Haumanu – Auckland Museum

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‘The screens, headphones and media players supplied by Blackbox AV are robust and reliable, which is the key point for public spaces like museums and galleries. They are easy to install and require minimal maintenance. Friendly team, easy communication and quick response all lead to the best outcome.’

– Gilbert Zhao, Auckland Museum

One of the very first museums established in New Zealand, Auckland War Memorial Museum contains some of the best historical collections in the country, educating visitors of the rich history of New Zealand, it’s place in the pacific and its people. This includes pictorial, decorative arts, social and military history pieces, natural history resources, even pre-eminent Pacific and Māori items.

Imaginarium at Auckland Museum

The Imaginarium is a child-friendly section of the museum that uses scale to inspire and educate children (such as their enormous mammoth skull!). The newest addition to the Imaginarium is Haumanu (meaning to revive or restore health). Constructed from multiple trees to form one single massive tree, the full title of the exhibit asks ‘Will you breathe for me?’ starting a conversation about how human life is just an incredibly small piece to the vast living network that makes up the world.

Haumanu is also dotted with secrets. Peak your head through one hole and you may find an owl staring back at you! Not a real owl though, one being displayed on a 7″ Open Frame screen. Its compact size and simple content upload allowing for an easy installation in such a tight space.

Just nearby the entrance to Haumanu you’ll find a large wooden bench with two of our robust MKII Headphones installed at both ends, complete with hangers and powered by SoundClip-2’s. This allows visitors to rest comfortably while engaging with the exhibit and its subject matter.

This is a great example of conventional interpretation techniques coupled with some simple AV solutions and grand design ideas to create an inspirational visitor experience.