30 | Telling regional stories The team has been the creative minds behind many of New Zealand’s most iconic museums such as the Te Kōngahu Waitangi Museum. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Workshop e T T Ange Davidson Workshop e is an experience and design development company based in Whangarei creating visitor centric experiences in museums, art galleys and libraries from Northland to Otago. Creative Director Az James is part of a team of six passionate and high-performing creatives that collaborate with designers from around the world to push the boundaries of how we think about museums and public spaces, and to tackle multidisciplinary and complex projects. The team has been the creative minds behind many of New Zealand’s most iconic museums such as the Te Kōngahu Waitangi Museum and Waitangi Treaty House reinterpretation, Toitū Otago Early Settlers redevelopment, and the permanent Blue Water Black Magic exhibition in the New Zealand Maritime Museum. Their work includes exhibitions within the context of art galleries experiences as well as environmental visitor centres. “From our first museum project that explored the history of yachting and wrapped around NZL32 and Sir Peter Blake at the New Zealand Maritime Museum, we’ve learnt a huge amount about the overall process of designing and thinking about museums and opportunities that engage with people. “We need to think about what’s important to the community and the visitor as museums are no longer about telling a singular story through the lens of one curator, and more about listening and reflecting what is relevant to each community. “To do this we really dive into a museum’s collections and the taonga held within these become a major catalyst to the stories that are told. It used to be that regional museums were quite similar but we tend to push them to tell different stories - their own stories,” says Az. “It used to be that regional museums were quite similar but we tend to push them to tell different stories - their own stories.” Community libraries are also integrating story telling into their design and are proving to be more nimble than many museums in terms of visitor experience. Libraries are therefore becoming important cultural hubs for activity and experiences. They are no longer quiet spaces – but are vibrant and integrated into their communities. Workshop e is behind the visitor experience at the new community library and cultural centre, Te Ara Ātea in Rolleston where they worked closely with mana whenua and local community groups to reflect the story of the Selwyn District. The new building is a library and cultural centre, a café, and community spaces, and has exhibition elements that are integrated throughout where stories, taonga and art from the region are shared. Another project is the redevelopment of the Rotorua Museum and Gardens. This has many moving parts such as integrating the Category 1 Heritage New Zealand listed building with the surrounding gardens and the stories of Te Arawa, a confederation of Māori iwi and hapū around the Rotorua lakes. “There’s a lot of change going on within the experience of design across all of the different places we work with, and the human side is incredibly important to every project. “It’s the stories that come through that keep us engaged, interested and excited. We are always testing new ground and finding ways to look at things,” says Az. New ground in design experience can be found right next door to Workshop e’s office building in Whangarei – this is in the form of a design store called Collecte. “I’ve always dreamed about and integrated retail experience that brings together of all of my favourite things - New Zealand designed and made garments, jewellery and objects,” laughs Az. www.hbaāchātāctuāā.co.nz 198 Bank Stāāāt, Rāgānt, Whangāāāā
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=