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

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

Women looking at stereoscopic images during the second empire, 1852-1870

Powerhouse Renewal

Two people standing next to a cow in a field of cows.

Powerhouse Food: Producers

Across Western Sydney24 Aug 2024 — 25 Jul 2025

We Rise

Blak Powerhouse

A tall rocket with a long trail of burning fuel lifts off from a launchpad at Cape Canaveral.

Powerhouse-1 Mission Launch to the ISS

An initiative of the Powerhouse: Future Space program

Photofields

Across Sydney6—7 Dec
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
Women looking at stereoscopic images during the second empire, 1852-1870

Victorian Reality

Tag iconProgram
when
Ended 19 Oct 2023
where
Ultimo

Victorian Reality is a new interactive experience by Powerhouse and UNSW iCinema created for the Meta Quest 2 headset. Now you can step back in time to the Victorian era using the magic of VR and augmented reality to virtually handle precious objects from the 1850s in the Powerhouse Collection.

Sketch of a Victorian stereoviewer
Hand with vector symbols above it
Outline vector of a VR headset

When you put on the Meta Quest 2 headset your hand movements in the physical world are tracked so you can interact with 3D objects in an extended reality, without using controllers. What will you discover about a museum object when you pick it up and bring its original purpose – and history – back to life?

In the 1850s, stereoscopic images were created by taking just two photos of an object or scene. Recently, we’ve taken thousands of photos of museum objects from all angles at high resolution to create 3D models that can be rotated, magnified and interacted with.

The stereoscopic viewing devices from the 1850s and 2020s look remarkably alike! Both technological innovations create a perception of depth, but only one will let you interact with virtual twins of objects from the museum’s collection.

SxSW 2023

Venue

On Gadigal land

Powerhouse Ultimo
500 Harris St
Ultimo NSW 2007

Plan your visit

Entry

Thursday
19 October 2023
5pm–9pm

Free VR experience. Limited space available.

Register for Powerhouse Late: SxSW

SxSW

This program was part of SxSW Sydney

Powerhouse Late: SxSW

Castle Hill 2023

Venue

On Bediagal land

Powerhouse Castle Hill
172 Showground Rd
Castle Hill NSW 2154

Plan your visit

Entry

Saturday – Sunday
7–8 October 2023
10am–4pm

Free VR experience. Limited space available, sign-up on the day. 

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