Many of the kākahu on display in Te Papa’s Kahu Ora exhibition are contemporary works that serve as fantastic examples of the vitality of raranga as an art form. During preparation of the items for display, as we dressed them on mannequins and cloak forms, we had the special opportunity to work with one of the artists represented in the exhibition, Kohai Grace (she has also been in the Weaver’s Studio, see post below). The ensemble that Kohai has lent us is woven in beautiful pale undyed muka and consists of a short strapless tunic style dress and cape, decorated with albatross feathers.
Kohai Grace and Object Support Mountmaker Penny Angrick fitting the dress to the mannequin. Copyright Te Papa
When the tunic and cape arrived in the conservation lab for assessment, I found a pointed shell pin inside the box as well. We didn’t have any photographs that showed how the pin would have been used with the garments, so I wasn’t sure if it was meant to fasten the cloak, or for some other purpose. I also noticed that one of the loops along the back opening of the dress had come unstitched, so a very minor repair would have to be done to enable the dress to be laced up the back properly. Knowing that Kohai was within an hour’s drive of Wellington, I asked Curator Awhina Tamarapa to get in touch with Kohai to ask whether she would like to come in to help prepare her garment for exhibition. Object Support Mountmaker Penny Angrick and I had previously worked out the way we thought the cape might be displayed with the dress, but we learned from Kohai that she preferred more of the front of the dress to be visible to the viewer. Kohai stitched down the wayward loop at the back of the dress and showed us the intended position of the shell pin. It was nice to share the decision-making about display and presentation with Kohai, and to carry out our work in the true spirit of “Living Cloaks”.
Kohai stands behind her “Living Cloak”. Copyright Te Papa
14 February 2012 – 12.14pm
We have been touring our Whales Tohorā exhibition internationally since October 2008, taking our unique whale stories to the world.
Whales Tōhora exhibition at Te Papa, with Tū Hononga the male sperm whale skeleton.© Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 2008
It opens at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa on 2 March, and has recently been on show at the Field Museum of Natural History, in Chicago.
When you take such a big exhibition on tour and have to move things as big as a couple of sperm whale skeletons there are bound to be some great stories… and some hairy moments.
Tū Hononga (meaning “the connection”) is the male sperm whale skeleton at the heart of the exhibition. He is about 17 metres long and the large skull and jaw weighs about 795 kilos. That’s quite a challenge to move safely through the doors of some museum buildings and then up several floors into the galleries - as the staff and Te Papa install team at the Canadian Museum of Nature found out.
Read the Canadian Museum of Nature’s blog and watch the video about Tū Hononga’s latest adventure.
Be warned! – make sure you read right through to the end 
13 December 2011 – 9.13pm
On Monday, the Unveiled installation team unpacked what must be considered one of the exhibition’s most glamorous gowns – a glorious number designed by Norman Hartnell for Margaret Whigham, a British society beauty who married Charles Sweeney, a movie-star handsome American, in 1933. While one of the most glamorous, it is also the most tricky to pack and display due to the sheer size of its lavish train – all 12 feet of it. While the bride’s security guards unceremoniously bundled the train into the wedding car (as seen here in this Pathe film), the V&A have treated the gown with the respect it deserves – after all it took 30 seamstresses six weeks to make! Here are some images of the installation team unpacking the gown before an entranced group of media.
All of the gowns in Unveiled have travelled on their display mannequins in specially fitted out crates. The Margaret Whigham crate, pictured below, is affectionately known as the ‘toast rack’.
- The ‘toast rack’ travelling system. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa
The M of the ‘toast rack’ has been cleverly designed to evenly support the weight of the gown’s 12 foot train.
The mannequin and train are lifted into place for unwrapping. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa
For travelling, the gown is completely wrapped in a layer of Tyvek, a protective material.
Protectively veiled in Tyvek. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa
The tulle border is revealed. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa
After untying a myriad of little bows, the conservators removed the cover from the train, and began to remove the protective Tyvek and silk layers from the mannequin (below).
Keira Miller and Anne Peranteau remove the mannequin's protective coverings. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa
Keira and Anne reveal Hartnell and his seamstresses magnificent handwork - a scattering of appliqued and beaded stars. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa.
After revealing the gown, Keira from the V&A and Anne Peranteau, one of Te Papa’s Textile Conservators, turned their attention back to the train. After removing the Tyvek, they removed the padded ’duvet’, which ensures that any folds in the train are ‘soft’ rather than ‘hard’.
Anne and Keira remove the 'duvet'. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa
The train in all its glory. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa
The silk satin gown and train are studded with pearl-embroidered, transparent and appliqued stars. Both the train and ‘angel’ sleeves are trimmed with tulle, the frothy nature of which provides a dramatic contrast to the slinky sheen of the satin.
The train was designed by Hartnell to make the maximum impact in the aisle of Brompton Oratory, a Roman Catholic Church in South Kensington, just next to the Victoria &Albert Museum.
In order to display the gown, Te Papa has built a special case. Fittingly, the gown will be shown at Te Papa alongside the wedding gown of her bridesmaid, Baba Beaton, whose Charles James dress features a dramatic split train.
The train, scattered with beaded stars. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa
This week it has been full steam ahead in the VISA Platinum Gallery. The crates carrying Unveiled: 200 Years of Wedding Fashion from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London arrived by sea, and Keira Miller and Sarah Scott from the V&A arrived by air. Over the last week Keira and Sarah, accompanied by our team of installers and conservators, have been unpacking the crates, removing layers of protective coverings, and thoroughly checking the condition of each item before placing it in its designated display case. At the time of writing 80% of the garments have been arranged in their cases, ready to be lit.
In the spirit of burlesque artiste Dita von Teese, whose magnificent Vivienne Westwood gown is in the exhibition, here is a little photographic ‘strip tease’ of the unpacking in motion.
- A wedding dress from the V&A patiently waiting to be unveiled for display. Photo: Claire Regnault, Te Papa
A dress in its specially made protective silk 'travelling garment'.
Rachael Collinge from Te Papa and Sarah Scott from the V&A remove the protective covering to reveal the splendour of Dita von Teese's Vivienne Westwood gown. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa.
Sarah slowly removes the protective covering. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa.
Sarah adds a final touch to Dita von Teese's outfit - a jaunty tricorne hat by Stephen Jones. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa.
Dita von Teese's wedding gown by Vivienne Westwood fully unveiled. Photo: Kate Whitley, Te Papa.
Now all that needs to be done, is to find her matching Christian Louboutin heels!
