibition launch announcement

- Exhibition is appearing on Lake Road side of Westfields Shore City
Westfield, Takapuna Bus Shelter, Corner Lake Road, Takapuna

- This outdoor exhibition takes the art out of the gallery and into the heart of Takapuna's urban centre.

- Consisting of nine mural-sized images, this installation explores the coastline spaces of Auckland's North Shore.

- These nocturnal exposures, shot with only moonlight possess an unexpected boldness of colour and brightness - a surreal beauty that adds to the already inherent sense of romanticism and nostalgia associated with New Zealand's beach culture.

- With the added advantage of being able view them from the comfort of your car, this pioneering digital photography exhibit celebrates the unique ethos that is the Shore

Artist’s Statement:

I grew up and live on the North Shore and love its beauty. The coastal environment still fills with me with pride to this day. I have wonderful memories of long summer days playing on Takapuna Beach as a child; evening BBQs at Long Bay as a teenager and; moonlit nights gazing out to Rangitoto Island as I walked through Kennedy Park time and again as an adult.

The work is digital photography taken under moonlit conditions with long exposures on a Canon 20D SLR. In spite of the perceived lack of available light, the works posses an unexpected boldness of colour and intensity – a surreal beauty that adds to the already inherent sense of romanticism and nostalgia associated with Kiwi beach culture. The interpretive composition within the landscape, the subtle southern stars in the night sky and the expressive movement of cloud formations give each image a sense of wistfulness that borders on idealism – qualities more in line with impressionist painting than the realism photography is more commonly known for. It is the artist’s hope, however, that these images operate within the larger genre of social documentary, by stimulating discussion regarding localised environment to ensure its healthy preservation for the youth of tomorrow as it was for us.

ENDS