Life Imitates Art

Friday, 14 September 2007

If you’ve taken a picture of you and someone kissing in front of ”Unconditional Surrender,” the “Kiss” statue near the Midway museum, the Port of San Diego would like to feature it on its web site.

"Unconditional Surrender" is a 25-foot sculpture that brings to life a famous black-and-white image of a sailor kissing a young nurse in Times Square, New York City, on Aug. 14, 1945. The image captures the spontaneous eruption of joy and euphoria that swept a war-weary nation when the public announcement was finally made that World War II was over. The 25-foot recreation is located on G Street Mole in San Diego, opposite the Midway Museum, and depicts the famous moment caught on film.

The Port is collecting the kissing photos of people in front of the statue to showthat visitors from throughout the world have visited the artwork. Photos and personal messages can be left at: http://www.portofsandiego.org

The “Kiss” photo is an icon of the end of World War II and Aug. 14, 1945, reflecting the news that Japan had agreed to surrender, thus ending the war. The 6,000- pound artwork, owned by the Sculpture Foundation in Santa Monica, Calif. is on loan to the Port of San Diego for a year.

The Port of San Diego is a public benefit corporation and special government entity. Created in 1963 by an act of the California Legislature, the Port manages San Diego harbor and administers the public lands along San Diego Bay. The Port has operated without tax dollars since 1970 and has been responsible for $1.5 billion in public improvements in its five member cities – Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego. With an $8.4 billion economic impact on the San Diego region, the Port oversees two maritime cargo terminals, a cruise ship terminal, 16 public parks, various wildlife reserves and environmental initiatives, a Harbor Police department and the leases of over 600 tenant businesses around San Diego Bay.

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