temporary exhibitions – POWERHOUSE VOLUNTEERS

Babbage & Atmospheric Memory

Karen takes a look at how Charles Babbage’s ‘difference engine no 1’ was the inspiration for Atmospheric Memory

In our newly opened exhibition, “Atmospheric Memory,” we proudly present a remarkable piece of history from the Powerhouse collection that inspired the very essence of this exhibition – the Babbage ‘Difference Engine No. 1’ Calculating Engine. Inspired by the visionary ideas of computing pioneer Charles Babbage.

In 1837, Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first computer, had a profoundly intriguing idea. He proposed that every word ever spoken by a human being leaves a permanent trace in the air. In his visionary mind, he imagined a sufficiently advanced computer that could calculate the movement of all air molecules, allowing us to rewind these paths and recreate the voices hidden in the atmosphere.

Babbage’s concept was not just about curiosity; it carried deep emotional significance. He yearned to hear the voices of long-lost loved ones, listen to vows unredeemed, witness promises unfulfilled, and perhaps even uncover evidence of crimes against humanity to seek historical justice.

Almost 200 years later, the dream of perfect recollection that Babbage imagined is one of the defining conditions of our digital life. We have filled the world with recording devices such as networked microphones, cameras, GPS trackers, and biometric sensors. In our social, cultural, economic, and political spheres, we willingly allow our own information to be accumulated and stored.

In this context, Babbage’s Difference Engine No. 1 takes on new significance. His vision for a machine that would relieve people of ‘routine mental labor’ and eliminate human errors in calculations with a perfect machine foreshadowed the digital age. While Babbage may not have witnessed the full realisation of his dream, his pioneering efforts paved the way for the digital revolution that has transformed the world.

In 1879, after Charles Babbage’s passing, his son Henry assembled this section of the Difference Engine, using original parts. This exhibit showcases the addition and carry mechanism and is one of six specimens constructed to demonstrate the machine’s inner workings.

As we celebrate the unveiling of our exhibition, “Atmospheric Memory,” we invite you to witness the marvel of Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine No. 1. Step back in time and immerse yourself in the visionary ideas that laid the groundwork for modern computing. Let this incredible object from our collection remind us of the profound impact of his ideas and the continuous evolution of technology in our lives today.

Karen Griffiths
Volunteer Programs Officer

Flashback Friday: Future Park

Jacinta reflects back on the popular and colourful Team Lab: Future Park exhibition

In the spirit of ‘Flashback’ Friday, I wanted to reflect on one of my favourite exhibition’s in the Powerhouse museum’s history Team lab presents: Future Park.

In the eight years I’ve been an employee with MAAS, this has been one of the most popular exhibitions I’ve ever seen! Lines out the door and around the corner of the building, this exhibition presented an exciting opportunity for children to learn in an artistic space that emphasized creativity, and interaction with your own landscape.

You could colour in animals, buildings, people, which would then appear on walls, floors, furniture which you could then interactive with even further! Children loved it but adults did too, including myself. By the end of the exhibition, I was an expert colour-inner, developing a kind of mosaic artistic style of the things I coloured in.

I loved this exhibition and how spectacularly it engaged with the public, and had a lot of fun in my time working in it as a Visitor Services Officer.

Electric Keys: Explore the Keyboards

View and hear the keyboards from the Electric Keys exhibition

The amazing Electric Keys exhibition has recently opened at the Powerhouse on Level 2. For those that haven’t visited the exhibition, did you know you can explore and listen to the exhibition at home?

At the entry to the exhibition, as well as on the hand-out exhibition guide, there is a QR code for visitors to experience the exhibition online from their mobile device.

When you scan this QR code, the link takes you to the Electric Keys website to explore this great collection of keyboards.

Electric Keys Website:
On the website you can view the collection of the keyboards on display in the exhibition and then select to view in-depth details of any keyboard of interest.

Keyboard Details:
For each keyboard there is a description of the object and a link to the MAAS website to view the item online in the collection.

Some keyboards also feature music tracks relating to the instrument being viewed. Here you can listen and download the tracks which also feature in sound snippets in the soundtrack within the exhibition.

The Electric Keys exhibition is certainly an audible and visual treat for the senses.

Flashback Friday: Step into Paradise

Today we Step back into Paradise and explore the colourful exhibition featuring Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson

This past week the ABC featured a documentary Step Into Paradise described as:

The extraordinary story of iconic fashion designers Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson, whose pioneering style created a bold and unashamedly Australian fashion identity. (2020)

You can view the ABC’s Step into Paradise documentary on iView

Exhibition Walkthrough:
The Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson: Step into Paradise exhibition featured at the Powerhouse in 2019.

Take a step back with this short video walk though of this amazing exhibition:

Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson:
In the mid 1970s Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson began to forge a unique vision of Australian dress, one that did not look to the trend-driven fashion mainstream for inspiration but drew on the Australian environment with creativity and flair. When the pair first met in 1973, both felt an immediate connection and Kee began stocking Jackson’s original designs in her flamboyant Flamingo Park Frock Salon in Sydney’s Strand Arcade. Together, with a group of creative collaborators, they showcased their designs in the annual Flamingo Follies fashion parades, transforming Australian fashion with their colourful expressions of the country’s natural and cultural landscape. The Museum houses an extensive record of their partnership and individual careers, including artworks, textiles, photographs, videos, and sketches which can all be accessed via the Museum’s online collection.

The Exhibition:
Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson: Step Into Paradise captures the dynamic energy of the designers and their creative partnership. It draws on more than four decades of one of the most influential pairings in the history of Australian fashion, examining the influences, inspirations and the compelling stories behind their work.

Image of Flamingo Park in the Step into Paradise exhibition

Over 150 garments, textiles, photographs and artworks from the Powerhouse’s own extensive collection are brought together with the designers’ personal archives. Visitors will experience a re-imagination of Jenny Kee’s Flamingo Park Frock Salon originally located at Sydney’s Strand arcade, where the creative partnership between Linda and Jenny began, and where they conceived their annual Flamingo Follies fashion parades.

Step into Paradise highlights the key influences in their creative practice including the Australian bush, Great Barrier Reef, opals and waratahs, branching into their distinctive individual careers through to recent years including Jenny’s costume designs for the Sydney Olympic Games and both designers collaborations with Australian designers Romance Was Born. The exhibition makes visible the dynamic creative energy of Sydney that has been present over generations.

Highlight pieces on display include a suit from Karl Lagerfeld’s first collection for Chanel in 1983 featuring Jenny Kee’s Black Opal print, Linda Jackson’s iconic flower-form Waratah dress, Kee’s Blinky koala jumper, a style famously worn by Diana, the Princess of Wales, a handpainted Gladioli dress by Jackson, worn by Marcia Hines, the spectacular ‘Frida Exotica’ costume designed by Jenny Kee for the arrivals section of the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and Jackson’s ‘Glacier gown and Penguin coat’ worn in Antarctica by Nell Schofield for a Vogue Living assignment.