Inside the Collection

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The Shape of Time

November 7, 2018

The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences has just launched a new publication, Time and Memory, the second in the MAAS collection series which is supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund. In his introductory essay ‘The Shape of Time’, Principal Curator Matthew Connell places the Museum’s collection within the context of humanity’s understanding and experience of time, and our relationship with memory.

Plinth with 4 female mannequins and 2 male mannequins wearing a mixture of casual and formal clothing.

Slow fashion and upcycling – an interview with Rachael Cassar

October 31, 2018

Concerns about the harmful impact of the global fashion industry on the environment and worker exploitation, particularly in the case of low priced, low quality fast fashion, has prompted the exploration of alternative ways to source materials and produce garments.

Donating to the MAAS collection

October 24, 2018

Ever wondered how to donate to a museum? Curator Tilly Boleyn reveals what to consider before you get in touch. Spring is a busy time. Flowers are blooming, lambs are frolicking and people are clearing out their sheds thinking, “I wonder if I should donate this to a museum?”.

Photograph of Nina Earl in Light Ball Orchestra in Future Park exhibition

Meet the Curator: Nina Earl

October 17, 2018

Name: Nina Earl Role: Assistant Curator What is your area of expertise? All things science but currently I am reading and learning about 3D printing. The exciting part is that I get to visit research laboratories and see what is happening in the speculative research of this area.

2008/50/18 Photographic print, Johnny O'Keefe, black and white, paper, photographs by various photographers, Australia, 1956-1977

Johnny O’Keefe: 40 year anniversary of losing Australia’s first rocker

October 5, 2018

From its very beginnings, rock n roll has argued with itself over image. Is the rock image glam, flashy, showy and gregarious? Or is it honest, dirty, working class and brash? Regardless, ‘look’ has always played a massive part in rock n roll.

Examining a slide rule for collection documentation in the museum store

Clocks, rocks and phonographs: A Curatorial Intern experience

October 3, 2018

I'm currently finishing up a 3-month internship in the Curatorial department of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS). I embarked on this three-month internship without any background in museum work or studies.

Kimberley Bezuidenhout at the entrance to the 'Interface: people, machines, design' exhibition

What’s this doing in a museum?

September 26, 2018

Week 11 as an intern at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. No sign of life in the objects. Starting to think that basing my expectations on ‘Night at the Museum’ was unrealistic. Although, I have only been here during the day, so I won’t write that off just yet.

Behind the scenes: Museum object detective work

September 19, 2018

Some of the rewarding aspects of the exhibition development process involve content development such as writing the storyline and text for labels and theme panels, and researching and selecting objects.

Graphic of MAAS Ask a Curator Day schedule

Ask a Curator Day 2018

September 11, 2018

The Museum staff have a huge job caring for our enormous collection of over 500,000 objects. Our team includes experts in a vast range of areas, including: fashion, health and medicine, architecture, engineering, sciences, design, decorative arts, technologies and contemporary culture.

Presenter Dr Graeme Phillips explains the finer points of time travel.

How to build a time machine

September 5, 2018

Back in January, the Catalyst team from the ABC approached us about using some of the Museum's clocks in an upcoming episode of their show. They were producing an episode entitled ‘How To Build A Time Machine', which would delve into the nature of time, whether time travel could ever become a reality, and what rules you'd want to follow if you did indeed find yourself in possession of a working time machine.

A steam engine with a large flywheel on display in the Powerhouse Museum

Industrial Revolution in Australia – impact on manufacturing in the 1800s

August 29, 2018

When we think of the Industrial Revolution in Britain with its steam engines powering machines, the mass production of goods, thousands of poor farming families leaving the countryside to work in 'satanic' mills and factories and the rise of the wealthy middle class, it's hard to see how this could be applied to Australia.

Advertising brochure for the 48/215 Holden (FX).

The 1950s Australian Dream – Holdens, Victas and Mixmasters

August 22, 2018

After the hardship and deprivation of the 1930s and the anxiety and rationing of the 1940s, Australia experienced great optimism, growth and prosperity in the 1950s. During this decade three Australian-made products were manufactured which became icons in our cultural history, Holden cars, Victa lawnmowers and Sunbeam Mixmasters.

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