A landmark exhibition on New Zealand music, Volume: Making Music in Aotearoa opens at Auckland Museum in just three weeks on Friday October 28.
Volume: Making Music in Aotearoa is the first major exhibition on New Zealand music ever staged, spanning over seven decades of music made on our shores.
Volume brings the music of our nation to life through hundreds of songs, stories, costumes, instruments, handwritten lyrics and images generously loaned by some of our best loved musicians.
View musical objects belonging to iconic Kiwi artists such as Lorde, Dave Dobbyn, Shihad, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Split Enz, Sharon O'Neill, Hello Sailor and many more.
Lorde's 2014 Grammy Award, Split Enz's memorable stage costumes and Chris Knox's legendary TEAC 4-Track recorder are just some of the exciting objects that will be on display.
A hands-on, ears-on experience, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the decades via interactive experiences where visitors can try their hand at making music themselves.
Produce a song by music legend Che Fu in a recording studio; mix beats to tracks by artists like Ladi6, P-Money, and Scribe in a DJ booth; browse an authentic 1980s record store; learn to play Dragon’s iconic hit ‘Rain’ in a replica of a 1970s pub venue and dance along with go-go girls on the set of 1960s TV show C’mon.
A huge undertaking, Volume has been in development for over two years with exhibition partners the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame Trust (Recorded Music New Zealand and APRA AMCOS).
Auckland Museum Director Roy Clare said, “Volume is a chance for New Zealanders to re-discover and celebrate discover the rich history of music from Aotearoa and inspire the next generation of music makers through engaging experiences.”
“The Museum is thrilled to be able to use our unique resources to present the first comprehensive survey of New Zealand music alongside our partners,” he said.
CEO of Recorded Music New Zealand Damian Vaughan said, “We are incredibly excited about this wonderful initiative celebrating the history of Kiwi music and those who’ve made it. Volume has been a labour of love for many people and we can’t wait to see it unleashed in all its glory.”
And APRA AMCO’s Head of New Zealand Operations Anthony Healey said, “We all know and love New Zealand music. Now we get to be a part of the history - to hear, touch and see the stories behind the music and the people that made it.”
Spark is amplifying Volume with an innovative digital experience that will let visitors put themselves in the exhibition story and experience it in a personal way.
Spark’s ‘All Access Pass’ brings visitors closer to the exhibition stories and music they love by offering them the chance to become the story, through 14 interactive tagging stations, where they can put themselves on the cover of Rip it Up magazine; collect artist-curated playlists and much more.
Spark’s General Manager Customer & Marketing Clive Ormerod said, “We know New Zealanders love music, and it’s something we’re focused on supporting and bringing to them through the amazing technology of the Pass.”
“Visitors end up with great content they can take home, revisit the experience and share it with others. This is another example of Spark using technology in unexpected ways to enable awesome experiences for New Zealanders,” he said.
In addition to the exhibition, a series of Volume compilation CDs are being released by Sony Music, featuring over a hundred classic Kiwi songs from the 1950s to today across five albums, which will be available to purchase in the Volume Pop Up shop and JB Hi-Fi and Warehouse stores nationwide.
Volume runs for seven months until 22 May 2017 and is free with Museum Entry.