The Australian National Maritime Museum wins the Exhibition Projects, Museums category for Action Stations.
Australian National Maritime Museum 2016 IMAGinE winners for Action Stations, Museums & Galleries of NSW, November 2016
Congratulations to the Australian National Maritime Museum for their recognition in the 2016 IMAGinE Awards:
Exhibition Projects, Museums – Winner
Australian National Maritime Museum – Action Stations
This project is the biggest public initiative the Museum has undertaken since it opened in 1991. The experience has three major facets; new on-board interpretation of HMAS Vampire and HMAS Onslow; an eight minute film, and a Discovery and Exploration space.
In the on-board vessel experience 20 key spaces have new interpretation, conveying a dramatic, poignant or personal story from that room. Standard graphic panels were minimised in these rooms. Instead creative manifestations of each story were developed utilising art, sound, metaphor and lighting to engage visitors emotionally and capture their imaginations.
The Museum partnered with James Humberstone of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music to compose the soundscape for the on-board vessel interpretations.
The Museum commissioned a short film dramatising life on board the vessels. The film features live action combined with CGI special effects and is projected on a giant screen transporting visitors inside Vampire and Onslow during operations. Visitors can then leave the cinema space excited to explore the actual vessels.
Engagement Programs – Highly Commended
Australian National Maritime Museum – The Voyage Game
An emerging area in contemporary educational practice are digital games, which have an enormous impact on the lives of children. The use of games-based pedagogies via online and mobile internet-based technologies is seen as providing much potential for innovative, effective and accessible contemporary teaching and learning. Games have also been identified as one of key trends for museum education in the future.
This game places players aboard a convict vessel transporting human cargo from Britain to Van Diemen’s Land. The player is charged with delivering convicts to the colony in the shortest time with minimum loss of life to make money and further your position.
Full of humour, with a strong educational base, the game can be played individually or in groups and is available free through the museum’s website. It is based on 10,000 historical records and has strong Australian Curriculum links.
