The NZ Liberation Museum - Te Arawhata, an update
New Zealand Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata will be a living memorial museum honouring New Zealand’s World War I history in Le Quesnoy, France. A collaboration between Wētā Workshop and The New Zealand Memorial Museum Trust – Le Quesnoy, it tells the story of the New Zealand led liberation of the town’s 1,600 residents from four years of German occupation. Wētā Workshop conducted extensive research, artfully designed, creatively manufactured and is installing the immersive experience. Here’s an update on the project as we move closer to the big day.
Handle with care
Our crew have finished crafting everything for the exhibition and it’s been safely packed up and transported to France by the folks at Mainfreight.
One challenge on this project was the share scale of the giant soldier and the ladder, Te Arawhata. Our crew needed to take care that each individual component was meticulously recorded and packaged in a way that they would be easily and intuitively reassembled by the install crew in France.
Beyond the concerns of fragility, some challenges include ensuring that the objects are protected from temperature and humidity changes during transportation, as these can cause damage.
Meanwhile more of our crew have flown over to France and are currently installing the pieces as they arrive. Behind the scenes, preparation for open day is well underway and it’s shaping up to be a very special occasion for both the visiting kiwis and residents of Le Quesnoy.
Soundtrack to NZ Liberation Museum - Te Arawhata
“Many had previously been on the Western Front at the Battle of Passchendaele and only a couple of weeks out from the end of the war they are charged with liberating the town of Le Quesnoy on the other side of the world.
“It brings it home how extraordinary it was, but also the tragic nature of the time they lived in.”
Rhian had many conversations with Wētā Workshop Senior Creative Director Andrew Thomas about NZ Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata to help get a sense of how to tell the story through the music.
“The exhibition is designed to create a very immersive and emotive storytelling experience, to highlight the human stories behind the liberation, and the music is central to that,” says Sheehan.
The result is a stunningly beautiful, yet considered score with strings, brass, and woodwind, that is essential to creating a sensory and emotive environment for museum visitors to reflect and remember those involved in Le Quesnoy.
“Many had previously been on the Western Front at the Battle of Passchendaele and only a couple of weeks out from the end of the war they are charged with liberating the town of Le Quesnoy on the other side of the world.
“It brings it home how extraordinary it was, but also the tragic nature of the time they lived in.”
Rhian had many conversations with Wētā Workshop Senior Creative Director Andrew Thomas about NZ Liberation Museum - Te Arawhata to help get a sense of how to tell the story through the music.
“The exhibition is designed to create a very immersive and emotive storytelling experience, to highlight the human stories behind the liberation, and the music is central to that,” says Sheehan.
The result is a stunningly beautiful, yet considered score with strings, brass, and woodwind, that is essential to creating a sensory and emotive environment for museum visitors to reflect and remember those involved in Le Quesnoy.
The museum is set to open in Le Quesnoy France on October 11, 2023. See more about the build-up to the opening on our Facebook or LinkedIn page, or visit The NZ Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata.