New Book Goes Behind The Scenes And The Stories Of Te Papa’s Record-breaking Gallipoli Exhibition

More than 3.8 million people have been enthralled by the blockbuster ‘Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War’ exhibition since it opened at Te Papa in 2015, many of them repeat visitors. This makes it the most successful exhibition the museum has ever produced. It has been extended twice and will run until at least 2025. 

Now the teams that combined the creative artistry of Wētā Workshop with the expert historical research of Te Papa have collaborated again to produce a fascinating book that details the human scale of the Gallipoli campaign and goes behind the scenes to tell how the exhibition was made. 

Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War, written by Puawai Cairns, Michael Keith, Christopher Pugsley and Sir Richard Taylor, takes readers up close to the remarkable giants of the exhibition and the stories of those who vividly convey the scale of the war. With fold-out images, behind the scenes detail of how the giants were built and essays by those involved in the exhibition, the book serves both as a souvenir of the memorable show and an engaging way for readers to revisit the Gallipoli campaign. 

Puawai Cairns, director of Audience and Insight at Te Papa, says that when the exhibition was being developed the museum expected that it would be popular but it never anticipated quite how successful it has been. “This book is intended as a legacy for people who love this show and visit it repeatedly. It is also a chance to formally capture the history and development of this project before we lose the opportunity forever,” she says. 

Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War is available from good bookstores countrywide and in the Te Papa store, or online at https://tepapastore.co.nz/ 

Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War: The story of a defining campaign and a monumental exhibition

Written by Puawai Cairns, Michael Keith, Christopher Pugsley and Richard Taylor

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