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Fujifilm Joins Friends of the High Line, Launches High Line Portrait Project

Fujifilm Joins Friends of the High Line, Launches High Line Portrait Project

Published 06-18-07

Submitted by Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd.

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2007--As the High Line park takes shape above the streets of New York City, construction fencing in the neighborhood will feature improvised outdoor art galleries covered with photographs of High Line supporters from the local community and beyond, Friends of the High Line (FHL) announced today. The group will also launch a Web site featuring the portraits, www.thehighline.org/portraits.

Dubbed "The High Line Portrait Project" and made possible with a $50,000 donation from Fujifilm, the photographs capture the spirit of the inventive new park that is being built atop the High Line elevated rail structure, which runs through the Manhattan neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen.

Fujifilm's contribution to FHL will help support community outreach efforts, including the Portrait Project, in the final year before the Park's opening. The first section of the Park (Gansevoort to 20th Street) is slated to open to the public in the summer of 2008.

"Set atop an out-of-use freight rail trestle, the High Line will be a park like no other. It shows the creativity and innovation that makes New York City great," said Robert Hammond, Co-Founder of FHL, a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the preservation and reuse of the High Line. "What started as a few people's dream turned into a community project, gained worldwide support and is finally becoming a reality. The High Line shows what can happen when we dream big."

What's Your Dream? The High Line Portrait Project

The Portrait Project is driven by the enthusiasm and dedication of the Friends of the High Line, with support from Fujifilm and noted event and fashion photographer Tom Kletecka (whose client list includes designer Marc Jacobs, Travel + Leisure magazine and Cartier). Kletecka volunteered his time to photograph High Line supporters in front of a backdrop of the High Line as photographed by Joel Sternfeld, whose images of the High Line were instrumental in bringing public attention to the project in 2000. Each participant at the photo events received a commemorative copy of his or her portrait to take home, courtesy of Fujifilm's digital printing technology.

The portraits will be displayed in several locations surrounding the High Line during the summer of 2007. The High Line is proof that the most far-fetched imaginings can come true, and each person who is photographed for the Portrait Project was asked, "What's your dream?" after their picture was taken. Their answers will appear with their photos on the Portrait Project web site, www.thehighline.org/portraits. The images will also be compiled in a commemorative publication.

"The High Line Portrait Project is a unique way to showcase the dynamic group of supporters who have guided the project from dream to reality," said Adrian Benepe, Commissioner, New York City Parks & Recreation. "The High Line itself is a work of art and there is no better way to celebrate its supporters than through this exciting exhibition."

In the summer of 2006, the High Line and Fujifilm collaborated on another photography project. Two hundred children who live in the local community received Fujifilm QuickSnap one-time-use cameras and were asked to take pictures of things they thought were important and interesting. The photos were then exhibited along the concourse gallery of Manhattan's Chelsea Market. Originally the National Biscuit Company and a stop on the High Line, Chelsea Market is now home to small shops that sell gourmet food. You can see these images at: http://www.thehighline.org/gallery/cameraproject.

"The need to find, protect or create greenways, particularly in such a unique, visual way is so important as part of a global effort to maintain a balance with the environment," said Camilla Jenkins, Vice President, Corporate Communications, FUJIFILM. "The ideals and project fit perfectly with Fujifilm's global commitment to preservation, conservation and community cultural efforts. This effort has succeeded tremendously already and we hope this project will remind other companies and individuals that there continues to be a great need for community support for the High Line now and into the future."

ABOUT THE HIGH LINE: The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long elevated rail structure on Manhattan's West Side. Built in the 1930's, the High Line was originally a rail trestle for freight trains into and out of lower Manhattan until it went out of use in 1980. FHL is a community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit group that was formed in 1999 to protect the historic structure, then under threat of demolition. FHL's mission is to preserve the structure for reuse as an elevated public open space. FHL gained the City's support in 2002. The High Line south of 30th Street was donated to the City by CSX Transportation Inc. in 2005. The team of Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro is now at work on a design for the High Line's public landscape. Construction began in spring 2006. The first phase is projected to open in the summer of 2008. More information is available at www.thehighline.org.

ABOUT FUJIFILM: Fujifilm brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries including medical, life sciences, consumer electronic, chemical, graphic arts, information systems, photography and office products based on its vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. The company provides products and services that contribute to the advancement of culture, science, technology and industry, as well as to improved health and environmental protection. It is the global leader in digital minilabs; Computed Radiography systems; ink dyes, pigments and UV inks for inkjet printers and materials used in the production of flat panel displays. Fujifilm is ranked 15th for U.S. patents granted in 2006, employs more than 75,000 people worldwide and in the year ended March 31, 2007 had global revenues of $23.6 billion dollars.

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Copyright Business Wire 2007

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Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd.

Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd.

Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. is a subsidiary of Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. and delivers technology solutions to meet the imaging and information needs of retailers, consumers, professionals and business customers. As a global leader in digital imaging, Fujifilm pioneered the development of digital medical systems, and today is the leader in digital minilab systems. The company was ranked number 15 for U.S. patents granted during 2004, employs more than 75,000 people worldwide and in the year ending March 31, 2006, had global revenues of $22.8 billion. In the United States, Fujifilm is a leader in delivering high quality, easy-to-use imaging and information solutions in the following categories: Digital Imaging Systems, Film and Imaging Systems, Recording/Storage Media, Motion Picture Film, Graphic Arts and Printing Systems and Medical Imaging and Diagnostics Systems. Fujifilm is an environmentally friendly, humane enterprise and an exemplary corporate citizen.

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