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

Silhouettes of 3 people walking in front of the Cloud Display, a wall of smoke simulating cloud vapour

Powerhouse Renewal

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 thumb2023
Silhouettes of 3 people walking in front of the Cloud Display, a wall of smoke simulating cloud vapour
Program

Educator Led Tour: Atmospheric Memory and the weather

Tag iconWorkshop
when
Ended 17 Aug 2023
where
Ultimo

In a merger of science and art, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer has developed a provocative exhibition at Powerhouse Ultimo, 11 August – 5 November 2023. Influenced by the work of Charles Babbage, a 19th-century scientist who famously built the first automatic computer in the 1830s, Babbage was fascinated by the idea that every breath and every sound impacts the atmosphere. He mused that given the right computing power, it may be possible to recreate memories from the past.

In this educator-led visit to Atmospheric Memory learners will explore Babbage’s visionary ideas of computing, data and memory, and examine some of the instruments that have been used to record atmospheric memories at Sydney Observatory since 1858.

Moving through the exhibition they will encounter Lozano-Hemmer’s realisation of Babbage’s captured memories in Atmosphonia where 3,000 speakers play back field recordings – sounds like the songs of 300 species of birds and 200 species of insects. Diving deeper into the exhibition they will move into the Chamber to add their own voice into the atmosphere using Cloud Display and Voice Tank. In conclusion, making their own memories by measuring and recording atmospheric data on the day of their visit.

Details

Venue

On Gadigal land

Powerhouse Ultimo
500 Harris St
Ultimo NSW 2007

Plan your visit

Entry

Bookings required

15 August – 5 November 2023
Weekdays only, subject to availability
10am, 11am, 12pm, 1.30pm
45 minute sessions

$10 per learner
Free for Supervisors
Minimum program cost $150
Suitable for Primary students

Accessibility

We encourage visitors with accessibility requirements to contact us via book@powerhouse.com.au or (02) 9217 0222 for help in planning your visit. We accept Companion Cards.

More

Atmospheric Memory proudly supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW Blockbusters Funding initiative

Commission Acknowledgement

Commissioned by Manchester International Festival, Science and Industry Museum (UK), FutureEverything, ELEKTRA / Arsenal Contemporary Art, Montreal and Carolina Performing Arts - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Originally produced by Manchester International Festival with FutureEverything and Science and Industry Museum (UK).

Major Projector Sponsor

Funded by the Government of Canada