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Installing Reactive Architecture exhibition

7 September 2009 – 5.25pm

It’s not often we have an urgent request from the exhibition installers for help with Javascript!

But last week one of the project managers came, ashen face, asking if anyone could help her with javascript. Of course my team of developers leapt to help and so we became acquainted with the weird world that is currently being installed on Level 4 at Te Papa.

Installation of Reactive Architecture

Installation of Reactive Architecture

The exhibition is Reactive Architecture: smart buildings respond to the environment. It opens on Saturday 19 September.
More about Reactive Architecture

Even though it was just being installed it looks amazing. It has bicycles that power racing cars, umbrellas that open and close with light and I never did find out how these anemome shapes are going to move . I only know that hundreds of tiny plastic parts were carefully being assembled by a team of four.

Installation of Reactive Architecture

Installation of Reactive Architecture

And just in case you are curious, my team helped Uwe Rieger, one of the architects involved in the show, debug a movement sensor being installed on his spectacular umbrella installation. My photos don’t do it justice, I am IT not photography. They look so beautiful and I didn’t even see the piece going.

Installation of Reactive Architecture.

Installation of Reactive Architecture.

If you go up onto the bridge on the way from Level 4 to Toi Te Papa you might be able to spy some other great installation shots!

Personally I can’t wait to have a go on the bikes that power the toy cars. There are two so I reckon we might stage a few races. What is is about Te Pepa and racing cars at the moment!
Formula 1

Posted in Art, Exhibitions | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Loch Ness Squid on Google Earth!

28 August 2009 – 4.32pm

The blog-o-sphere is reeling today with supposed sightings of the Loch Ness Monster on Google Earth! Check it out – we wonder whether perhaps Nessie and our Colossal squid are related?

Image of Google Earth care of Geekologie.com

Image of Google Earth care of Geekologie.com

Weird co-incidence number 2 is that during the squid defrost, some of the scientists nick-named our squid ‘Messie’ - after the scientific name Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni.

For those of you whose Latin pronunciation is not great, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni is pronouced something like ‘Mess-on-a-ca-tooth-this’.
Te Papa’s Colossal Squid website

Posted in Colossal squid | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)

Jemima’s tangled tale

14 August 2009 – 3.49pm

It’s great that folks are interested in the Play School toys. This week they’re some of the most viewed objects in Collections Online. I’ve also loved the way Invercargill is having a debate on where the clock should be. Read stuff story on the clock

I’ll stay out of that, but I’ve been finding out how the toys came into Te Papa’s collection. Here’s what I’ve found out about Jemima.

Rag doll ’Jemima’

Rag doll ’Jemima’

Kirstie Ross, one of our history curators, told me what she knows. The story goes that Jemima was rescued years ago from a rubbish bin outside TVNZ. We think her rescuer was, at the time, a TVNZ employee. 

I was surprised Jemima was thrown away, but Kirstie told me they replaced the toys periodically as they wore out. This shocked me – more than one Jemima! But once I had calmed down a bit it made sense – of course they wore out – the show was on air for 15 years.

Kirstie says Jemima was naked when she came into the museum – but we decided it was a good idea for her to be dressed when she appeared online.

Teddy bear (Big Ted)

Teddy bear ("Big Ted")

You can see that Jemima’s hand is damaged and the stuffing is coming out. I was surprised that Te Papa hadn’t repaired it – remember I am an IT person not a museum professional. Kirstie assured me our conservators have stabilised her arm so no more damage occurs but we don’t fix collection objects. Their condition is part of their story – the patina of age.

Anyway, we believe Jemima’s rescuer left her on the West Coast when she went to live in Australia where she unfortunately passed away.

Jemima came to Wellington in 2005 after the family of her rescuer offered her to Te Papa. Interestingly Manu, Humpty and Big Ted all came to Te Papa together in 2004. They had previously been with Whitebait TV Productions.

And as for Little Ted…. well we know his body is in Dunedin. Somehow the mystery around Little Ted fits my memory of him. I remember him as a bit naughty – in a charming sort of way.

I also remember Humpty as grumpy and Big Ted as responsible. Can anyone else remember what the toys were like?

Posted in Collections Online, History | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Reconstructing Play School online

7 August 2009 – 4.12pm
Invercargill Public Library has the clock, Te Papa has the toys, and NZ On Screen has the video!
 
News today on the Stuff website that the clock from the New Zealand version of Play School has been found ‘languishing in storage’.
Check out the Play School clock on Stuff .
 
Humpty

Stuffed toy ("Humpty")

Over the past few weeks a couple of us here have been reliving our childhoods looking at the Play School toys in our collection and clips from the shows on NZ On Screen. We’re not curators, we’re just in the web team and the Picture Library so it still delights us when we find things like the Play School toys in our collection. We have Big Ted, Humpty, Manu and Jemima.
Te Papa’s Collection
NZ On Screen

Little Teds armour

Doll’s clothes, armour

We also have some of the costumes the toys wore, including a set of armour. Amazingly, in the first clip on NZ On Screen where the presenters build a castle, the Teds are wearing armour. A great coincidence or what?

Here’s the armour, carefully preserved for posterity. I love the feather – Big Ted’s feather was turquoise so I surmise the pink helmet was designed for Little Ted. In Little Ted fashion, he isn’t wearing it.

But unfortunately we don’t have Little Ted so we can’t verify it with him. Rumour has it that he was blown up in an unfortunate accident on What Now? Is this true? Anyone know?

And does anyone else out there have more Play School stuff we can add to our informal online un-collection? 

It is amazing what is coming out of of the archives and cool when we can link them together to tell more complete stories.

Perhaps Play School is another candidate for a Digital New Zealand Project!

Posted in Collections Online, History | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (11)

Leon and Pat on the Radio New Zealand National

12 May 2009 – 1.12pm

 

Loxsoma cunninghamii - the tuatara of ferns

Loxsoma cunninghamii - the tuatara of ferns

Interested in ferns? As a keen gardener,  I’ve been enjoying Leon’s blogs about ferns. So I was delighted when I heard Leon Perrie and Pat Brownsey talking with Alison Ballance on Radio New Zealand National. You can listen to the two parts (30 April 2009 and 7 May 2009) from the Our Changing World programme.

Pat and Leon took a walk through Otari-Wilton’s Bush in Wellington last November.  Otari-Wilton’s bush is a fantastic botanic garden in Wellington dedicated solely to native New Zealand plants.

Leon and Pat find loads of interesting ferns – including the Tuatara of ferns, Loxsoma cunninghamii, more about the false Hen and Chicken’s fern, and edible ferns including King ferns and bracken.

Posted in Collections Online, Ferns, Plants | Tagged | Comments (0)

I’m lovin’ the lillies – over 1000 Make a ‘Monets’!

31 March 2009 – 2.54pm
Lynda Gs lillies

Lynda G's lillies

Wow – I love the response we have been getting to Make a ‘Monet’. People are so talented and take such beautiful photographs! Check out the gallery.
Margaret Lows Haystacks

Margaret Low's Haystacks

Thanks to everyone who have made ‘Monets’! We hit 1000 last night so I’m taking the team out to celebrate with coffee! I’ve picked out some of my favourites – mind you I am a web person not an art person so please bear that in mind – and there are heaps that are fabulous.

Nancy Murray

Nancy Murray

If you haven’t had a go then please do - I’d love to see your pics! All you do is upload a photo – or take one with your webcam, ‘paint’ it with the brushes, sign it and save it to our gallery. Oh and comment on other people’s images – it’s always nice to get some feedback.

Palmerston North in spring

Palmerston North in spring

I’d love to hear which ones you think work really well. And here’s one that makes me smile…

Is it a squid? No - its Jen the Lobster!

Is it a squid? No - it's Jen the Lobster!

Posted in Exhibitions | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Catch the online debate – How will technology change the way we live and learn?

30 March 2009 – 4.39pm

Join in on New Zealand’s first on-line live policy debate on Tuesday 31 March at 7.30pm NZ time.

You can register on the new site – ‘Think Tech’  http://www.thinktech.co.nz   You’ll be able to listen to the debate on-line and send in comments and questions for the panel in real time.

Eight New Zealanders will debate live on-line, the effects of technology on education and society twenty years from today.  The panelists are:

  • Seddon Bennington (CEO Te Papa)
  • Maria English (Student and award winning debater)
  • Oscar Kightley (Entertainer, writer and commentator)
  • Bernice Mene (Secondary Futures ‘Guardian’ and former Silver Ferns
    captain)
  • Luke Nola (Producer of TVNZ ‘Let’s Get Inventing’)
  • Richie Poulton (Director, Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit at Otago University at Otago University)
  • Antony Royal (IT entrepreneur and business leader)
  • Kevin Norquay (Senior journalist with NZPA)

Hope you can make it!

Posted in Events, Exhibitions | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Squid goes postal! NZPost’s Squid Stamp and Coin

12 March 2009 – 4.57pm
Giants of New Zealand stamp series

Giants of New Zealand stamp series

Not content with getting an exhibition, the Colossal Squid now has her own stamp and coin! The dollar stamp and coin no less. Cool. Thanks NZ Post!

Giants of New Zealand coins

Giants of New Zealand coins

 

The other giants are the Giant Moa (extinct), Giant Eagle (extinct), Southern Right Whale, Giant Weta.

I’m going to chase down a curator tomorrow and find out a) what the scientific names of these creatures are and b) whether New Zealand has more Giant species than most places.

Posted in Colossal squid, Exhibitions, Whales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (6)
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