Le Meridien Shedding New Light on Modern China Through Eyes of Contemporary Artists

Le Meridien Shedding New Light on Modern China Through Eyes of Contemporary Artists

Innovative film-maker Kiki Allgeier on a "Creative Journey" to Shanghai, Chongqing and Xiamen





SHANGHAI, March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts continues its imaginative program encompassing interactive art and cultural experiences to inspire guests, commissioning a short film which explores three Chinese cities and the lives of local artists who live there through the eyes of film-maker Kiki Allgeier.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130312/CN75325 )
(Photo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2013/03/12/20130312133819747734.html )
(Photo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2013/03/12/20130312134018100889.html )

The New York-based filmmaker embarks on her 7-day "Creative Journey" from the 6th to12th March 2013.

Her video montage is a creative exploration of China with local artists Liu Jianhua in Shanghai, Chen Wenbo in Chongqing and Lin Ran in Xiamen. The completed film will be screened at Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts across China later this year.

Kiki hopes that with the guidance of these artists, she will explore "a new perspective on modern China, discovering the hopes and dreams of the young generation and the growing importance of art and creativity in the local culture."

Guided by the Le Meridien's Global Cultural Curator, Jerome Sans, the film underlines Le Meridien's vision to encourage its hotels and resorts to be creative hubs. "Le Meridien is more than simply a place to stay, but also an inspiration, unlocking a world of interactive art and cultural experiences in each unique destination," he explains.

This will be discussed during the latest installment of the brand's groundbreaking "A New Perspective" event series: "Shanghai, Chongqing, Xiamen, Through the Eyes of Kiki Allgeier", at Le Meridien Xiamen on March 12th 2013.

Le Meridien's "A New Perspective" event series have previously explored contemporary Indian art, a photographic study of Bangkok captured by nine photographers from across the Asia Pacific world, and a project by Paris-based Chinese artist An Xiaotong creating Lego artworks inspired by her visits to Le Meridien hotels in Hainan, China, Paris and Istanbul.

Arnaud Champenois, Brand Director for W Hotels and Le Meridien - Asia-Pacific, said: "This project in its entirety will shed new light on the people of contemporary China - showing the rest of the world creative individuals with interesting stories to tell. It continues Le Meridien's vision to break new ground in keeping our guests intimately aware of the local communities at our many destinations."

Kiki Allgeier, a member of the brand's LM100(TM) Creative Community of cultural innovators of mixed generations and interdisciplinary artistic fields, is known for her idiosyncratic blend of fiction, documentary and experimental film, which she will demonstrate in this new video for Le Meridien.

Her dynamic views of the world have been screened at prestigious cultural events including Art Basel Miami, Tribecca Film Festival, Monkey Town and the Aurora Picture Show. She has worked on projects with Morgan Spurlock, Sydney Pollack and Melinda Stone, and more recently collaborated as director of photography and editor for Lawrence Weiner's new film "Water Exists in Milk" and with Ralph Gibson on his new film project "OIch Bin die Nacht".

The theme of visually unlocking local culture has previously been explored by Le Meridien and Air France, who have also pioneered a fan-curated online photography exhibition "A Photographer's Journey: Adiscovery of details from takeoff to turndown" (www.aphotographersjourney.com) featuring never-before-seen photographs by celebrated international photographer Jimmy Cohrssen shot in Istanbul, Shanghai, Bora Bora, Tahiti and Paris.

About New Perspective Events

Le Meridien's "A New Perspective" signature event series showcases LM100(TM) members and local creatives in an interactive, curated experience that explores a cultural specialty and allows guests to gather new insights and stimulate dialogue. Jerome Sans, Le Meridien's Global Cultural Curator, is the founding member of the LM100(TM) programme, which was created in 2007. The signature series also features contemporary artists, art fair partners, and other inspiring local partners, bringing the arts to life for Le Meridien guests and the local community.

About the LM100(TM) Creative Community

Le Meridien's LM100(TM) Creative Community is a group of cultural innovators of mixed generations and interdisciplinary artistic fields, chosen from the fields of art, architecture, cuisine, and design, guided by Le Meridien's Global Cultural Curator. LM100(TM) members offer their creativity and develop original and interactive programs for Le Meridien hotels worldwide that transform the guest experience. LM100(TM) members also curate Le Meridien's interactive initiatives and propose other established or emerging talents that reflect the brand's core values. Current LM100(TM) members include Le Meridien's Global Cultural Curator, Jerome Sans; contemporary Chinese artists Chen Wenbo, Yan Lei, and An Xiaotong; world renowned artists, Sam Samore, Joan Fontcuberta, Youn S Rahmoun, Youssef Nabil; Michael Lin; Hisham Bharoocha, Lucy and Jorge Orta, and Yasemin Baydar and Birol Demir of :mentalKLINIK; Founder of the Video Art Channel, Souvenirs from the Earth, Marcus Kreiss, wine guru Linda Grabe; award-winning photographer Ralph Gibson; Chairman and CEO of illycaffe, Andrea illy; master barista Fritz Storm; Atelier des Chefs founders, Nicolas and Francois Bergerault, French-born, internationally renowned three-star Michelin Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten; Le Labo founders Fabrice Penot and Edouard Roschi; up-and-coming filmmaker Kiki Allgeier; renowned furniture designer Nick Dine; and Creative Class Group Founder and CEO Richard and Rana Florida.

About Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts

Le Meridien, the Paris-born hotel brand currently represented by 100 properties in more than 40 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) in November 2005. With over 80 of its properties located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Le Meridien provided a strong international complement to Starwood's then primarily North American holdings at the time of purchase. Since then, Le Meridien has gone through a brand re-launch, which included a large scale hotels product consolidation as well as redefining its brand strategy. By appointing a full-time Cultural Curator - French arts-provocateur Jerome Sans - Le Meridien transformed numerous guest touch points, thus bringing unique and interactive experiences to its guests. Plans call for dynamic expansion of Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts within the next five years, concentrating on markets in Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Le Meridien recently opened new hotels in Istanbul, Oran (Algeria), Arlington (Virginia, USA), Coimbatore (India), Koh Samui (Thailand), and Taipei, and will open in the next 12 months in Bali, Atlanta, Chicago, Zhengzhou (China), Mahabaleshwar (India), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Cairo (Egypt), Qingdao (China), and Dhaka (Bangladesh). For more information, please visit www.lemeridien.com.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,134 properties in nearly 100 countries and 171,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Meridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element(SM). The Company boasts one of the industry's leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

Issued by Grebstad Hicks Communications on behalf of Le Meridien

For more information, interview requests or high resolution visuals, please contact:

Grebstad Hicks Communications Beijing
Rhoda Adams
Telephone: 86 10 65 289 983
Email: rhoda.adams@ghcasia.com



SOURCE Le Meridien

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130312/CN75325
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Le Meridien

Web Site: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2013/03/12/20130312134018100889.html


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