WWI Remembered: A Light and Sound Show

World War I – including the Gallipoli campaign, the Anzac relationship, and our history of conflict, resolution and peacekeeping – will come to life with a spectacular light show, 7pm to 10pm each night from 18 to 25 April at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park.

Wellington City Council, in partnership with local archives, presents WWI Remembered: A Light and Sound Show, featuring imagery from our shared military history projected onto the facades of the former Dominion Museum and the Carillon.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says this event is one of the highlights of these significant week-long Anzac commemorations.

“Bringing together New Zealand’s history and diverse creative talents provides a fascinating true story.”

The projections and music will move between the Carillon and the Dominion Museum – the National War Memorial used as a beacon of remembrance for these commemorations.

Council Project Manager for Anzac Commemorations, Dilys Grant, says WW1 Remembered evolved out of Lest We Forget – Projections.

“We want to connect visitors with these significant monuments and Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, creating a light and sound show that acknowledges our conflicts while giving a sense of hope. The project embraces our incredible archival collections and stories, and the resulting collaboration will take audiences on an emotional journey.”

WWI Remembered: A Light and Sound Show is careful to acknowledge other wars up to recent times, from the central focus on World War I to New Zealand’s role as peacekeepers but with the emphasis on leaving New Zealand shores, Gallipoli and Passchendaele.

The projections will be set beside an original soundscape by Wellington musician and composer Iain Gordon (Fat Freddy’s Drop).

The Carillon’s 74 bells – ranging in weight from 10 kilograms to 12.25 tonnes – will be played by Timothy Hurd, New Zealand’s National Carillonist and an international expert in carillon architecture, composition and performance.

A prominent fixture on Wellington’s skyline since the 1932 Anzac Day dedication ceremony, the Carillon will act as a beacon for the light and sound show. The images that will be projected onto the facade include illustrations of a World War I soldier, sailor and pilot, as well as the names of those World War I battlefields New Zealanders served on.

Two contemporary New Zealand artists were commissioned to give the project another life and context.

Ngataiharuru Taepa binds traditional Māori and contemporary design, while Michel Tuffery draws on his Pacific Island heritage. Both artists weave World War I Pacifica, Māori and European stories together. Taeta and Tuffery’s work will be supported by existing work from photographer Laurence Aberhart's “Anzac” War Memorial series and artist Bill Hammond.

Throughout Anzac Week we will commemorate and show our respect for those who served, and too often did not return. From a population of one million at the time, 100,000 New Zealanders were directly involved in the war, including 18,000 who died and 47,000 who were wounded.

WWI Remembered: A Light and Sound Show is presented by Wellington City Council and developed by Transmit Ltd, in collaboration with Gas Project and StoryBox, with the assistance of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, Alexander Turnbull Library and with the support of archives and institutions from New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.

WWI Remembered: A Light and Sound Show runs for 15-minute approximately. A loop will run from 7pm to 10pm each night from 18 to 25 April, at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, Buckle Street.

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