For the past two years The ACMI (Australian Centre For The Moving Image), located in Melbourne’s Federation Square, has undergone a major $40 million redevelopment, with the museum set to finally re-open in two weeks on the 11th of Feb to the public.
The ACMI’s highly anticipated redevelopment project, begun back in 2019, with intent to create an even more open and welcoming environment, to enhance it’s learning spaces and to showcase new innovations in moving image technology, as the ACMI is the national museum of film, digital culture, video games and art. Here’s everything you need to know about the museum’s digital transformation!
What’s new at the ACMI:
The man responsible for leading The ACMI’s UX (User Experience) team, playing a major role in the incredible transformation the museum has undergone in its almost two year closure is Seb Chan, ACMI’s Chief of Experience Officer. At the core of the newly revamped ACMI digital infrastructure is a new museum-wide technology XOS, that has been designed by Seb, himself.
The all new technology, featured throughout the entire museum, is guaranteed to completely change the game when it comes to how visitors will experience the museum itself. The technology will present a new multi-platform approach, working to integrate the visitor’s experiences across every platform, being before, during and after a museum visit. This simply means that all visitors can continue to engage with the museum from anywhere, at anytime.
The interactive and immersive technology is set to play an important role in powering the ‘Lens’, a new and free ACMI-designed device, that is to be given at the start of the museum experience. Visitors will be able to use the Lens device to collect objects and artworks of interest from the exhibitions. In doing so, visitors will receive a personally curated collection of rich content to dive into whenever they feel the need to fuel their passion for the moving image. The museum’s new Lens device will also trigger the ‘Constellation’, a large scale digital activation at the end of the exhibition.
Some other new and redesigned features of the Australian Centre For The Moving Image are;
- A new staircase to connect the building and new spaces to sit and relax in
- The cinemas now present the very best of screen culture from Australia and around the world
- A contemporary cafe and bar with a new interior
- A revitalised shop devoted to both art and culture
- New learning labs to inspire the future generations of screen creatives
- A media preservation lab, dedicated to preserving and restoring screen history, from home movies to video artworks and pieces
- New event spaces
Seb Chan has previously led the digital renewal and transformation of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York and drove the Powerhouse Museum’s pioneering work in open access, mass collaboration and digital experience during the 2000s. Seb has won a number of awards for his work, with some of the awards from the American Alliance of Museum, One Club, D&AD, Fast Company and Core 77.
After two years of an extensive $40 million redevelopment and entire digital transformation, it is almost time for visitors to check out the all-new ACMI museum for themselves. Get ready to experience and explore a universe of screen culture, unlike any other! The ACMI is set to open on Thursday the 11th of February. For more visit: https://www.acmi.net.au
