Forgotten Experiences at the Capitol Theatre is about the lifetime of the Capitol as a cinema from its opening in 1924 to its first closing in 1964. This is displayed through multiple items and artefacts during Capitol’s prime years of being a movie theatre and its phases throughout the years. 

The process of completing this required a lot of communication with multiple parties such as RMIT Culture and the AFI Collection to be able to use areas within the Capitol as well as collect the items that would be displayed within the Capitol. Some of the research done for this project was researching old photos and architecture of the Capitol throughout the years, looking at films that were played there, researching through multiple newspapers and magazines to understand the cinema culture of the time and what artefacts could be used to display in our exhibition area. Once we had a rough idea of the multiple items we wanted to use, we began to think about how we could use the space to display each item in the most appealing and aesthetically pleasing way. Each item inside the cabinets was carefully thought out and placed in a way that shows off these items the best way they can. 

As a group, we learned a lot and got a lot of new knowledge throughout this project. We got an inside look at how exhibition cabinets are brought to life, how to create labels, and how to place artefacts in the best ways possible so they would look best under the lighting. But as well as the exhibition part of our learning, we also gained extensive knowledge about the Capitol itself, knowing and finding items that are not very well known to the general public. Learning about its history, and bringing its well-forgotten histories to life through several important artefacts to the capitol theatre’s history.

 

Sam, Shenel, Azra