Yeah but Nah

Adding to the noise, but like many others, I couldn’t let the proposal by Wellington International Airport Limited to build a ‘Wellywood’ sign along one of the airport approach paths go uncommented upon. To be built in the style of the original Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, ‘Wellywood’ is apparently a satirical tribute, alluding to the fact that Peter Jackson’s production base and Weta Digital are literally around the corner, and is expected to become a tourist attraction.

If these links and comments below are anything to go by, I am not the only one cringing at the idea.

Wellingtonista

Wellintonista again

The Dim-Post

Stuff

Stuff again (original story break)

I don’t like it for a bunch of reasons, and I don’t buy into the ‘don’t criticize it if you can’t come up with something better’ argument. I’m not an artist or graphic designer, but I don’t need to be to form an opinion that this design sucks. I would rather see something original, that required more than ten seconds of thought to come up with, and doesn’t reek of deep seated cultural insecurity. And as far as I know, bugger-all people in Wellington actually use the term ‘Wellywood’. Just like ‘Cake Tin’ for the stadium (everyone I know just calls it ‘The Stadium’), it is more of a ex-Wellington based media generated appellation than a local term.

Frankly WIAL (and the city council that part owns it) have better things to spend money on, like safety fixes for the runway ends, which are still unacceptably hazardous for an international airport and a disaster waiting to happen.