Community outreach and engagement is a core responsibility of any museum. This is what helps us to bridge social and cultural divides, develop greater tolerance and understanding, facilitate new connections and relationships with one another and expand our way of seeing.
The Powerhouse Museum has a long tradition of working together with communities, from our collections and exhibitions (see for example, Beirut to Baghdad: communities, collecting and culture, Our new home Meie uus kodu: Estonian – Australian stories and Ties with Tradition: Macedonian Aprons, among many others) to public programs, affiliated societies, regional services and online presence. One of these communities I have been strongly involved with is the Arab and Lebanese community (especially in Sydney and Melbourne) for two important projects. The first is an upcoming exhibition on contemporary Islamic women’s fashion in Australia (more of which will be revealed in the coming months) and the second, which I would like to share with you in this blog post, is an independent external organisation, Mirath in Mind, of which I am a representative committee member for the Museum.
Mirath in Mind is a non-profit organisation committed to celebrating and promoting the art, heritage and culture of the Arab and Lebanese world in Australia. Founded in 2010, Mirath (which means “heritage” in classical Arabic) focuses on a different cultural or artistic legacy each year and in 2011 it is the legendary Lebanese singer, Fairuz.
In case you’ve never heard of Fairuz before, it might be easier to compare her with a mainstream western performer. I would say she has the celebrity status of Madonna in the Middle East, but the elegance, grace and poise of someone more like Celine Dion. In terms of her singing abilities, however, she is unparalleled.
Fairuz was born Nouhad Wadi Haddad on November 21, 1935 in Jabal al Arz, Lebanon. She started singing at an early age, initially hymns and other popular songs of the time for radio (like Ya Zahratan Fi Khayali by Farid al-Atrash and Mawwal by Asmahan), before singing her own songs composed not only, but most famously, by brothers Assi and Mansour Rahbani. Together, they wrote many of Fairuz’s best-loved songs (my personal favourite is “Nassam Alayna”). They also scripted several of her films, including “Bint el-Haras” and “Safar Barlek”.
Fairuz recently performed at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam and some colleagues and I from Mirath were lucky enough to have secured tickets. You see, the Carré Theatre only has a capacity of 1700 and tickets sold out within a day of being advertised! Many travelled from far and wide to Amsterdam just to see Fairuz in concert. They came from Morocco, Palestine, Belgium, Jordan, Egypt, Syria and…Australia! Even though Fairuz performed only a small selection of songs, most of which were from her more recent albums, it was a magical experience and the fervour of the crowd carried over into the streets of Amsterdam until well into the wee hours of the morning! You can get a taste of the atmosphere by having a look at some of the television media coverage here.
Since one of Mirath in Mind’s key objectives is to educate and inspire the younger generations (who have an Arabic background, but not exclusively so) about the cultural icons and legacies of their native past, Mirath has been running a number of educational activities about the life and work of Fairuz. These have been taking place in schools and universities in Sydney and Melbourne where Arabic is a spoken language, among which includes St Charbel’s College Punchbowl, the Holy Spirit College Lakemba, the Holy Saviour School Greenacre, the Antonine College Coburg, the University of Western Sydney and Deakin University.
Chadia Gedeon-Hajjar, President of Mirath in Mind talks to Year 8 and 9 students at the Holy Spirit College Lakemba about Fairuz. Image courtesy of Marie Joseph Abi-Arrage.
This has involved almost 1000 quizzes with students on the previously mentioned films, “Bint el-Haras” (for primary students) and “Safr Barlek” (for high school students), as well as a variety of singing, multimedia, drama, arts and crafts projects more broadly linked to Fairuz’s expansive career. We’ve also been running an essay competition in Universities, as we noticed there is a significant gap in well-researched, academic writing on the topic of Fairuz and the Rahbani brothers. All of this hard work will culminate in an Awards Gala Day ceremony that will take place at the Powerhouse Museum on Monday 21st November (the date of Fairuz’s 76th birthday upon which we will also be launching ‘National Fairuz Day in Australia’). On this day, the top performing students in the quizzes and essays will be awarded while the finalists in the creative and performing arts competitions will compete before a panel of judges for prizes (we’re even staging a ‘Fairuz Idol’!).
We are now starting to think about what other Arab cultural icons we should feature in future Mirath in Mind projects. Perhaps Khalil Gibran, Youssef Chahine or Sabah? What do you think?
If you’d like to find out more about the work of Mirath in Mind, please take a look at our website – www.mirath.org.au. Alternatively, you can contact me – melaniep@phm.gov.au. Please note the Awards Day at the Museum is by invitation only.
How long have you been at the Museum for? I just had to do some mental arithmetic! I have been working at the Powerhouse Museum for 26 years!
What is your role at the Museum? I am a conservator mostly working in the area of costumes, dress and textiles.
What is your educational/work experience background? Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to study in the Arts field. After high school, I went to the University of Sydney where I completed an Arts degree majoring in art history and languages hoping to become a curator in an art gallery. This direction took a slight turn because I became fascinated with art conservation. Moving into conservation was not an automatic progression. I lacked chemistry knowledge and had no work experience in the field. After my degree, I started working as a volunteer in the conservation department of the Powerhouse Museum while I was studying chemistry at night. After several years working as a conservation assistant at the Museum, I won a scholarship that took me to New York where I studied for a Masters of Arts in Museum Studies. Working as an intern was part of the degree requirements and I was fortunate to have worked at the Costume Institute at the Met.
Is there a difference between a conservator and a restorer? Conservators strive to slow down the deterioration of our cultural materials. We do this by controlling the environment it lives in, good storage, appropriate display supports and retaining as much of the original as possible to preserve its cultural integrity. In contrast, a restorer would removed deteriorated elements of the object and replace it with a newly made part.
Can you describe the processes involved in conserving an object from the moment it comes to the lab to final treatment? When an object comes into the lab for treatment, we must fully document the condition before any work can be performed. Many detailed images are taken. Once the images are printed onto A4 sheets, we annotate the images with notes and lines indicating its condition. The type of treatment we tend to do is more about stabilisation than anything radical. For example, if a Victorian garment made of fine silk has fragile or deteriorated underarms, we dye our own silks to match the colour of the original and use that fabric to support the weakened areas. Using size 12 needles, we sew with fine silk monofilament threads. This treatment may take weeks to complete. It is also my role as a conservator to dress the garment onto an appropriate mannequin for display. Making the right underpinnings for the garment is an important aspect as well, to give the correct silhouette of the time.
Are there any potential health hazards working as a Museum conservator? Yes, as a science and technology Museum we have many objects made in the past with components fabricated from what we now know as hazardous materials. To name a few, asbestos has been found in many areas of our collection including clothes, lead in toys and paint, arsenic, uranium in ceramic glazes, vaccines with small pox and anthrax.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in Museum conservation? All conservation departments in public institutions are happy to talk to people keen on pursuing a career in conservation. It often involves a tour of the facilities, a chat and a cup of tea. It’s generally more difficult to volunteer on a regular basis these days but we tend to help tertiary students with their internship component of their course. There are only two institutions in Australia where one can study conservation. The University of Canberra offers an undergraduate degree in cultural heritage and conservation while the University of Melbourne offers a Masters of Cultural Materials Conservation.
If you are a regular reader of ‘Object of the Week’, you would know that Charles is one of our best contributors. I thought it was about time we ‘met’ Charles in one of our inimitable 6×6 style interviews!
Curator’s name: Charles Pickett (it’s actually Dr Charles, but he is modest! Charles holds a PhD in History from the University of Sydney).
What he’s known for: Charles is Curator of Design and the Built Environment. He has published widely on the topics of apartment living, Australian cities, Sydney suburbia, pub design and culture and gambling, among many others.
Describe your typical working day…
At the moment it involves rushing to get the kids to school and then arriving at work for a rest! Actually, not quite. A typical working day for me, now, is slogging away on a new book.
What major projects are you currently working on?
The book. It’s called Designer Suburbs and I am co-writing it with Judith O’Callaghan of the University of New South Wales. I’m also working on an architecture exhibition which is in the pipeline.
What was the last book you read?
A huge volume on Le Corbusier. These days, however, I rarely get time to read books outside of work, although I like to look at online magazines and newspapers like Slate, the New Yorker and the Guardian.
Last film you watched?
I used to be a real film buff, but my wife and kids have kind of squashed that! I’ve been getting through the whole Mad Men series and I also recently saw Never let me go.
Last piece of writing you published?
My masterpiece blog post on ‘Object of the Week’ – Osama’s lair.
Last exhibition you curated?
I developed a section on design in The 80s Are Back exhibition. I also developed a section for Sydney’s Pubs, an exhibition at the Justice and Police Museum (part of the Historic Houses Trust) a couple of years back. I’ve curated or co-curated about 25 exhibitions in my time.
Last person you had a conversation with?
I took my son’s broken violin bow into a music shop this morning and the shop owner and I had a chat about how nothing is repaired anymore, given it’s much easier to buy a replacement!
Last shop you visited?
The music shop – Logan’s in Burwood. Before that I went to Burwood Cycleworld to buy a new tube. I’ve been busy this morning!
Last meal you ate?
Breakfast – a long black and two pieces of toast.
Last time you laughed uncontrollably?
I don’t know if I do a lot of uncontrollable laughing. Maybe on Sunday morning while watching the Champions League Final.
From the top…
[Charles was asked to select which of the following pairs of words best describes him]
Introverted or extroverted? Introverted Meateater or vegetarian? Both Country or classical? I like opera, I don’t care much for classical. Never liked country! Swim or cycle? Cycle [Charles is a real bicycle buff] Tooheys or VB? I like Tooheys Old Borneo or Berlin? Berlin Camping or cruising? Neither – both are hell on earth! Crossword or sudoku? Neither Early bird or night owl? Night owl Manual or auto? Auto T-shirt or tie? I like a nice shirt ABBA or Village People? Village People Basil Fawlty or Benny Hill? Basil Fawlty was funny a century ago! Never really watched Benny Hill. Flip flops or sneakers? I like Dunlop Volleys Cocopops or Cornflakes? Neither
Turn out your pockets…
In Charles’s jacket and trouser pockets, we found the following items: his Powerhouse Museum swipe card, a business card obtained at a recent conference he attended at Sydney Olympic Park, some dirty tissues (also leftover from the conference…which, for the record, was 2 days ago!), a wallet and set of keys.
To read Charles’s blog posts on ‘Object of the Week’, click here. And, if you liked this interview, please feel free to put forward some suggestions of other interviewees you’d like to see in the hot seat!
To bide some time in the airport recently, I started to read Alain de Botton’s The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work (for which the title of this blog post gets its inspiration). Like a number of de Botton’s works I have read previously, I’m always captivated by his alternative ways of seeing. He looks at the details we typically overlook – in a philosopher meets cultural anthropologist meets the layperson kind of way – whether it is the work that goes into building a pylon, designing a biscuit (yes, you can design a biscuit!) or marketing a tin of tuna. All products of our everyday lives (which we all too easily accept without question), de Botton emotionally re-engages us with the meaning and purpose of work and, by extension, relationships, travel, finances and our psychological wellbeing. Not just a plate of tuna, for example, de Botton takes us back to the work involved in farming, catching, cooking, flavouring and tinning the tuna. We might pay less than $2 for a tin, but there is an extensive history behind that tin that we normally don’t give a second thought to before it reaches our supermarket shelves and consequently, our stomachs.
The more I read de Botton’s approach to the pleasures and sorrows of work, the more I thought about objects and material culture in the context of the museum. So much of what is designed and consumed by us is overlooked – from the work that went into the design of our toaster, our car, our lounge suite, our drinking glass, our heating or cooling system, our portable music devices and our television. For example, when was the last time you answered the phone and pondered how it worked? I’m guessing, only when something went wrong with it. Or, when was the last time you questioned the layout of the QWERTY keyboard? Maybe it was when you kept hitting the wrong key! We similarly undervalue tuna until there is a shortage or a pylon until the roof caves in. Okay, perhaps that’s taking it a little to the extreme, but what I’m really interested in as a museum curator, is how to make the invisible visible or the overlooked looked. How can we better promote curiosity and value with regards to the meaningfulness of everyday things? How can we communicate the very personal relationships we all share with objects and also, indirectly, each other? And, how can we foster these for the long term within the museum context?
I now draw your attention to Donald Norman’s book Emotional Design – why we love (or hate) everyday things. In this, he identifies three main levels in our cognitive and emotional system to which we respond to objects. The first level is our immediate, pre-conscious response which is normally triggered by the appearance, touch and feel of an object (he calls this visceral design). The second level is our experience with that object – its use, function and performance (behavioural design) and the third is our reflective, processing abilities. It is here that we use our reasoning and judgement to either form or break a relationship with an object for the long term (reflective design). The more I think about these, the more I question their relevance to museum objects – many of which were once, or still are ‘everyday’ objects. I mean, in a museum context, the sensory elements of touch and feel, use, function and performance are removed once that object is placed inside a showcase. I guess what we rely on then is appearance, memory or a vicarious experience (like watching AV footage) to activate our cognitive and emotional systems – but is this enough?
In this first post of a series of ongoing ones I intend to publish around museum objects and emotion, I’d like to try a little experiment. I’m calling upon all our readers here to share with us the most moving object they’ve seen in a museum. What was so powerful about the object and how did it help to shape your overall museum experience?
Just in case you didn’t see my earlier post, over on D’Hub we’ve started a new series of interviews with designers called 6×6. The concept is simple. We interview 6 designers in 6 minutes each – delving into the quirky, the unknown, the understated and the oh-so unbelieveable personal habits, interests, thoughts and idiosyncracies of Australian and International designers. Here is a snapsot from our 6×6 series of interviews with student fashion designers.
Designer’s name: Crystal Tsoi What she’s known for? Crystal is the first student (i.e. non-graduate) to be selected to show at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week. She is currently featured in the Student Fashion exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum and she is a finalist in the Australasian Student Design Awards for her ‘Intangible Contortion’ collection.
Q1. If there was only one material left on the planet, what would you want it to be?
Organza
Q2. What would you make from it?
Maybe a [transparent!] dress.
Q3. What was the last exhibition you visited?
This one here!
Q4. What is the most played song on your iPod?
Muse – Unintended.
Q5. Apart from your own, what do you think is the most fabulously designed dress to date and why?
Viktor and Rolf – their designs are very innovative. They studied architecture before they did fashion so I like the way they incorporate this. They share the same ideas I have.
Q6. Describe your design approach in three words
(1) Forms (2) Proportion (3) Illusion
Q7. What’s the best thing about your work?
I’ve been doing fashion for 5 years – the first 4 years was getting read for this moment. Coming to Australia has given me more confidence to be myself and therefore I’m more innovative.
Q8. What’s the worst?
My work is not mature or perfect yet – I’m still a student. I want to be creative still, but also balance my ideas with the commercial side.
Q9. What’s the next design you’re working on?
Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in May. I have been selected to show even though I haven’t graduated yet. I’ll be sticking to the theme of “Intangible Contortion” (showing in the 2011 Student Fashion exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum). There will be 6 graduates (including me as a non-graduate!) doing 10 pieces each.
Q10. Who is your design icon and why?
I don’t have a particular one. I llike the big names and I get inspiration from multiple ones. For example, McQueen, Viktor & Rolf etc.
From the top…
Interviewees are asked to select which of the following pairs of words best describes them.
Caribbean or Casablanca? Caribbean Eames or Aalto? Don’t know Cat or dog? Dog Red wine or white wine? Red wine Apartment or house? House Mercedes or BMW? Mini Cooper Picasso or Renoir? Picasso Myer or David Jones? David Jones Swim or jog? Swim Michael or Madonna? Michael Gaga or Katy? Katy iPhone or Blackberry? Blackberry Snow or surf? Surf Lefty or righty? Righty Cadbury or Nestle? Nestle Black or white? White Skinny or full cream? Full cream With sugar or without? Without Cash or card? Cash Half empty or half full? Half full
Complete the sentences…
Today I’m wearing… a black dress from Hong Kong, a $2 scarf from Balmain markets, a $65 pair of knee-high boots from Dotti, a power shoulder jacket from Hong Kong and a necklace with a Buddha etched on it my Mum gave me. I was born in the Year of the Rabbit – my Mum got the necklace from a temple in Hong Kong and I will wear it for luck for the rest of this year! The next thing I have to buy is… an industrial machine to do more design sewing. Before this interview, I was… at home scanning my designs for Fashion Week. After this interview, I am… going to see my machinist to finish off my dress for the Wool Awards in Surry Hills.
Over on D’Hub we’ve started a new series of interviews with designers called 6×6. The concept is simple. We interview 6 designers in 6 minutes each – delving into the quirky, the unknown, the understated and the oh-so unbelieveable personal habits, interests, thoughts and idiosyncracies of Australian and International designers. Here is a snapsot from our 6×6 series of interviews with museum designers.
Designer’s name: Krister Gustafsson What he’s known for: Designing interactives and participatory experiences (Krister is an Industrial Designer in the Powerhouse Museum’s Interactives Department)
Q1. Who is the last person you received an email from?
Myself! It was a reminder about some research work I have to do.
Q2. What design projects are you currently working on at the Museum? The Wiggles – I am designing an interactive called ‘The Fruit Salad Machine’. It’s a creative concept which gets children to slice pieces of fruit and toss it into a bowl. It includes a cooking bench top with projections. You can toss the virtual fruit into a real bowl and pieces of fruit foam get blown around in the centre.
Q3. How did you get here?
The job advertisement was pointed out to me. On the same day as the Powerhouse Museum interview, I also had one at the Australian National Maritime Museum. But, to actually get the job, I studied Industrial Design at UTS and I ran my own Industrial Design consultancy business for entrepreneurs.
Q4. Apart from your computer, name 5 items on your work desk you just have to have to make an effective working day
Vernier calipers, a ruler, lots and lots of paper and pens for sketching, fruit and a bottle of water. I also need a big ass screen!
Q5. How is working as a designer in a museum different from any other context?
It’s super-dooper creative! You get to specialise in creating one-off pieces and you can work with people from really diverse backgrounds and see how everyone is a collector in one way or another. There are great learning opportunities here too, and it’s a highly supportive environment.
Q6. Do you have a ‘design bible’? If so, what is it?
I have a few. The work of Swiss architect, Bernard Tschumi, really changed my way of thinking. He has really strange sayings like “In order to really appreciate architect, you need to commit murder”. His way of thinking polarises his fans and it brings punk into my work. Also, more recently, I’ve been reading one on game design by Jane McGonigal. It’s about empowering people through digital media.
Q7. What do you consider to be your greatest museum design accomplishment to date? The Magic Garden – a highly interactive and immersive play space for kids to make them take their health more seriously.
Q8. What’s the last Word document you opened on your computer?
A document on the The Wiggles exhibition which lists the experience objectives and how my interactive can support child development.
Q9. What’s your favourite ‘designed’ object in the Museum’s collection?
The one that’s worth the most! Actually, I really like the Baron Schmiedel bust!
Q10. What’s your ultimate [real or fantasy] design project you’d like to work on at the Museum?
I can’t reveal this yet!
From the top…
Interviewees are asked to select which of the following pairs of words best describes them.
Minimalist or clutter? Clutter Facebook or Twitter? Facebook Zoe or Cogs? Zoe City or the burbs? The burbs Vegemite or peanut butter? Peanut butter Holden or Ford? Holden Beatles or Stones? Stones London or Las Vegas? London Nightclub or night in? Nightclub Early bird or night owl? Night owl Coke or Fanta? Fanta One pillow or two? One pillow Red or blue? Blue Fiction or non-fiction? Fiction Live or recorded? Recorded Run or swim? Run Runny yoke or hard yoke? Hard yoke Diesel or unleaded? Unleaded Brisbane or Melbourne? Melbourne Dali or Magritte? Dali
Complete the sentences…
The most expensive thing on my body today is… my organs. But, they’re not insured. At the moment, I am putting off… retirement. What irritates me the most is… politics. If I wasn’t working at the Powerhouse Museum, I would be… an artist of interactive live performances and children’s interactives.
I have just returned from Cairo after a tumultuous few days caught up in the demonstrations in Egypt. I was meant to be there for 6 weeks undertaking research for my PhD before leading an independent 24-day tour of Egypt, “From Alexandria to Abu Simbel” for Alumni Travel in Sydney. Since I was staying in a hotel located at the epicentre of the protests and demonstrations (adjacent to Midan Tahrir, also known as Liberation Square), I had a unique vantage point and was able to witness everything from the burnt out National Democratic Building to the looted businesses, roaming tanks, armed soldiers and snipers, the looming presence of fighter jets and army helicopters overhead, as well as the waves of peaceful and then potentially dangerous protests. Fortunately, I left before the exchange of Molotov cocktails, stones and other forms of ammunition broke out.
As I am a naturally very curious person with a passion for museums and cultural heritage, I couldn’t resist making a visit (actually, a few visits!) into Midan Tahrir to check on the well-being of Egypt’s national museum of antiquities and to see what was happening with the protests more generally. In this rather extraordinary blog post, I thought I would share with you some of my observations and perhaps also provoke some thought around what the role of a national museum is during an uprising – does it play any part in building and/or maintaining a sense of solidarity and national pride with its people or is the museum made redundant?
As you will see in the photograph above, the Egyptian Museum (the pink building) is located in a very vulnerable position in the heart of Midan Tahrir. To give you some idea of its location in context, behind it is the Ramses Hilton hotel, to the left is the ex-National Democratic Party building and to the far left is the new Ritz-Carlton Hotel (the old Nile Hilton) which is currently under construction. In front of the Museum is the site for what is believed to be a new car park, although it has looked more like a demolition zone for longer than I care to remember!
Above and below is how the Egyptian Museum looked when I made a visit only a few months ago (in November 2010). It’s quite a contrast to what I have just experienced, as you will see! Take particular note of the National Democratic Building behind it.
The Egyptian Museum was founded by French archaeologist Auguste Mariette in 1858 (it was also Mariette who founded what is today known as the Supreme Council of Antiquities, now subsumed into the Ministry of Antiquities). The initial Museum was located in Bulaq, just outside of Cairo, and moved to its present location in 1902. A new Museum, known as the Grand Egyptian Museum, is currently under construction and due to open not far from the Giza Plateau in 2012-2013. The Museum consists of two floors. Downstairs is a chronological arrangement of artefacts from the Predynastic Period to the Roman Period (upon entry visitors are greeted by the colossal statue of Amenhotep III and his wife Queen Tiye) and upstairs objects are arranged thematically. Some of the best known displays here include the contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb, the Royal Mummy and animal mummy rooms and the royal finds from Tanis.
What first struck me when looking at the Museum was the vast number of armed guards stationed in the Museum’s courtyard and on the roof. Each guard was equipped with an automatic rifle and bayonet and their faces were eerily disguised with visored helmets. Normally, the Museum’s courtyard is bustling with tourists taking happy snaps, but on this occasion, they were conspicuously absent. Also conspicuously absent were the many coaches and taxis which typically pull up outside the Museum. These were replaced with tanks, army personnel vehicles and protestors.
At the time I was in Cairo, the government imposed a curfew from 4pm – 8am, which technically meant no one was allowed outside their home during these hours. Many people in Midan Tahrir, however, disobeyed these orders to continue their protesting, but in other parts of the city it was simply too dangerous to be out since the military had been authorised to ‘shoot to kill’. I stayed out in Midan Tahrir until 6pm on Sunday 31st January, during which time two fighter jets flew low and fast over the square. Every time they flew over, the protestors either erupted in a huge roar (to show that they would not be intimidated) or dropped their jaws in surprise (there seemed to have been little indication they were coming until they were directly overhead!). As a bit of a fluke, I managed to capture the sound of the jets flying over while shooting some of the banter outside the Museum (see below).
The National Democratic Building, of whose charred remains you can see throughout many of my photos, was set alight the day before I arrived in Cairo and understandably sparked a lot of concern for the safety of the Museum. As far as I could tell, the fire didn’t affect the Museum – although there was some evidence of spot fires around the rear of the building and many burnt out vehicles belonging to the tourist police, government organisations and private individuals.
The city of Cairo has also become a canvas for anti-Mubarak slogans, and I am afraid some of the external walls of the Museum did not escape this. Most of the slogans, translated from the Arabic, read ‘Down with Mubarak!’, ‘He will go!’ and ‘Get out!’ (in addition to many others which weren’t quite as savoury in their expression). A lot of these slogans were also spray painted onto the tanks.
On the day I arrived in Cairo, the media reported that the Egyptian Museum had been broken into. The Minister of Antiquities in Egypt, Dr Zahi Hawass, reported that only 13 out of hundreds of display cases were damaged and 70 objects broken, all of which he claims can be repaired. Among these include a New Kingdom dated coffin, two skulls and a gilded walking stick belonging to Tutankhamun. The new Museum shop was also looted and many replica objects stolen by thieves under the false impression that these were in fact the ‘real deal’. I filmed the coverage of one of these reports on local Egyptian television via my iPhone, which you can see below. This footage shows armed guards patrolling the Museum and some detail shots of a damaged Middle Kingdom dated model boat, a wooden statue and other funerary goods.
While it is not appropriate for me to comment on the country’s political situation here, I should at least point out that the riots of the last week or so are said to have been fuelled by criminals who were released from prison, and more recently, pro-Mubarak supporters. During the time I was in Midan Tahrir, the protests were peaceful and I felt quite safe. There were even many opportunities for me to chat with protestors and share in some spreads of figs, dates, nuts, bananas, wafer biscuits and soft drinks! During these chats, the most common sentiments I heard from the protestors was that they were against violence, they were proud to be Egyptian and they cared for the state of the monuments and museums in their country. Hawass recalls a similar response on his website, “…the people in the streets defend the museums, monuments and sites. When I came into work today, I had to pass through a checkpoint. When the men in the Popular Committees running the checkpoint saw me, they asked ‘Sir, how is the Museum?’. These men may not know how to read or write, but they are worried about their cultural heritage”.
I should also point out that life in many parts of Cairo and the rest of Egypt have been going on as normal despite the uprisings and there continues to be many opportunities for prayer, reflection, downtime and social banter, even in Midan Tahrir itself. This is something the media rarely shows. For example, as you will see in the image below, people have been sleeping the night in the square, cooking food, praying and protesting – after all, no matter what the occasion, people still have basic human needs to fulfil.
One of President Mubarak’s responses to these uprisings has been the dismissal of his existing cabinet and the installation of a new one. Notably, among these new appointments to his cabinet is the former Director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass. He now holds the post – Minister of Antiquities. Before this, the Supreme Council of Antiquities fell under the Ministry of Culture and earlier, the Ministries of Tourism and Education. Until now, it had never been given a government department in its own right. The decision to make this change during the uprisings demonstrates just how powerful and influential Egypt’s museums and monuments are, in addition to Dr Hawass himself, to the political landscape of the country.
I guess in light of the many requests Egypt has made of overseas museums to repatriate Egyptian antiquities in recent times, it is also imperative that the country be seen to be doing everything in its power to show that they can adequately care for their own cultural heritage. After all, UNESCO and other heritage bodies have been knocking on their door to see if international intervention is necessary to protect their monuments and collections from harms way. Dr Hawass’s new appointment, however, must be doing the trick as the recently released “ICOM Preliminary Report on Museums in Egypt” was, according to Zahi, based “mostly on the statements I made over the past week and those posted here on my website”. In other words, there is no chance of shipping out the Egyptian Museum’s contents to Europe or the USA any time yet!
I think the Museum as a statement of national pride and identity does in fact have a bigger role to play in the mentality of the people during these uprisings than what many may initially assume. Not only is the physical presence of the Museum always there at the heart of the protests (given its prominent position in Midan Tahrir), but it is a word on the lips of the Egyptian people across all strata of society. I’d be interested to hear what you think.
To read more about the Egyptian Museum during these uprisings, I recommend you visit Dr Hawass’s website here (Dr Hawass has been keeping a daily blog about the situation of Egypt’s cultural heritage and you can also subscribe to his RSS feed) or visit Cambridge University’s Egyptology Resources here.
With the continuing generous support of ADFAS, Ku-ring-gai branch, the Powerhouse Museum has recently acquired what is undoubtedly the most striking glass vessel from Giles Bettison’s ‘Lace’ series. Titled Lace 2010, the vessel was commissioned by the Museum in late 2009 following his exhibition ‘Connecting Journeys: Giles Bettison’ held at Sabbia Gallery in Sydney. Based in Adelaide, Bettison is one of the leading studio glass artists in Australia. Lace 2010 is a visually striking example of Bettison’s mastery in his contemporary interpretation of the traditional Venetian technique of murrini (cut glass canes) combined with the lesser known lace-making traditions of the neighbouring Venetian island of Burano.
What sets this particular vessel apart from earlier pieces in the ‘Lace’ series is its dramatic fusion of various murrini styles and arrangements. The lower third of the vessel is composed of bands of four petalled flowers below a more open pattern of bursting stars and stylised Venetian architectural forms and intersected by a densely patterned L-shape, reminiscent of a crocheted textile. The top part of the vessel consists of a floating composition of larger round lace rosettes composed of white murrini. Unlike earlier vessels, this example is also larger (approximate dimensions are H. 280mm W. 310mm D. 40mm), more experimental with its oblique, free-standing form and more elaborate with its free patterning.
Detail of Giles Bettison's 'Lace 2010' glass vessel
It is fitting that the Powerhouse Museum acquires a piece from Bettison’s ‘Lace’ series at the same time as judging takes place for the Museum’s International Lace Award. Approximately 140 works from this award in many new and surprising media will be showcased in a major temporary exhibition during Sydney Design 2011. To complement these works, it is intended Lace 2010 will also feature as a stand-alone signature piece from the Museum’s permanent collection, representing contemporary notions of blown glass and lace and its innovative application.
Of his ‘Lace’ series, Bettison says, “It was partly instinct to pursue the lace-glass connection, but it was also built on my interest in the cross-pollination of ideas between different people living in the same region and involved in small manufacturing and craft practices. Looking at similarities of patterning, it is clear that there has been a vital exchange of ideas between all the people living in the Venice lagoon for centuries.”
Detail of Giles Bettison's 'Lace 2010' glass vessel
Lace 2010 is the first and only example of Bettison’s ‘Lace’ series to enter a public collection and will complement other examples of his smaller and earlier work already in the Powerhouse Museum’s holdings. The Chairman of ADFAS Ku-ring-gai, Lawrence West, worked closely with Powerhouse curator Eva Czernis-Ryl on selecting the artist and preparing the brief and remained closely involved throughout the process. The result of this year’s ADFAS – Powerhouse collaboration is an outstanding new addition to the Powerhouse’s renowned collection of contemporary studio glass. The Museum would like to sincerely thank the committee and all members of ADFAS Ku-ring-gai for your generosity and foresight in helping the Museum to build an inspiring glass collection for the study and enjoyment of present and future generations.
This article was first published in the newsletter of the Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society – Ku-ring-gai branch (October – December, 2010).
In this post, we feature a video interview with Georgia Chapman, fashion and textile designer (including screen printed and digital textiles) and owner of Vixen Australia.
Vixen was co-founded in 1992 by Georgia Chapman and Meredith Rowe (Rowe left Vixen in 2000 to pursue other areas of design). The label is unique in Australia for successfully combining a crafts based practice and aesthetic with a high fashion product. The textiles and clothing appear not only on the catwalk but also in craft and design exhibitions at galleries and museums. Vixen was featured in the 2007 exhibition Smart works: design and the handmade, along with Robert Foster of F!NK & Co and Blanche Tilden who are also featured on our blog.
2003/213/1-1. Collection: Powerhouse Museum
The garments you can see in the images above and below belong to a single outfit which Vixen designed and made specifically for the Powerhouse Museum’s exhibition Sourcing the Muse in 2002. This exhibition was based on the Museum’s rich textile and dress collection and archive and the emergence over the last decade of a new generation of Australian fashion designers whose original and distinct signatures were marked by a knowledge of and passion for fashion and textile history. Eight Australian designers, including Vixen, were invited to look through the Museum’s textile and dress collection and select an item or collection of items to use as a source of inspiration for a new work they created for the exhibition.
2003/213/1-2. Collection: Powerhouse Museum
Vixen’s inspiration for this outfit was the Bohemian vibe of 1920s-1930s Paris. Georgia said:
[It was a time]…where style, morals, customs and art itself had all been subjected to an unprecedented acceleration. There was a sudden fascination with the exotic and the primitive. A strange hedonistic mix occurred. Based around this theme we delved into the archives to select textiles that when juxtaposed and melded together emulated this. The mix and contrast of elements is an inherent part of our design style.
2003/213/1-3. Collection: Powerhouse Museum
2003/213/1-4. Collection: Powerhouse Museum
You can read more about the production and significance of this outfit here. Also check out the talk Georgia presented at the Smart works symposium on D*Hub.
Editor’s note: The content for this post was adapted from original research and text written by Glynis Jones, Curator of Fashion. See full text here.
I’ve always been interested in how things work…I like the ambiguity of what is machine made and what is handmade.
Blanche Tilden (b.1968, Australia) is a contemporary glass and jewellery designer. Blanche studied glass and jewellery at Sydney College of the Arts (1988/89) and graduated BA (Visual Arts), Glass (1992) and Grad. Dip, Gold and Silversmithing at the Canberra School of Art (1995), followed by a year as a trainee with Susan Cohn at Workshop 3000 in Melbourne. Blanche established her own workshop in Sydney in 1997 and moved to Melbourne in 1999, before setting up and working in Studio Hacienda with fellow glass and jewellery designer, Phoebe Porter from 2005-2008.
In this post, we feature a special video interview of Blanche filmed for the Museum as part of the 2007 exhibition Smart Works: design and the handmade and look at a few of Blanche’s jewellery items in the Museum’s collection which are based on mechanical movements found in everyday objects, including bicycle chains, pulleys, levers and conveyor belts. While appearing mechanical, and being well-researched according to their function, these jewellery pieces are actually very light, flexible and meticulously made.
2000/50/1. Collection: Powerhouse Museum
The ‘Scissor’ necklace (above), made in 1998, is composed of hand cut titanium elements. The holes are drilled and the pieces heat-coloured to 600 degrees in a kiln. This provides the greyish-purple colour as well as protecting the metal when the glass rivets are heated. The rivets are borosilicate glass rods, cut with a diamond saw; one end is put through the links and heated by lampworking (over a flame), then squashed in a small hand-made jig to widen and flatten the end (the other end of that link is completed the same way). The whole necklace is then placed in a kiln to anneal the glass at a temperature of 560 degrees.
2000/50/2. Collection: Powerhouse Museum
The ‘Pulley’ and ‘Bicycle Chain’ necklaces (above and below respectively) are made using the same techniques. Blanche says of her work:
My jewellery explores the relations between the individual and the machine, consumption and obsolescence, the machine made and the hand made. When designing my work I look at mechanical movements found in everyday objects. Stemming from a desire to understand how things work, I use shapes inspired by bicycle chains, conveyor belts, pulleys, cranks and scissors, and I make my work with industrial materials such as titanium and borosilicate glass. My necklaces stimulate associations and memories that differ for each wearer. They remind us of the physical yet impersonal relationship that exists between the body and the machine. These are intimate objects of jewellery, built to human scale, hand made and machine inspired. They travel with the body.
2000/50/3. Collection: Powerhouse Museum
Appropriately, for a Museum of science and design, these jewellery pieces complement the ‘real’ mechanical components and tools used in industrial machines and equipment in the Museum’s collection!
To find out more about Blanche Tilden’s work and that of Studio Hacienda, see here on D*Hub. There is also another video on here of Blanche and Phoebe talking together at the 2007 Smart works symposium.
Editor’s note: The content for this post was adapted from original research and text written by Dr Grace Cochrane. See full text here.
While our digitisation project is well underway, with 80% of collection objects currently listed online, there is much more work to be done. Your donation will assist the Powerhouse to add high quality photographs and full background information for the 50% of online objects with incomplete listings.
