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Te Papa Adapts Touring Immersive Exhibition Breathe | Mauri Ora from ACMI

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Breathe | Mauri Ora: Te Papa’s Technical Triumph

Early involvement allowed the team to understand curatorial decisions and identify where flexibility existed.

Te Papa’s project team, led by AV project lead Mark Olliver, successfully adapted the touring immersive exhibition Breathe | Mauri Ora for their Wellington gallery. Originally developed by Marshmallow Laser Feast and produced by ACMI, the exhibition blends large-scale projection, spatial audio, and guided interaction.

Adapting to a Challenging Space

A key challenge lay in the gallery dimensions. ACMI's larger, long and narrow gallery contrasted sharply with Te Papa's smaller, triangular space with a curved top. This required careful, early mapping of audience flow and the sequence of exhibition elements.

The installation period was just 5.5 weeks, necessitating extensive pre-production design and offsite testing.

Technical Implementation

The technical backbone of the exhibition was locally procured and meticulously configured:

  • 13 Panasonic projectors (HD and 4K)
  • 85 speakers and 6 subwoofers, managed by BSS DSPs
  • 22 Dante PoE+ amplifiers and 5 Netgear AV Line M4250 switches
  • Audio routing was pre-configured using Dante, and systems were tested offsite

VR experiences used Meta Quest 3 headsets with Sennheiser headphones, operated by front-of-house hosts via a central control PC. The VR system was designed for ease of use by non-technical staff, featuring wireless operation with no hand controllers, allowing full 360-degree interaction.

Immersive Features

Spatial audio synchronization with visuals enhanced immersion, where sound would originate from objects within the projection itself. The entire exhibition ran fully automated, integrated into Te Papa's building-wide automation and monitoring system for daily, hands-off operation.

Key Insights

Mark Olliver noted that early involvement and understanding of curatorial decisions were critical to success. He highlighted that PoE amplifiers were practical and cost-effective, and that the VR system was designed for ease of use by non-technical staff. The exhibition relied on daily checks and remote monitoring to ensure consistent performance.