Donation spells return of Womad roadside sign
After the letter M was stolen from New Plymouth’s Womad sign, the arts trust behind the festival has put up a deliberately shoddy replacement.
The M, which was taken earlier this month, was one of five colourful letters making up the name Womad, the World of
Music, Arts and Dance Festival, which returns to the city’s Brooklands Park from March 17 to 19 next year.
The Taranaki Arts Festival Trust (TAFT), the organisers of Womad, removed the remaining four letters after the theft, but now they are back – with an M made of up of four lengths of 4x2 donated by a local builder.
‘‘It’s a way of drawing attention to the fact that the M is still missing while also still being able to have the letters up,’’ TAFT chief executive Suzanne Porter said. ‘‘It would be a real shame to not have the letters up around Taranaki in the lead up to Womad – it’s one of the local signs that summer is coming, and Womad is on the horizon.’’
Porter said they did not want to keep the letters in storage but also did not want to have to run around trying to find them. They would much rather have the missing M back.
For weeks the letters stood on the grass outside the Plymouth International Hotel where they were seen by thousands of drivers heading into the city each day.
It’s not the first time one of the letters have been stolen, and they’ve always turned up eventually in the past.
A replacement letter would likely cost more than $300, Porter said.
The letters were designed by BOON’S Murali Bhaskar 10 years ago to support Womad in Taranaki. There are four sets, and they are traditionally placed all around the region in the run-up to the festival.
‘‘It’s a playful, colourful design that people have really embraced for being able to climb on and take photos with.
‘‘As a sign, it echoes what Womad is about, and it’s almost become part of the festival experience.’’
Porter appealed to anyone who knew the whereabouts of the missing M to contact police or get in touch with TAFT, either by coming to its Brougham St office, or by calling 06 759 8412.