26 objects | 3000+ years | 9 scientific processes
The Powerhouse collection of more than half a million objects tells us much about our material culture but it also inspires many questions. What are our objects made of? How old are they? Is anything hidden inside? Over time, new research and technologies can help us solve these mysteries – and reveal new ones. This exhibition is about work done through a partnership between the Museum and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). Using their state-of-the-art neutron beam and synchrotron X-ray facilities combined with digital visualisation techniques, this exhibition shows some of the discoveries we have made including how to identify different makers of our samurai swords and how a 200-year-old pocket watch can play a waltz.
The exhibition also features digital 3D models of some of the collection objects and a digital reconstruction of the missing portions of a fragmentary carpet done with Artificial Intelligence. These portions were completed by the EPICentre at UNSW.
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