Federation Square
After closing in May, 2019, ACMI—Australia’s national museum of screen culture—has officially been unveiled after a $40 million redevelopment.
It’s totally visually and digitally transformed, architecturally in collaboration with award-winning Melbourne architects BKK, a new 1,600sqm exhibition, a world-first media preservation lab, high-tech education, event and cinema spaces and Hero and a new dining destination by the one and only Karen Martini (award-winning chef and best part of Better Homes and Gardens).
This transformation began way before the pandemic, ahead of the crisis in their virtual and technological way of thinking. You can take the new ACMI home with you, using the Lens, a free ACMI designed device that allows you to ‘collect’ favourite objects and artworks to explore more deeply at home. The Lens also activates the Constellation: a large-scale activation at the end of the exhibition, that projects a human-curated collection of moving image works linking back to each object on the visitor’s Lens. It’s your own ACMI story.
Powered by ACMI’s own operating system XOS, their new technological approach redefines the museum experience, allowing physical and digital content to connect in ways not yet seen in Australia. This technology, combined with human curation, the knowledge, and information held by ACMI will be accessible to everyone, everywhere. It’s essentially a free education in TV, film, video games, and contemporary art.
At a time where we have limitless digital, streaming, and screen content, ACMI acts as our guide. Their exhibitions continue to take us behind the scenes, and furthermore, with their new Blackmagic Design Media Preservation Lab, they can educate us on how the moving images that shape our society are made. Not only do we get an insight into the technology, how it works, how it’s changed why it matters, we also get a tour around the imagination of the creators.
ACMI inspires creation and change, and invigorates the mind, and reconnects us with iconic moments throughout history that have all impacted us in an individual way. They have totally reimagined what a museum experience can be; curated by humans, enabled by technology and accessible anywhere in the world.
Exhibitions
Darling Darling by 2020
The first solo exhibition at the new ACMI is by 2020 Ian Potter Moving Image Commission recipient Gabriella Hirst. The video work parallels the precise and elaborate care taken to preserve colonial paintings of the Australian landscape with the real-world preservation of the Murray Darling Basin.
The Story of the Moving Image
A permanent exhibition for all ages, featuring over 900 objects from Australia and the world taking you on an interactive journey of the past, present, and future of the moving image. It’s a very experience-based exhibition.
New Opening Hours
Museum
Mon-Tue: 12pm-5pm
Wed-Fri: 12pm-7pm
Sat: 11am-7pm
Sun: 11am-6pm
Hero Open 7 days, 8am to late
Cinemas Open 7 days, 11am to late
Free visits can be booked online at acmi.net.au