national Arts Festival Banner

Sunday, July 10, 2022

STRIKE A POSE AT GATEWAY’S BLOOMING NEW POP-UP INSTALLATION


(Above: The Background for “Evergreen Wings”)

If you want to lose the winter blues and add some colour to your Instagram feed, Gateway is the place to be!  Bursting with thousands of colourful blooms, the centre’s winter pop-up attraction brings a kaleidoscope of colour to everyday pics and special occasions.

On the back of international trends and the wildly popular World of Illusions, Gateway Theatre of Shopping has produced another first for KZN - six breathtaking floralscapes.

“Floral installations are trending worldwide and we wanted to get in on the action. We’ve loved seeing the space transform into an evocative portrait-ready studio,” says Gateway Marketing Manager, Michelle Shelley.

“Visitors can use the photo-ready backdrops as their canvas to be creative. It’s an open invitation to feel inspired” says Shelley. The space is ideal for both spontaneous pics, and milestone celebrations such as birthdays, wedding shoots, engagement proposals, anniversaries, graduation shoots and artistic maternity portraits.

“We can’t wait to see pics staged in these stunning spaces,” Shelley enthuses. ”Each of the six rooms has a distinctive colour palette, personality and floral interpretation of its own. “There are dreamy pastels and brilliant reds as well as the sculptured lines of orchids and succulents,” says Shelley. “There’s something for everyone – young and young at heart.”

Gateway visitors are welcome to celebrate memorable moments by posing in the six rooms:

Evergreen wings. A riot of green hues – from sombre British racing, rowdy Ruscus and luscious lime – the hero will look completely glorious with wings of light.

(Right: Ayesha Sewbaran gets into the swing of the Bloom Room)

Swing into spring. Perched on the prettiest of swings surrounded by red roses and garlands of blooms, this scene anticipates sweet romance or high drama.

Succulent Sanctuary. Haughty orchids and no-nonsense Monsteria leaves adorn the sleek lines and muted shades of this uber-modern man-cave. It’s a stylish sanctuary, not a cave.


(Left: Succulent Sanctuary)

Nostalgia calling. Share this classic phone booth with an abundance of pretty pastel-tinted roses, peonies and wisteria for portraits that hark back to the film stars of the fifties.

Pretty-in-pink. Perfect for ‘reel life’ and show-stopper profile pics, a sublime symphony of pinks elevates model poses in this “Barbie box” style backdrop.

(Right: Mbali Nzimande in the Paparazzi bust)

Paparazzi bust. Play the international highflier in the sophisticated luxe lobby. Checking in with a new job, partner, qualification? Snap your journey to success suitably surrounded by high-end lilies, hydrangeas and dahlias in a flush of lavenders and purple.

The fantastical Bloom Room is open on the Cinema Level at Gateway and promises to be a popular attraction featuring a total of more than 20,000 flowers and leaves in 24 diverse types. For practical reasons, all the featured items are realistic synthetic replicas.

The highly-themed spaces have been created for mobile phone photography so anyone can take scintillating, shareable shots. The attraction is open for three months so be sure to visit before the season is over.

On the subject of dress, consider whether you want to blend in, or stand out, each room has a dominant colour. You could even change your outfit according to the theme.

Open during Mall trading hours. Entrance is free.

Allocate 5-10 minutes for each scenario (6 in total)

 

Make sure to use the hashtag #GWBloomRoom when you post your pics to social media and you could win weekly prizes and mall gift cards.

#GWBloomRoom #GatewayUmhlanga