Harry Potter: The Exhibition, stopped at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum today. The amazing exhibition staged at the Powerhouse features props, costumes, the Hogwarts Express, all all sorts of other Potter items.
The exhibition, which will run until March, also includes a number of enchanted interactive elements which should entertain kids of all ages.
The media pitch read: "Take a step inside the magical world of Harry Potter and get up close to hundreds of iconic film props, costumes and creatures, all displayed in elaborate settings inspired by the film sets and locations from the famous Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Scenes from the Gryffindor™ common room and boys’ dormitory, Hagrid’s Hut, Hogwarts classes – including Herbology and Potions – the Great Hall, and the Forbidden Forest will be revisited in this spectacular 1,400 square metre exhibition.
Additionally, two new display cases have been added for the exhibition’s Sydney season – one featuring the Deathly Hallows™ and another displaying an array of Voldemort’s horcruxes, including some on display for the first time."
On hand to answer questions today were James Phelps and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley from the Harry Potter film series), Eddie Newquist, Chief Creative Officer, Global Experience Specialists, creator of Harry Potter: The Exhibition and Dr Dawn Casey, Director, Powerhouse Museum, presenter of Harry Potter: The Exhibition.
Journalists present today probed the stars about the excitement and stability of working for the world famous Harry Potter franchise and the stability and financial rewards it brings. Even the NSW government is catching the Harry Potter mania, and speaks of it bringing millions of thousands of dollars into the NSW economy.
George Souris, Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality, Racing and the Arts, is urging everyone in NSW to embrace their "inner wizard" (the new lingo for the public at large) via the Powerhouse Museum over coming months.
Mr Souris advised Harry Potter: The Exhibition officially launched at the museum...the exclusive Asia/Pacific venue for the show.
"The NSW Government, through Destination NSW, is delighted that the magic of the world famous boy wizard will come to life in Sydney,"Mr Souris said.
"It is the first time Harry Potter: The Exhibition has been shown outside the United States and the Powerhouse Museum is the only venue for the exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere.
"Spread across 1,400 square metres of the museum’s newly refurbished exhibition touring gallery, the show creates an immersive world of everything Harry Potter.
Harry Potter: The Exhibition comprises hundreds of original film artefacts from what is the world’s highest grossing films series and one of the strongest global popular culture brand with families and children, up there with Marvel Entertainment and WWE. The impressive collection of items, such as props and costumes, is set against a backdrop of various settings inspired by locations from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including the Great Hall and Gryffindor common room.
“In an exclusive at the Powerhouse, two new display cases feature several items never shown before, including the Resurrection Stone, the Invisibility Cloak and the Elder Wand,” Mr Souris said.
Harry Potter: The Exhibition is also interactive allowing non magical, muggle visitors to toss a Quaffle in the Quidditch area, tour Hagrid’s hut and get up close and personal with Buckbeak, the Hippogriff. "This exhibition has the potential to attract 325,000 visitors, including an estimated 80,000 interstate and international tourists.
"The Powerhouse is well on track to achieve its pre-sale target of 50,000 tickets for the exhibition which opens to the public this weekend.
"It is also estimated to contribute more than $20 million to the NSW economy." Mr Souris said securing this exhibition reflects the State’s reputation as the cultural capital of Australia.
“Sydney is currently hosting two international blockbuster exhibitions which are set to attract hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders and people from across Australia and the Asia Pacific,”
He said. “As well as the Harry Potter show, the most significant exhibition of works by the great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is now exclusively on display at the Art Gallery of NSW as part of the Sydney International Art Series. "Picasso: masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris is a collection of 150 masterpieces which is set to attract more than 300,000 people from all over Australia and the Asia Pacific.
“Also part of the Sydney International Art Series, the Museum of Contemporary Art will present Rafael Lozano-Hemmer Recorders from December 16.
“Staging Lozano-Hemmer’s exhibition in Sydney is a unique opportunity for audiences here to experience the work of one of the art world’s rising stars. “Of course annual arts and cultural entertainment in Sydney is well and truly underway with Sculpture by the Sea now showing along the Eastern Suburbs coastline. “And the 15th annual Sydney Festival 2012 will kick off in January with a program of 98 events and 388 performances including 11 world premieres.” The Harry Potter films which have received critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide are based on a popular series of fantasy novels by the writer J.K Rowling.
The exclusive Sydney season of Harry Potter: The Exhibition is a key event on the NSW Events Calendar developed by the NSW Government through Destination NSW. Harry Potter: The Exhibition is on at the Powerhouse Museum from November 19 to March 18. It is recommended tickets be purchased in advance to avoid disappointment. Exhibition tickets are now available at http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/
Well done to the team at Harry Potter and Powerhouse Museum on their latest efforts and thank you for bringing a little bit of magic to Sydney.
Websites
Harry Potter The Exhibition
Powerhouse Museum
Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
Eva Rinaldi Photography
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