PRESS RELEASE: The Prince's Rainforests Project and Sony Present Interactive Exhibitions of New Rainforest Imagery
Award Winning Photographer Daniel Beltrá Shares the Highlights of His Once in a Lifetime Trip Around the World's Rainforests
LONDON--(Marketwire - September 29, 2009) - This Autumn, a series of state of the art exhibitions will take place around Europe to showcase stunning images taken by Daniel Beltrá, the winner of this year's Prince's Rainforests Project (PRP) Award at the Sony World Photography Awards. The images showcase the best of his fully-funded trip to three of the world's major rainforests, with photos from the Amazon rainforest, Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia.
Put together in a joint effort between the PRP and Sony, the exhibitions will take place in London (Kew Gardens), Paris (Hotel de Ville) and Berlin (Alexa Centre). Opening in October (full dates below), these interactive photographic experiences form the closing chapter of Daniel's amazing trip.
In a speech for the Sony World Photography Awards ceremony in Cannes earlier this year, HRH The Prince of Wales said, "Photographic images can tell a compelling story about the truth of the situation, and the truth is that if we lose the fight against tropical deforestation, then we lose the fight against climate change."
Working closely with the PRP on these exhibitions, Sony has combined its commitment to the environment with its years of technological expertise, giving visitors the opportunity to relive Daniel's incredible journey. Augmenting the stunning imagery with a selection of sounds, projections, videos and even smells, visitors to the exhibitions will be treated to a uniquely full interactive sensory experience.
Emily Young, General Manager, Environmental Communications at Sony Europe adds, "Daniel's journey as the winner of the PRP award gave him the chance to document some of the world's most stunning natural scenery. At Sony we wanted to make the exhibitions just as memorable for those people who get to visit, and by providing the latest technology to make them a totally immersive experience, patrons will go away full of the same sense of awe and wonder as Daniel. Photography is the best way to communicate the beauty of our environment and the importance of preserving it for future generations."
The PRP is asking people across the globe to sign up to show their support for emergency action for the rainforests. People simply need to visit www.rainforestSOS.org and add their name. The PRP will use the number of signatories to demonstrate the level of public support for action to be taken to stop rainforest deforestation. The more people who sign up, the more we will be heard by those who have the power to make change happen.
Exhibition details:
About Daniel Beltrá
Beltrá is the winner of numerous awards. Last year, he won awards in the NPPA Best of Photojournalism and the International Photography/Lucie contests. He is a fellow of the prestigious International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP). His Amazon work was awarded in the China International Press Photo contest in 2006 and the World Press Photo in 2006 and 2007. That same year, along with Sir David Attenborough, he received a Special Nomination from The International Forum on the Drought in Seville (Spain) for his dedication to the environment.
The Prince's Rainforests Project
The Prince's Rainforests Project (PRP) was established in October 2007 by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in order to achieve consensus as to how the rate of deforestation might be slowed and stopped. The PRP is working alongside governments, international businesses, non-profit organisations and the rainforest nations themselves to find a solution to the deforestation and degradation of the rainforests, and make the trees worth more alive than dead.
If you're interested in finding out more about the PRP or adding your name to those calling for urgent action to stop tropical deforestation, please visit www.rainforestSOS.org
About Sony
Sony is a leading global innovator of audio, video, communications and information technology products for both the consumer and professional markets. Sony is renowned for its audio-visual products, such as the BRAVIA™ LCD High Definition (HD) television, Cyber-shot™ digital camera, Handycam® camcorder and Walkman® MP3 player as well as its VAIO™ personal computers and HD professional broadcast equipment, highlighted by the XDCAM™ HD. Offering a complete end-to-end HD value chain and with its electronics, music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is one of the world's leading digital entertainment brands, employing approximately 170,000 people worldwide.
Through its long-term football partnerships as an official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League until 2012, Official FIFA Partner until 2014 and global sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™ in 2010 and 2014, Sony is inspiring a sense of excitement for the millions of football fans around the world.
For more information about Sony's environmental initiatives go to www.sony.eu/eco
The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class Herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction. Its landscaped, 132 hectares and RBG Kew's country estate, Wakehurst Place, attract nearly 2 million visitors every year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2009. For further information please visit www.kew.org
Wakehurst Place is also home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world. By 2010, RBG Kew and its partners will have collected and conserved seed from 10 per cent of the world's wild flowering plant species (c.30, 000 species). The aim is to conserve 25% by 2020 and funds are being actively sought in order to continue to develop this vital work. For further information please visit www.kew.org/msbp
(First posted on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 15:10 EDT)
