Before the Silence
13 June 2026 - 06 September 2026
Region(s): Otago
Type(s): exhibitions
What does it feel like to witness extinction?
Before the Silence is a free photographic exhibition by Astrid Erasmuson which explores the rapid decline of the northern population of hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins).
Through large-scale imagery, projection, and sound, the exhibition shifts between presence and absence. Visitors encounter landscapes where hoiho remain, and others where they have already disappeared. Traces linger in sand and forest, echoes of movement, and signs of care.
Set in Ōtepoti Dunedin, where hoiho hold deep cultural and environmental significance, this work invites us to reflect on what is being lost and what responsibility we carry for what comes next.
Hoiho – yellow-eyed penguins
Hoiho are endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand. Their habitats include Banks Peninsula and the south-east South Island, Rakiura/Stewart Island and its outlying islands, the Auckland Islands and Campbell Island.
Location: Beautiful Science Gallery, Tūhura Otago Museum, 419 Great King Street, Dunedin
For more information: https://tuhura.nz/whats-on/before-the-silence.
Related content
Discover more about penguins and extinction.
The Penguin Watch citizen science project has been set up to help scientists establish valuable baseline data about the numbers, locations, habits and health of penguins in a range of Southern Ocean sites. Read about another project Counting penguins from space.
Check out our collection of great articles and resources on penguins on Pinterest
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