This year marks the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. The British High Commission, in partnership with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Wellington City Council, Ticketek New Zealand present a special screening of the internationally acclaimed film “The Battle of the Somme”.
What will make people want to look at a photo in 100 years time? Which ones will people be interested in? These were questions we posed to visitors of the exhibition New Zealand Photography Collected that was recently shown as part of Ngā Toi | Arts Te Papa on level 5 at Te Papa. We… Read more »
Deep in the jungle of Bangalla lives a masked comic-strip marvel known as the Phantom, a guardian of the innocent who fights against the destruction of injustice. His powerful feats, which stretch over four hundred years, earned him the alias of the ‘Ghost Who Walks’ and the ‘Man who Never Dies’. Despite his perceived immortality,… Read more »
Hosts are experiencing a different sort of gallery space just now, as Ngā Toi remains open while it transitions from Season 5 to Season 6. Having a gallery remain open while major changes are made is a big juggle for our Te Papa team. They work so there is minimum disruption and the visitors can… Read more »
The Learning Innovation team are very excited about the new activities featuring in Te Whare Toi in this upcoming season of Ngā Toi | Arts Te Papa. We have been playing around with the wonderful range of dress-ups for ‘Adorn yourself!’ in the office this afternoon. This activity relates to the exhibitions European Splendour 1500—1800 and… Read more »
September is New Zealand Queer History Month and a great opportunity to celebrate the LGBTI histories represented in Te Papa’s collection. So over the next few weeks we’re aiming to showcase queer related objects and stories through Instagram and blogs. My first example is a headdress and gown hand-made by cross-dressing performer Frank Lund. They are classic… Read more »
Gully fern, also called pākauroharoha and Pneumatopteris pennigera, is one of the most common ferns in New Zealand. You’ll have almost certainly seen it if you’ve ever walked in a New Zealand forest. It occurs from the north of the North Island to the south of the South Island (although it is absent from much… Read more »
Imaging specialist, Jean-Claude Stahl, has been getting to grips with our new microscope which can take incredibly sharp pictures of shells as tiny as a grain of sand. Being able to take high quality, close-up images, is an important part of our scientist’s role in documenting species from the natural environment. With older technology, this was no… Read more »
In 2014 I was invited by the City Gallery in Wellington to curate a ‘Frock Room’ as part of Creamy Psychology, a major retrospective exhibition of photographer Yvonne Todd. The ‘Frock Room’ featured glamorous gowns from Todd’s personal collection which she used to create portraits of various women, real and imagined. I am currently working with Yvonne… Read more »
Recently the Pacific Cultures team at Te Papa were informed of the passing of one our elders and leaders, Tufuga Holoatu Lagatule. She was born in Niue and came to New Zealand as a teenager in 1957. She became an important figure among the Pacific communities living in Christchurch, in New Zealand’s South Island, where… Read more »