A collection of charred artefacts inspired by real New Zealand house fires.

You are four times more likely to survive a house fire with a functioning smoke alarm, yet one third of the house fires Fire and Emergency respond to don’t have working smoke alarms installed. We needed a new angle to shock this audience into action.

The Museum of Fires Past is an exhibition of artefacts retrieved from actual New Zealand house fires. Each item was carefully crafted by fire experts and props designers to accurately resemble the devastation of fire. Etched plaques retold the owners' stories, revealing they all escaped unscathed thanks to a working smoke alarm.