Ink bottles unearthed on the New Dunedin Hospital siteAll rights reserved. by Tom de Silva

"Unearthed Ōtakou"

A video by Communication Design learner Best Apisit showcases historic Dunedin artefacts.

As part of the final paper for his Graduate Diploma in Design (Communication), Best Apisit had to choose between doing his own project, a client project, or an internship.

“I chose the internship because I wanted to have the experience of working with people, and the hospital is a place where I could bring my skill and perspective to help people.” 

During his internship with Te Whatu Ora – Southern, Best designed posters, made videos, created logos, and made an infographic of the New Dunedin Hospital’s Outpatient Building. Best was surprised that his hospital internship also involved dealing with historical objects. He worked with the New Dunedin Hospital project office to create the “Unearthed Ōtakou” exhibition, which showcased some of the items found on the building site.

Best created a video showcasing some of the archaeological finds from the New Dunedin Hospital site, using photographs by fellow intern Tom de Silva and words from New Zealand Heritage Properties. The Unearthed Ōtakou exhibition was displayed in the Dunedin Hospital cafe for staff to see.

“I didn’t know that underneath the hospital site they’d have some artefacts. It’s interesting that we can learn the history of the people that were here before. It’s that sort of thing that really excites me about design – discovering new challenges and ways to communicate.”