On Monday 23rd of March we visited Melbourne Museum to get a better idea of Melbourne’s history and to observe how the museum represents place. There is a great effort put into representing place there, with not only drawings and wide birds-eye-view images of the location, but soundscapes to match the various sections. In the area with the carriage related to the gold rush and subsequent years, there were sounds of horses, carriages, people talking and the driver announcing where the transportation was headed; Bendigo. Furthermore, in the house set up, there were voices of people in each of the spaces, making it seem as though the space was being used by its inhabitants, allowing us to get a better idea of what it was like living in such a space. On top of that, the houses were fully furnished houses. I was able to walk around the house freely and immerse myself in the space. I spent a fair amount of time in there absorbing the atmosphere and aesthetic. It really felt real, and the recordings of voices further transported me to that place. The museum also explored Melbourne as a place today, and what is important and uniquely Melbourne culture, by having sections for football, music, fashion, brands, etc.

The Museum uses a mixture of text, photos, drawings, sound, artifacts, spaces, information tablets, cinemas, maps and interactive elements such as photo albums, radios and newspapers to represent Melbourne. It is also set up in a way that each section flows based on the era being explored. These eras are clearly explored in each section with a wall plate explaining the era, and why its was significant. These text plates present the information in an unbiased, unemotional manner, not excluding uncomfortable details or facts. Stories about the war, the depression and the stolen generations are given clear explanation. It explores stories about settlement, the gold rush, the economic boom, the introduction of electricity, modern Melbourne, as well as exploring some more personal stories such as Coles’ book shop. There is, however, no representation of indigenous history unrelated to white settlement and culture. The stolen generations and the indigenous people during the time of settlement is mentioned but not explored in the Melbourne section. There is a whole exhibition downstairs, however, which is dedicated to indigenous history and achievements. The space was completely different in its design from the Melbourne section. There are more organic materials and shapes in the area, with a wall being made up of wood and sticks. The area also feels more open, despite being darker lit than the Melbourne section, which gives it a sense of earlier, human based history rather than modern industrial history. The stories are also told from the perspective of an indigenous person, describing artifacts and history as ‘we’ rather than ‘they.’