Inside the Collection

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A steam engine with a large flywheel on display in the Powerhouse Museum

Industrial Revolution in Australia – impact on manufacturing in the 1800s

August 29, 2018

Margaret Simpson
When we think of the Industrial Revolution in Britain with its steam engines powering machines, the mass production of goods, thousands of poor farming families leaving the countryside to work in 'satanic' mills and factories and the rise of the wealthy middle class, it's hard to see how this could be applied to Australia.
Advertising brochure for the 48/215 Holden (FX).

The 1950s Australian Dream – Holdens, Victas and Mixmasters

August 22, 2018

Margaret Simpson
After the hardship and deprivation of the 1930s and the anxiety and rationing of the 1940s, Australia experienced great optimism, growth and prosperity in the 1950s. During this decade three Australian-made products were manufactured which became icons in our cultural history, Holden cars, Victa lawnmowers and Sunbeam Mixmasters.
Female Scientist Lego display

Shifting the balance

August 15, 2018

Tilly Boleyn
The Museum has so many wonderful toys in the collection. Looking through the collection online is a journey filled with memories, delightful surprises and the occasional stuff of nightmares. Toys send strong messages to kids about what they should be interested in and what they can aspire to.
Photograph of Sarah Reeves on the surface of a large radio telescope dish.

So you want a career in Science?

August 8, 2018

Sarah Reeves
The Inside the Collection blog is normally devoted to bringing our readers stories about objects from the Museum's unique collection, and our latest exhibitions, and the amazing staff who make it all happen.
A set of six reusable pads made from blue floral fabric.

The Modern Period: Menstrual products of the 21st century

August 1, 2018

Elizabeth Doepel
I recently completed a project in the Curatorial department at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences under the supervision of curator Tilly Boleyn. Tilly specialises in the fields of science, health and medicine.
Catalina Frigate Bird II on display at the Powerhouse Museum

Holograms and History

July 25, 2018

Arul Baskaran

Imagine a museum where objects come to life as you walk amongst them. With augmented reality technology, that’s becoming possible, enabling visitors to explore museum exhibits and artefacts in new ways.

Wooden toy farm house, windmill, wishing well, duck pond and outside toilet with lead farm animals and farmer.

Present and Past Family Life – Toilets

July 18, 2018

Margaret Simpson
Lav, privy, loo, thunderbox, WC, outhouse, toot, throne, restroom, powder room, washroom, john, kharsi, bog, comfort station, and even twinkle-palace, are just some of the euphemisms used for toilets.
Akira Isogawa with MAAS Curator Kristina Stankovski, preparing an asymmetrical spot-print top

Meet the Curator: Kristina Stankovski

July 11, 2018

Kristina Stankovski
Name: Kristina Stankovski Role: Assistant Curator What is your area of expertise? Fashion and Dress What's your background and how did you come to work at the Museum? I hold a Master of Arts in the History and Culture of Fashion from the London College of Fashion, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Museum Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Sydney University.
Photograph of participants of homeward bound

A Curator in Antarctica

July 4, 2018

Nina Earl
Summer in Antarctica is smelly, noisy and cold. The temperature hovers around 0°C and on most of the rocky sites there is an overwhelming smell of digested krill or diesel. You may wonder why on earth someone would want to visit.

Recent acquisition: New Armor stool by Kwangho Lee

June 27, 2018

Megan Meredith
The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences recently acquired the ‘New Armor’ stool by South Korean contemporary designer Kwangho Lee, which reflects the ‘Return to Craft’ movement as featured in the Powerhouse Museum exhibition Common Good.
Contents of dressmaking kit, including box, fabric, embroidered inserts, fashion illustration, contents list and washing instructions.

Paris fashions and ‘Lady Overlanders’

June 20, 2018

Alysha Buss
What were you to do if you were a woman living in a country town during the 1920s and dreamed of wearing the latest fashions from Paris? This dressmaking kit, which came to the donor from a house in Warwick, Queensland, speaks of the wide influence of Paris fashions and the audacious ‘lady overlanders’ who traversed the country showing samples and taking orders for the Swiss embroidery business, Sonderegger & Co.
Photograph of The 'Handie Talkie' portable radio

This Little Radio

June 19, 2018

Karolina Novak
A small showcase on Level 1 at the Museum shares the story of a very special little radio. Earlier this year, Red Room Company invited MAAS to contribute an object from the museum collection to the learning resource and workshop program of Poetry Object 2018.