Think you’ve seen every treasure in the Melbourne Museum’s collection? You haven’t even seen a fraction of it. Museums Victoria – which includes the Melbourne Museum, Immigration Museum and Scienceworks – are the custodians of 17 million items, from 10,000 year-old artefacts to contemporary objects. We’ll let that sink in for a moment.
What’s more, the museum is a living, forward-thinking institution; its labyrinthine network of laboratories are abuzz with scientists and researchers making new discoveries and acquiring new items every day.
Of course, getting up close to every piece of the collection is impossible. What is possible, however, is to see key objects presented in a way that is completely unexpected, in a setting that is thrillingly immersive. As part of a groundbreaking new program commencing this summer, the Melbourne Museum is hosting Inside Out – an exhibition which showcases its collection and the discoveries that go on behind the scenes in a way that has never been seen before.
Here's how it works: visitors are invited to put on headphones and are taken through a journey that is completely outside of time, as items from the collection (both ancient and contemporary) will be placed into unusual, highly theatrical settings. As part of the experience, visitors encounter performances, vignettes and soundscapes. You'll recognise a few of your faves (including the meme-tastic Sad Otter), but then discover some fascinating new objects, including new taxidermy pieces and images of the moon captured by the Great Melbourne Telescope.
