A silver gelatin dry plate glass negative in landscape format.

Country Always

Caring for Country

A Corner of the Empire

The Garden Palace

Sepia photograph of the Technological Museum and a cow in the foreground

The Holding Pen

The Agricultural Hall

Sepia photograph of the Technological College and Museum in Broken Hill

Regional Networks

Across New South Wales

A Museum of Doing

Technological Museum

Black and white photograph of man walking through eucalyptus plantation

Expanding Stories

Evolution of the Castle Hill site from botanical research station to Museum Discovery Centre

Colour photograph of red corrugated iron building from a high vantage point

Transforming the Tramsheds

Powerhouse Stage 1 and the Harwood Building

A Symbol in Time

Sydney Observatory

Powerhouse Museum, Stage 2 exterior from high angle, city skyline in background

Ongoing Transformations

Powerhouse Ultimo

Blurred image from film with museum object number

Applied Arts and Sciences

Defining the terms in the 21st century

Powerhouse Renewal

Women touching a traditionally woven mat on atop fabric on the floor.
Artist Xin Liu floating with arm outstretched against a black background. She wears a full-length grey body suit with long sleeves with bare feet and hands.

Sydney Science Festival

Across Sydney10—17 Aug
Shadows cast by the Powerhouse Parramatta exoskeleton on concrete

Exoskeleton

Powerhouse Parramatta

A woman stands on stage in front of a large audience. She has her left hand raised in the air and a microphone in her right hand. The audience are holding their phones up recording the woman.

Blak Powerhouse

Powerhouse x We Are Warriors

Slider thumb2024
Women touching a traditionally woven mat on atop fabric on the floor.
Program

Alchemy

Tag iconExhibition
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when
Every Sat—Sun
price
Free
where
Castle Hill

Light, layers and tactility – Alchemy features new commissions by First Nations creative practitioners from across Australia who specialise in natural dyeing techniques. Taking its title from the protoscientific tradition of transforming one kind of material into another, Alchemy uncovers the processes involved in producing pigments and dyes.

Alchemy shares the deep social and cultural knowledge that informs the production of dyed natural fibres. Making the magical tangible, participating Indigenous Art Centres have chosen to work intergenerationally and collaboratively to realise works that have not been attempted in decades or are of completely new design. Extending beyond process, this exhibition shares the wider social and cultural narratives surrounding each of the commissions, such as the matrilineal relationships embedded within industry practice.

'Alchemy is an experiment. There are no wall labels; there are biographical essays detailing the relationship between maker and museum. You won’t find the recipes for colours, botanical names or translations into English if the women chose not to speak English. I travelled to every community and walked Country with them. What I saw. What I heard. What I was shown, is exactly what I brought back. If your questions can’t be answered by what you see, the process can remain a seemingly magical one to you. This is how we teach and learn. This is how we work and live together.'
Coby Edgar, curator, Strategic Projects First Nations, Powerhouse

Produced in partnership with Agency, Alchemy is the first exhibition to be staged at Powerhouse Castle Hill.

Exhibition Stories

‘I travelled to every community and walked Country with them. What I saw. What I heard. What I was shown, is exactly what I brought back. If your questions can’t be answered by what you see, the process can remain a seemingly magical one to you. This is how we teach and learn. This is how we work and live together.’
Coby Edgar, curator, Strategic Projects First Nations, Powerhouse
Six women sit outside on a large green and yellow mat. They are holding various plant clippings and pieces of white textiles.

Anindilyakwa Arts Centre

Twenty-two artists from Anindilyakwa Arts created the work Akilagamirdada-Langwa, Akilarrkardidarra-Langwa (wet season west wind and dry season east wind).

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Six women sit outside, around a large woven mat.

Durrmu Arts and Culture

Regina Pilawuk Wilson and artists from Durrmu Arts created Walipan, the fish trap. It’s displayed unfinished to show the process of making.

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A smiling woman standing outside wearing a black t-shirt and a scarf with orange printed eucalyptus leaves draped around her neck.

Kay Lee Williams

Alchemy is Kay Lee Williams’ first exhibition, but she has been practicing a variety of art forms for most of her life. Her work is titled Marrambaya (Wrapped).

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A woman holding a piece of textile, in a brick wall room, with windows behind.

Lucy Simpson

Sydney-based artist Lucy Simpson created Gaay-bidi (big story), a set of woollen cloaks dyed to represent Country along the migration of the bogong moth.

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Three women holding a large pink traditional weaving. They are outside and a fire is visible in the background.

Marrawuddi Arts and Culture

Alchemy curator Coby Edgar sat and yarned with artists from Marrawuddi Arts Centre as they dyed pandanus in shades of pink for their work Marebu.

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Four women sit at different spots outside, on a large woven mat, weaving baskets

Milingimbi Arts and Culture

Three artists from Milingimbi Arts Centre created black woven forms for Alchemy with the collective title Djinbakara, Miṉḏirr, Gay’wu, Ganybu.

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