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Out in The Big Blue Display — Oāmaru Penguins (2025)
Human Dynamo Workshop was commissioned to create a series of hyper-realistic, life-sized Little Blue Penguins (kororā) for the newly developed Discovery Centre experience at Ōamaru Penguins.
Collaborators:
Client: Oāmaru Penguins
Penguin Expert: Philippa Agnew
Installation: Anderson Design
Exhibition oversight: Locales
Creative Production Partner: Human Dynamo Workshop
Capturing the grace and character of the world's smallest penguin
The penguins were designed in dynamic underwater poses, immersing visitors in their natural world. Crafted life-sized and with striking realism, each kororā was digitally sculpted to ensure anatomical accuracy and expressive movement. The forms were 3D printed in high-detail resin, capturing fine feather textures and subtle surface detail.
Our team then hand-finished and painted every piece, carefully layering colour and tonal variation to reflect the kororā’s distinctive blue-grey plumage and crisp white underbelly.
The result is a series of sculptures that bring movement and storytelling into the exhibition space — creating a vivid, lifelike encounter that celebrates one of Aotearoa’s most beloved native species.
Now on display at the Ōamaru Penguin Discovery Centre, the kororā have quickly become a highlight of the visitor experience.
