The second week of the studio brought along my first visit to the Living Museum of the West. My first impression of the museum was one shrouded in confusion; due to its location and concealed façade. Yet the confusion dulls once you walk inside and are greeted with a maze-like layout, a layout that I was keen to explore. As you walk further into the building it becomes apparent that there are numerous amounts of photographs, typed interviews, partitions showcasing art exhibitions, curations and archival footage, amongst other work, to sift through; all to do with the West of Melbourne.
Interior of the Museum
The director of the museum conducted a meeting with the class, introducing us to the history of the museum, its values and principles. My first impression of the him was that he is an extremely vivacious man. He is a unique type of person who finds it exciting knowing why and how foreigners documented the length of the Yarra river. For such a niche subject matter, he was extremely eager to tell the anecdote and I found his passion captivating.
The museum is known as Australia’s first eco-museum, documenting historical and environmental art pieces and ‘hidden stories’ from the ground up since 1984. In the time of its establishment the museum told stories of people working in the local meat factories and women in the work force. The curators felt it important to document these stories as they had been under-represented, or not at all, so they took it upon themselves to do so. Furthermore, they desired to address the ‘myths’ of Australia and wanted to save contents of history from being destroyed. The museum has become a home for tidbits and nuanced parts of history that previously weren’t deemed important in the world. In principle, this museum tries to find the truth, underlying stories and showcase them. To remember and inform, to collect things that are relevant for the future and dedicate themselves to preservation.
I was struck by a quote that one of the volunteers uttered in passing “dig where you stand” which was originally said by Sven Lindquist. I understood the underlying notion to be that everything is important, you’re only task is to observe, not merely look.
Artefacts of Interest
Subject materials I was most drawn to was aboriginal history and culture, womens rights, refugee movement and local artisans but I was mostly interested in the quirks of the museum itself. In my opinion the museum is missing excitement and modern representation. A theme of reinvigoration is something I could possibly integrate into my project. A few ideas for projects came about during the visit:
- To mix archival artefacts with modern pieces
- A multimedia interactive exhibit
- Paintings and interviews with the volunteers
