Get Deconstructing!

What’s inside a PlayStation? What about a Gameboy? How do they work?

They are on every Christmas list, and now this December visitors to MOTAT’s latest exhibition will receive an all-new perspective on New Zealand’s favourite gaming consoles.

Opening on Saturday 4 December, TūhuratiaExplodedshowcases theinnovative photographicartworkof up-and-coming Auckland artist Richard Parry. Visitors will experience a seriesof brightly-coloured ’exploded view’ images of much-loved handheld games and consolesfrom the early 1980s until now.

Remember Sonic the Hedgehog? Street Fighter? The Legend of Zelda? Show the kids what technology used to look like before TVs were flat and the epitome of cool was your brand new Nintendo 64.

Artist Richard Parry began pulling things apart to see what was inside, “honestly I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to put them back together again, I was just fascinated to see how everything worked.”

“I started photographing my process when I realised how intricate these machines were. The technology, how things worked, really captured my imagination and I wanted to share that.”

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to explore the intricates for themselves as they pull apart and explode two of Richard Parry's artworks using fun gestural interactives.

Teina Herzer, MOTAT’s Digital Engagement Manager says, “playful experiences with technology enable our visitors to interact with our collection and exhibitions in ways that are fun, unscripted, and engaging."

Younger children, and those who prefer hands-on-play won’t be missing out, with touchable props and bright stackable puzzles, based on the shapes of gaming consoles and controllers. The hands-on fun continues in the Museum's special pop-up offer, Explodome, open on weekends, where pulling things apartandputting them back together is encouraged.

The opening of both TūhuratiaExploded and the Explodome coincides with Auckland’s shift to red in the Traffic Light Covid-19 Protection Framework. The MOTAT team is excited to welcome visitors back onsite with more activities such as the heritage trams returning to the tracks.

Entrance to the exhibition is included in general admission MOTAT ticketing, plan your visit here.

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