Te Unua Museum of Southland identity gives community a taste of what's to come
The rapidly-changing city skyline isn’t the only sneak-peek Invercargill residents have of their new museum.
The community was today given a glimpse of what to expect, with the official unveiling of the identity for Te Unua Museum of Southland.
Te Unua Museum of Southland Museum Director Eloise Wallace said the identity matched the aspiration to create a world-class museum.
“It’s about who we are, what we stand for, where we want to go in the future – and it’s about bringing everybody in Southland with us along the way. It goes far beyond a logo on a page,” she said.
“Te Unua Museum of Southland will be a space that looks forward, while still holding tight to the stories and memories that have shaped us. Invercargill’s new museum is designed to foster connections – to our whenua, to each other, and to the world – and that is reflected really beautifully in its brand-new identity.”
Every aspect of the identity for Te Unua Museum of Southland had been carefully-considered to represent both people and place, Wallace said.
“It represents our community and its stories, from the U-shape that nods towards the double-hulled waka grounded in the theme of duality – mana whenua and tauiwi, land and sea, Aotearoa and the world around us – to the colour palette, which was developed to exist really harmoniously within our experience concepts. We’re really delighted with the end result, and think it reflects the special place Te Unua Museum of Southland will hold for our community.”
Council Manager Communications and Marketing Lisa Knight said Christchurch-based agency Plato Creative had been selected to develop the branding for Te Unua Museum of Southland.
“Developing the identity was a really positive collaboration with Plato and the community, and a critical step in bringing Te Unua Museum of Southland to life,” she said.
“Ultimately we wanted to convey that Te Unua Museum of Southland doesn’t belong to any one time or place – that the stories of the region will be constantly happening all around us. Te Unua Museum of Southland will be dynamic and constantly evolving, and the identity that has been developed will provide plenty of opportunity to be used in novel, interesting, and evocative ways.”
The reveal of the identity for Te Unua Museum of Southland gave people a glimpse of what was to come, and encouraged them to continue celebrating Southland’s taoka, stories, and place in the world while the facility was completed, Knight said.
The identity was based on the idea of Te Unua Museum of Southland serving as a time machine, or portal, into the community’s shared narratives, she said.
