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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Exhibition blends arcade games, Māori design
Tūhura Otago Museum pasifika engagement co-ordinator Leota Meredith tries her hand at one of the reimagined video games featured in the "Arca Arcade: Round One" exhibition. PHOTO: CHARLIE BUCHAN Contemporary design and cultural storytelling come together in a unique exhibition now open at Tūhura Otago Museum. "Arca Arcade: Round One" is a display of fully playable retro gaming machines created by designer Preston McNeil, of Wellington. Mr McNeil said he wanted to create something that honoured both the history of arcade gaming and the richness of contemporary Aotearoa art. "These machines are a love letter to every kid who dropped their last 20 cents into a game they knew they could not win, but tried anyway. "Blending those memories with the depth and craft of Māori design has created something I never imagined I would be able to build." "Arca Arcade" integrates te ao Māori, whakairo (carving) and worked pounamu with classic video game culture. The machines are adorned with original artwork from contemporary artists including Gina Kiel, Flox, Otis Frizzell, Joe Sheehan and Otis Chamberlain. Visitors to the exhibition are encouraged to play the games housed inside each uniquely designed cabinet. Tūhura Otago Museum pasifika engagement co-ordinator Leota Meredith said playing the games brought back memories. "Back in my prime, we used to call these games 'choice'. It was all about challenging your mates. "You would only find them at the local dairy and playing felt like a special occasion." Players once had to pay 20 cents, which was a significant amount then, so every game mattered. "It's great to play them again; it brings back so many memories. And having them free now? Even better." Tūhura Otago Museum head of exhibitions and design Craig Scott said Dunedin was already a hub for digital innovation and home to creative gaming talent. "We are proud to partner with Code, the Centre of Digital Excellence, to present this exhibition and show young people what is possible when design, technology and culture collide. "This is about inspiring as much as it is fun nostalgia." • "Arca Arcade: Round One" runs until September 21 in the Beautiful Science Gallery.
Scoop
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
South Island Levels Up With Toi Māori-Inspired Arcade Art At Tūhura
If you were a kid in Aotearoa during the '80s or '90s, the glow of a spacies machine at the local dairy or fish and chip shop was the stuff of magic. Now, that magic is being reimagined through the lens of contemporary design and te ao Māori in Arca Arcade: Round One, a striking new exhibition opening at Tūhura Otago Museum this Friday. The exhibition, making its South Island debut, transforms nostalgic arcade cabinets into fully playable works of art. Created by Wellington-based designer Preston McNeil, Arca Arcade is a bold fusion of industrial design, retro technology, and cultural storytelling. The exhibition features custom-built, wall-mounted machines adorned with original artwork from some of Aotearoa New Zealand's most iconic contemporary artists including Gina Kiel, Flox, Otis Frizzell, Joe Sheehan, and Otis Chamberlain. What makes Arca Arcade truly groundbreaking is its integration of carved pounamu and whakairo-inspired design elements believed to be a world-first in arcade machine design. The result is a powerful collision of classic video game culture with te ao Māori, a celebration of play that's deeply rooted in place and identity. Exhibition creator Preston McNeil has spent years exploring the intersection of technology, creativity, and nostalgia. A lifelong tinkerer and designer, McNeil said he wanted to create something that honoured both the history of arcade gaming and the richness of contemporary Aotearoa art. 'These machines are a love letter to every kid who dropped their last 20 cents into a game they knew they couldn't win but tried anyway,' McNeil said. 'Blending those memories with the depth and craft of Māori design has created something I never imagined I'd be able to build. And it's amazing to finally bring it to the South Island.' The exhibition's arrival in Dunedin is no accident. Tūhura Otago Museum's Head of Exhibitions and Design, Craig Scott, says the city is already a hub for innovation in the digital space. 'Dunedin is home to incredible gaming talent and creative energy. We're proud to partner with CODE, the Centre of Digital Excellence to present this exhibition and show young people what's possible when design, technology, and culture collide. This is about inspiring as much as it is fun nostalgia.' Visitors to the exhibition can play the games housed inside each uniquely designed cabinet, making it as interactive as it is artistic. But Arca Arcade is also a reflection of where design is heading towards deeper meaning, collaboration, and connection to culture. To mark the opening, Preston McNeil will give a free public talk at the Museum on Friday night, sharing insights into the creative process, the challenges of building playable art, and how he collaborated with artists to bring each machine to life. Attendees will also get a first look at the exhibition. Arca Arcade: Round One runs from 19 July to 21 September in the Beautiful Science Gallery. Entry is free. For anyone passionate about art, design, gaming, or what happens when the past is given a future-forward twist, this is one exhibition not to miss.
Otago Daily Times
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Museum hosts exhibition blending arcade gaming, te ao Maori
''Arca Arcade: Round One'' exhibition designer Preston McNeil amid a colourful array of arcade machine-inspired art at Tūhura Otago Museum. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Space Invaders, Pac Man, Asteroids, Donkey Kong — if you were a child in the 1980s or '90s, the warm glow of a spacies machine at the local fish and chip shop or dairy was alluring, almost intoxicating. Now, that atmosphere is being reimagined through the lens of contemporary design and te ao Māori in a new exhibition at Tūhura Otago Museum, titled "Arca Arcade: Round One". Exhibition designer Preston McNeil, of Wellington, said it was a bold fusion of industrial design, retro technology and cultural storytelling. It featured custom-built, wall-mounted machines, adorned with original artwork from some of New Zealand's top contemporary artists, including Gina Kiel, Flox, Otis Frizzell, Joe Sheehan and Otis Chamberlain. Visitors can play the games housed inside each uniquely designed cabinet, making it as interactive as it is artistic. Mr McNeil said the exhibition was believed to be a world first in arcade machine design because it integrated carved pounamu and whakairo-inspired design elements. He had wanted to create something that honoured the history of arcade gaming and the richness of contemporary New Zealand art. The result was a powerful collision of classic video game culture with te ao Māori — a celebration of play that was deeply rooted in place and identity, he said. "These machines are a love letter to every kid who dropped their last 20cents into a game they knew they couldn't win, but tried anyway. "Blending those memories with the depth and craft of Māori design has created something I never imagined I'd be able to build. "And it's amazing to finally bring it to the South Island." The exhibition opens at the museum tonight, and it is the first time it has been held in the South Island. Tūhura Otago Museum exhibitions and design head Craig Scott said the museum partnered with the Centre of Digital Excellence (Code) to present the exhibition, in the hope of showing young people what was possible when design, technology and culture collided. "This is about inspiring, as much as it is about fun nostalgia." Mr McNeil will give a free public talk at the museum tonight, sharing insights into the creative process, the challenges of building playable art, and how he collaborated with the artists to bring each machine to life. The exhibition runs from July 19 to September 21.
Otago Daily Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Wildlife capital status gets boost from council
Dunedin's status as the wildlife capital of New Zealand is more secure thanks to $1.2 million in council backing to expand pest elimination efforts, a leader at Predator Free Dunedin says. During this week's long-term-plan deliberations, Dunedin city councillors approved 14 funding requests for the next nine years, totalling about $5.7m. Among the successful requests was Predator Free Dunedin, which will receive $150,000 a year for eight years. Project lead Rhys Millar said retaining Dunedin's status as "wildlife of capital of New Zealand" required investment and the council's backing was important. "In these quite uncertain times at the moment in the environmental sector, it provides us with a baseline confidence for the remainder of that long-term plan cycle," he said. The organisation was close to eliminating possums from the Otago Peninsula and believed there were only three of the pests left. However, "with predator control, you can't walk away really", he said. "This funding allows us to maintain those gains and to [get] ready for the next wave of expansion in the next two years." Predator Free Dunedin's coverage area would expand toward Silver Stream and Silver Peaks. Tools and technology would also be expanded, Mr Millar said. "We've got a strong focus on shifting from possums to eliminating stoats — that's quite a new work programme, which will require quite a lot of resourcing." The organisation would also use the money to leverage more funding from other sources, he said. While no funding went to the Dunedin Tunnel Trails Trust, councillors agreed to updated the existing memorandum of understanding with the trust so it could implant the next stages of the project. About $22.4m in funding for the project had been removed from the draft long-term-plan and at hearings earlier this month, trust chairman Brent Irving said the council needed to return management of the project to the community, who would "get on with the job". Dunedin-based Centre of Digital Excellence received $1.05m across seven years, Startup Dunedin received $900,000 over nine years and the Wildlife Hospital got $300,000 over three years. Funding over the nine-year period was also granted for: Dunedin Tracks Network ($50,000 annually), Tomahawk-Smaills Beach Trust ($15,000 annually, inflation adjusted), Shetland Street Community Gardens ($10,000 annually, 2% adjusted), Town Belt Kaitiaki (funding increased to $50,000 annually), Green Island Combined Sports Bodies Inc ($45,000 annually, subject to service level agreement), Sport Otago ($61,000), the Dunedin Youth Council (funding increased to $10,000 annually) and Swim Dunedin (annual funding of $45,000 adjusted to fully cover rising lane fees). The Otago Nuggets and Southern Hoiho were granted a total of $50,000 over three years, provided the teams could secure a National Basketball League contract.
