While we look back on all the amazing things the Powerhouse has done, I thought I would reflect on one of my favourite exhibitions and programs to grace our halls – The Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives exhibition!
The exhibition consisted of six mummies selected from the British Museum collection who lived and died in Egypt between 1800 and 3000 years ago, on display alongside their 3D CT scan visualisations that unlock hidden secrets of mummification and provide a unique insight into the everyday lives of ancient Egyptians. It was a phenomenal exhibition that combined history, science and design and it was widely loved by staff and visitors alike!
Corresponding with this exhibition was the first rendition of the Museum’s activation program, whereby staff would dress as characters and invite visitors outside of the exhibition space to enjoy the wonders of Egypt, (this also resulted in lots of ticket sales too!). In this program you would dress as either a mummy, or an archeologist, and teach visitors about very simple Hieroglyphics (like in the image below).
It was a phenomenal exhibition with some incredible artefacts, and kids loved the mummy element, (we were often asked to ‘Dab’ or ‘floss’ or ‘dougie’) combined with learning something new! Isn’t it interesting to think about how different languages are? And isn’t it interesting to think how much Western funeral rites differ from ancient Egyptian rites for royals?
Jacinta Gregory
Volunteer Programs Officer