In February, Te Papa opened a commemorative display, Remember: the Canterbury Earthquakes, to mark the fourth anniversary of the devastating 2011 quakes. The display features two pieces of furniture by Rekindle, a social enterprise committed to unlocking the qualities of undervalued materials, and in particular Christchurch’s demolition ‘waste’. The Whole House ReuseRead more
This family portrait has long been a favourite amongst the Te Papa History team. It stands out amongst the many Berry & Co soldier portraits due to the sitters’ magnificent winter dress. Draped in heavy woollen coats and luxurious furs, it is the one portrait in the collection that powerfully conveys a season. The portrait is simply inscribed ‘Brown’. AsRead more
Registrations are now open for Museum Victoria’s War & Emotions symposium, which is being held at the Melbourne Museum in September in association with the exhibition WWI: Love & Sorrow. The symposium will explore new perspectives and understandings of the emotional and physical impacts of World War I. The symposium will feature internationalRead more
Te Papa was thrilled to work with Production Shed TV in 2013 and 2014 on a documentary inspired by the Berry & Co. soldier portraits held in the museum’s collection. The documentary, which was originally produced for TVNZ, features the stories of six soldiers depicted in the collection. This June, you have the opportunity to seeRead more
The industrious Lethbridge sisters Earlier this year Te Papa was approached by Red Strand Design. Based in Cork and London, the company specialises in design-based cultural and education projects. They invited us to take part in Passion & Legacy, a project inspired by the incredible stitch work of the ‘Lethbridge Sisters’, Julia Baroness Carew (1863-1922)Read more
I have been an avid listener of the BBC World Service’s wonderful series on the War that Changed the World, which is being broadcast locally by Radio New Zealand. Working in partnership with the British Council, the BBC has recorded a series of panel discussions in different cities around the world fromRead more
This coming Sunday, 17 May, Te Papa is hosting the Wellington AIDS Candlelight Memorial Service.Read more
This week Te Papa is thrilled to be hosting the New Zealand Dance Company who are bringing their acclaimed full-length dance-piece Rotunda to Soundings Theatre. Described as ‘another fierce and fabulous strike for professional and profound contemporary dance in New Zealand’ (Bernadette Rae, The NZ Herald), Rotunda has been created by created byRead more
Remembering comes in many different forms. In Te Papa’s commemorative display Remember: the Canterbury Earthquakes, we feature a number of beautiful objects made from materials salvaged from the quake damaged city – they are ‘material memories’. As people rebuild their lives, homes and businesses, many are seeking to incorporate elementsRead more
This Sunday marks the fourth anniversary of the devastating earthquake that shook the city of Christchurch, claiming the lives of 185 people and changing those of thousands of residents in ways that it is often hard to conceive unless experienced. In Te Papa’s commemorative display (20 February to 22 March 2015),Read more
Author, lecturer, traveller and collector, John Gillow has spent more than 40 years travelling the world in pursuit of textiles, and sharing his finds with textile lovers all over the world. Besides travelling through remote and sometimes unstable or war-torn areas, John has also written an array of beautifully illustratedRead more
‘Sometimes they marched with fixed bayonets and you saw this silver ribbon come winding through the crowd…’ Ena Ryan This wonderful, almost cinematic line comes from an interview with Ena Ryan, a Wellingtonian who was born in 1908. In the interview she vividly recalls the outbreak of the First World War, andRead more
Just as the old Sesame Street song enthuses, take a little walk through your neighbourhood and see who you meet. Chances are that this week you will come across some faces from the past. For bent, the mysterious artist responsible for many magical happenings around the city, from giant pigeons to miniature box cities, has been busy reunitingRead more
This week Te Papa, Archives New Zealand and Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision are taking our collections to the streets for an outdoor multi-media presentation as part of the Wellington City Council’s First World War commemoration programme. The launch of Lest We Forget on the 16 October marks the 100th anniversary of the departureRead more
‘The bloke threw such a jandal!’ The only reason a bloke could throw a jandal (aka a tantrum), is because of Morris Yock of Onehunga. As legend has it, before the 4 October 1957, there was technically no jandal to throw. In 1957 Yock produced a version of the Japanese sandal inRead more
