Breathe | Mauri Ora – An Immersive Journey Into Nature At Te Papa

Become a droplet of crystal-clear water, share breath with a rainforest tree, and be stardust in the cosmos this summer at Te Papa.

An immersive digital art experience unlike anything seen in New Zealand before will take visitors on a mind-blowing journey into nature.

Breathe | Mauri Ora: An Immersive Journey into Nature by Marshmallow Laser Feast is at Te Papa from 13 December 2025 to 27 April 2026. Entry $30 for adults.

Visitors will step inside immersive digital artworks on a massive scale, created by London-based art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast. This major exhibition is created by ACMI – Australia’s national museum of screen culture based in Melbourne, Victoria.

Including a guided meditation voiced by Cate Blanchett, Breathe | Mauri Ora invites you to slow down, relax – and breathe.

Comprised of major video works on a grand, awe-inspiring scale, guided meditation and evocative works on paper, visitors evolve from droplets of water to ancient trees, human cells and black holes, connecting to a deep understanding of the natural world and our place within it.

Enhancing the main exhibition, visitors can opt for an additional virtual reality experience, described by one visitor as “mind-blowingly fabulous.”

Over the course of 25 minutes, this virtual reality option takes you even deeper into Evolver, a large-scale video installation, as you are guided though its stages in complete audio and visual immersion.

The wrap-around Breathe | Mauri Ora Events Season offers ticketed and free events that provide unique ways to explore the exhibition’s themes, from an opening party through to panel talks, well-being events, immersive dining and a whānau day.

Te Papa Tumu Whakarae | Chief Executive Courtney Johnston says Breathe | Mauri Ora transcends the everyday.

“This is a completely new experience for New Zealand audiences, at the cutting edge of technology and immersive art practice.”

“It’s profound, it’s beautiful and it’s joyous – people are going to leave feeling uplifted, and seeing the natural world with fresh eyes,” Ms Johnston says.

Te Papa Kaihautū | Māori co-leader Dr Arapata Hakiwai says Breathe | Mauri Ora is unique in Aotearoa.

“As we say in te ao Māori: ko au, ko te taiao, ko te taiao, ko au – I am nature, nature is me,” Dr Hakiwai says.

“This beautiful, awe-inspiring journey allows people to connect to a deep understanding of the natural world, and our place within it,” Dr Hakiwai says.

Marshmallow Laser Feast describe their work as a multisensory journey to where imagination and information collide.

“This exhibition is a celebration of being alive and explores our continued fascination with what sits just outside the reach of our senses,” say Marshmallow Laser Feast.

“Creating this group of artworks included scanning trees in the Amazon, listening in on black holes and mapping the human body in microscopic detail - to explore the life forces that connect us, the natural world, and the universe. It’s a real privilege to bring this work to Aotearoa,” Marshmallow Laser Feast say.

This is the fourth time Te Papa has hosted an exhibition created by ACMI, following the successful seasons of Game Masters, DreamWorks Animation and Wonderland.

In the words of a visitor to the exhibition at ACMI: “It’s about us—what it means to be alive—and how we are connected to the earth and to the cosmos.”

“Exhibitions from ACMI provide amazing opportunities for our audience,” says Te Papa Tumu Whakarae | Chief Executive Courtney Johnston.

ACMI Director and CEO Seb Chan said the exhibition captured the hearts and minds of Melbourne visitors.

"Careful curation coupled with innovative experiential design and breathtaking artworks had a profound and lasting impact on all who experienced it. I’m thrilled New Zealanders will now have the chance to experience it too – Te Papa is the perfect home for Breathe | Mauri Ora," said Mr Chan.

Te Papa acknowledges the generosity and support of our destination partner, Wellington City Council, major exhibition partners, Panasonic, Te Papa Foundation, Go Media and Wellington Airport, and exhibition partners, Beca, Dulux, and British Council.

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