Breathe | Mauri Ora

Breathe | Mauri Ora is an immersive journey into nature. The exhibition comprises of major video works on a grand, awe-inspiring scale. With guided meditation from the likes of Cate Blanchett and evocative works on paper, Breathe | Mauri Ora invites visitors to slow down, relax, and breathe. Connect to the natural world like never before. Gain a deep understanding of nature’s interconnectedness and our place within it. 

Te Papa is only the second venue to ever host the exhibition. It was curated by ACMI – Australia’s national museum of screen culture, based in Melbourne, Victoria. The digital artworks are created by London-based art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast. They describe their work as a multisensory journey to where imagination and information collide. “This exhibition is a celebration of being alive. It explores our continued fascination with what sits just outside the reach of our senses.”
To create the works, the Marshmallow Laser Feast team scanned trees in the Amazon, listened to black holes, and mapped the human body in microscopic detail. 

Take a seat and become a droplet of crystal-clear water, share breath with a rainforest tree, and be stardust in the cosmos. 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. You’re guided through its stages in complete audio and visual immersion. 

Te Papa 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.”