Sister City Photomurals on display at Christchurch Polytechnic

12 March 2008

A handful of Christchurch photographers are celebrating life on the other side of the camera, as their entries to the 2007 Kurashiki Sister City Photomural Competition were returned to their home city last week and exhibited at the Christchurch Polytechnic of Information Technology (CPIT).

The local works of art were among the winning 60 out of 700 entries, selected from the 2007 Kurashiki Sister City Photomural Competition in Japan.

Over thirty entries by Christchurch photographers were sent by the Christchurch Kurashiki Sister City Committee, to Japan for the annual competition. Five of these talented photographers submitted winning artwork and are now reaping their rewards, with their work hanging on display in the Rakaia Centre of the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) for the next four months.

Renowned photo critic Mr Kotaro Iizawa of the Kurashiki Culture Promotion Foundation, selected the winning images to be printed on to large cloth murals and displayed in Kurashiki's Station Area Shopping Arcade - a prominent former Samurai warehouse quarter.

Amanda Sinclair, a third year photography student, studying art and graphic design at CPIT, was one of five Christchurch photographers whose photo of her young daughter holding a globe was selected by Kurashiki to be made into a huge photomural for display.

"Photography is one of my great passions and to be involved with the whole competition was an amazing experience.

"I never expected to get this far and was absolutely thrilled when I heard my photo was one of the winning entries. I wouldn't even hesitate to enter another competition like this again"

The other four photomurals, all incorporating the theme 'vision', were created by Stefan Roberts, Naofumi Osato, Libby Penman and Rachel Yeoman and can also be found hanging in the Rakaia Centre.

Kurashiki, is one of Christchurch's seven international sister cities, with the Photomural Competition being just one of the cultural exchanges resulting from this relationship.

In support of this exhibition and to promote the cultural exchange between Japan and Christchurch, Ikebana International Christchurch Chapter 202 will also be providing weekly Ikebana displays while the photomurals are exhibited.

For further information about the Christchurch/Kurashiki exchange programme and those of Christchurch's other sister cities seehttp://www.christchurch.org.nz/SisterCities/

Media Enquiries: Contact Linda Reed, CPIT Events Manager on 940 7534

Images available on request to emily.davies@ccc.govt.nz

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