Screen Worlds

Editorial

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image, or ACMI, has a new permanent exhibition, Screen Worlds: The Story of Film, Television and Digital Culture, and it's all about the history of the moving image. It's taken four years of planning and a year of construction, and its recent official opening was attended by Premier John Brumby, David Gulpilil, and Cate Blanchett.

Occupying most of the ground floor of ACMI at Federation Square, it's broken up into three themed areas, and is brimming with information, exhibits, and interactive displays. In fact, there's so much in the exhibition, you could easily lose a full afternoon exploring everything and emerge enlightened, inspired and entertained.

The first area, Emergence, documents the evolution of the moving image, from early shadow puppet shows and cinématographe through to celluloid, television, video games and digital technology. There are early film and TV footage, photos, original animation cells, costumes, props and a whole lot more. Look out for the original Play School dolls and Dexter, the computer from Perfect Match.

The second area, Voices, concentrates on some of Australia's own movers and shakers, including Baz Luhrmann, Cate Blanchett, Rolf de Heer, George Miller and Tracey Moffat. There are more costumes, sets, original scripts, a replica of the Mad Max car, Oscars, Logies and AFI Awards.

Then there's Sensation. You can immerse yourself into the experience, including the Timeslice pod, where you can record your own Matrix-style fight, and TY, the Tasmanian Tiger 3D Zoetrope. There's also a Games Lab, where you can play video games projected onto large screens and a Kids Space.

It's intriguing, involving and certainly worth more than one visit.

For more information, visit ACMI.

Tim Hunter, Citysearch