Scene Stealers

A woolly rhinoceros, a gladiators blood-stained helmet, and a gloriously decadent Victorian gown. Each of these curious objects plays an important role in communicating the narrative of a script. They set the scene and provide the atmospheric nuance that helps an audience lose themselves in the story. And in many cases each item has been meticulously designed and crafted by hand, over many hours, and by numerous talented individuals before making it on set.

Co-curated by Alexandra Guillot and Karl Chitham, this exhibition celebrates the extraordinary costume, adornment and props produced by Aotearoa-based creatives working in film and television. It features work made for productions over the past 30 years including cult classics like Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, What We Do In The Shadows, Krampus, and Spartacus to recent screen selections such as Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Time Bandits, Pearl, and Frankenstein.

Scene Stealers features the skills of dozens of well-known and not so well-known artists including Barbara Darragh, Paul Tobin, Scale Studios, Jasmine Watson, Jane Holland, Freeman White, Kate Hawley, Paul Wickham, Grant Franklin and Stansborough to name a few.

To add that extra sprinkle of movie magic, collaborators Aline Tran, Tom McLeod and Sacha Lees have also been invited to fold in lighting, musical composition and illustration, creating an immersive environment and highlighting the many creative strands that come together to make any production memorable.

Whether on screen for seconds or hero pieces that steal the show, each item in Scene Stealers reflects the incredible talent of those working in the industry. This exhibition is more than cool stuff and a list of film and television credits — it is a thoughtful insight into the craftsmanship and knowledge of the many extraordinary people that help bring these imaginary worlds to life.

The Dowse would like to acknowledge all of the generous creatives, lenders, and supporters who have contributed to this exhibition alongside the assistance of Wētā Workshop, Paramount Pictures, Netflix, Legendary Entertainment, Across the board and Amazon Prime.