A wing that rotates in the wind will be unveiled at Air NZ's HQ in Auck as a memorial to the victims of air crashes
23 October 2009
Air New Zealand
A sculpture being unveiled today will be a memorial to air crash victims.
Phil Price's artwork 'Momentum' will be located at Air New Zealand's headquarters in Auckland. It consists of a wing that rotates in the wind.
Mr Price says he did not want the sculpture to be static and its movement is a representation of life. He says it is also a continuation of the memory and a living memorial to those who lost their lives.
The memorial is being unveiled nearly a month before the 30th anniversary of the Erebus disaster. All 257 people on board the DC10 died when the plane crashed into Mt Erebus in Antarctica on November 28, 1979.
In a letter sent to the families of the victims earlier this month, Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe said Air New Zealand had learned a lot since the tragedy. He said the airline had agonised over what to do to mark the 30th anniversary of the crash given there were limited seats on a flight to Antarctica. The airline will take one representative of the paying passengers, one to represent the flight deck crew and the fifth the cabin crew.
The plane will visit Scott Base and the Erebus crash site where the passengers will leave messages from loved ones in New Zealand.
