The gallery commissioned Auckland artist Tiffany Singh to create the work Om Mani Padme Hum for the gallery's Big Wall.
The title of the work was a Buddhist mantra that loosely translated as ''the jewel of the lotus'' and signified ''compassion, wisdom and love for all sentient beings'', Singh said.
Her Buddhist teachers in Auckland gave her permission to use the mantra in Tibetan print.
To cover the 23m by 7m space, about 240 silk ribbons were created with the mantra printed on them.
The 7.5m-long ribbons will be adorned by a handmade bell.
The biggest challenge was making the colours of the ribbons appear ''seamless and fluid''.
A recording of the mantra would be available for gallery visitors to listen to on headphones.
The mantra was made up of six sounds. Hearing ''the vibration of the sound'' would give visitors a greater understanding of the work, she said.
As more of the work was hung, it became more ''beautiful'' and had a greater impact on her than she had ever imagined.
''It's much more monumental than I expected.''
The work was being installed to look like it was ''falling out of the building'', she said.
The work will be on display at the gallery from Saturday until April next year.
Singh will talk about her art practice, the importance of cross-cultural dialogues between artist, community partners and audience, and her work Om Mani Padme Hum at the gallery at 11am on Saturday.
