Ben Barraud is Head of Design at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa). Over his career, he has worked extensively in both film and exhibition design, most recently as Lead Designer on Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War, an award-winning collaboration with Sir Richard Taylor’s Weta Workshop. Gallipoli has merged museum design and film-making techniques in groundbreaking ways, and set new records for visitation.

Ben has been an Art Director on many major film productions in New Zealand and New York, where he was based for 15 years. His credits include Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, the critically acclaimed Julie and Julia, and Robert Altman’s Prairie Home Companion – all the way to Disney’s College Road Trip. He has also designed for commercials, music videos, and TV shows.

At Te Papa, Ben has designed a wide array of exhibitions, from history shows such as Aztecs: Conquest and Glory to art exhibitions like European Masters.