Urban Iconography Made Material: the 'Wellywood sign' episode in comparative perspective

Abstract

The point of departure for this paper is the skirmish provoked by the proposal to erect a 'Wellywood' sign near Wellington 5 airport. This is viewed in the context of the more-or-Iess unopposed claims that 'New Zealand is Middle Earth' and 'Wellington is Hobbitown' and the subsequent dispute between the actors' union and a de facto coalition of Weta Digital, Warner Brothers, and the New Zealand government. That skirmish is interpreted as a critical incident that is revelatory of that field of forces characteristic of the culture wars. More generally, it is illustrative of how iconic features of the urban environment can be made 'good to think with'.