My first thought on seeing the picture above was ‘Jesus … Christ the Redeemer has gone all gay!’
But the rainbow effect had nothing to do with gay rights; the colours projected this week onto the famous Rio de Janeiro monument represent the Italian flag.
This little caper was initiated by the famous Pirelli tyre company in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro to mark of the visit to Brazil of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Renzi himself threw the switch that bathed Jesus in the green, white and red lights of the the Italian tricolore,
Pirelli, present in Brazil for 87 years, has been preserving and maintaining the Christ the Redeemer of Corcovado, as well as operating “social projects” related to the monument since 2014.
After financing the restoration of the monument two years ago, due to damage caused by lightning strikes, this year, Pirelli reaffirmed its relationship to Brazil and the city of Rio de Janeiro by joining in a safety project related to the area where Christ the Redeemer stands.
Pirelli has also launched a digital platform with the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro to highlight:
Projects and actions of goodwill spontaneously done by Brazilians for their community.
The site includes an exclusive virtual tour of the monument, 360° views of the city and a 24 hour time-lapse of the landscape. It’s really quite impressive.