Air New Zealand brings country's largest Metaverse gallery to life to take youth art to the world
The digital exhibition features 96 photographs captured by rangatahi across the country during Air New Zealand and National Geographic photo camps, which launched in 2019.
Across five photo camps, world-leading storytellers from the National Geographic Society mentored rangatahi from a range of community groups, teaching them how to express their unique perspective on what it means to be Kiwi, capturing stories of whānau, whenua, and modern life through the lens of a camera.
Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says the gallery has been created to celebrate the next generation of storytellers.
"Across the Air New Zealand and National Geographic photo camps, young New Zealanders explored their world through photography, creating incredible art that showcases Aotearoa through the eyes of rangatahi.
"We're giving people around the world the opportunity to explore their remarkable visual narratives. The virtual gallery transcends geographic boundaries and opens Aotearoa to people on all corners of the globe.
"We're proud to empower young New Zealanders to express themselves through photography, creating a platform that showcases their diverse perspectives and creativity."
Latamai Katoa from Auckland attended the camp in Russell, Northland and says the virtual gallery is an incredible opportunity to showcase Kiwi art around the world.
"Having our exhibition shown virtually creates accessibility for everyone to view the phenomenal mahi of Aotearoa's rangatahi. We all should be able to enjoy art no matter where we are or who we are, this way of showing our work allows for everyone to be included."
Accessible around the world, the virtual gallery features an intuitive user-friendly interface, including a greeting from the Air New Zealand flight attendant who welcomes visitors and direct them to different portals.
Up to 50 people can be in each of the six areas of the gallery, giving hundreds of people the opportunity to interact and engage with the art and each other at any given time.
How to access the virtual gallery
The virtual gallery can be experienced with a virtual reality headset or on desktop and mobile. Those interested in viewing can head to: Air New Zealand Virtual Gallery | Photo Camp Exhibition (airnzvirtualgallery.co.nz).
Follow the link to find out more, create a custom avatar and access the space to engage, interact, and explore. The exhibition is open from today.
Ends
For video and images, click here.
Issued by Air New Zealand Communications.
Email: media@airnz.co.nz │Twitter: @AirNZMedia
About Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand's story started in 1940, first taking to the skies between Auckland and Sydney on a flying boat - a Short S30. Known for its warm Kiwi hospitality, today, the airline has 104 operating aircraft ranging from Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320s to ATRs and Q300s, offering customers comfort in the latest most efficient jets and turboprops. It's a modern fuel-efficient fleet with an average age of 7.3 years. Air New Zealand's global network of passenger and cargo services centres around New Zealand. Pre-Covid, the airline flew more than 17 million passengers every year, with 3,400 flights per week. Air New Zealand was recently named the World's Safest Airline by the Australian rating service AirlineRatings.com, highlighting the airline's laser-focus on safety. Last year, Air New Zealand won Best Corporate Reputation in New Zealand – 8th year in a row.
Air New Zealand has a well-connected domestic business, connecting customers and cargo to 20 different regions around New Zealand. Internationally, the airline has direct flights to major cities across Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the US, and through its strong relationships with alliance partners, offers customers more choice and convenience to connect further afield to hundreds of destinations. Air New Zealand has a particular focus on sustainability and its Sustainability Framework helps guide the airline's efforts in tackling some of New Zealand's and the world's most complex challenges. Air New Zealand aircraft are proudly identified by its distinct tail livery of the Mangōpare, the Māori symbol of the hammerhead shark which represents strength, tenacity, and resilience.
About Star Alliance
Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,321 airports in 193 countries.