Review and photos updated: 11th August 2023 - post media preview!
Watch our reel here. Read our mini review here.
Atmospheric Memory by Mexican Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, curated by José Luis de Vicente will be opening on the 12th August 2023 at Powerhouse Ultimo, the sensory experience will present works that engage audiences with science, maths and climate alongside objects from the Powerhouse Collection.
Photo credit: Busy City Kids - Media Preview - 11th August 2023
Atmospheric Memory headlines the Powerhouse Museum’s Sydney Science Festival, presented across the city from 11 –20 August 2023. The nine-day festival will explore the theme of Trace.
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and curator José Luis de Vicente shown below next to Cloud Display in waterfall mode on 11th August 2023 - media preview.
Photo credit: Busy City Kids - Media Preview - 11th August 2023
What is Atmospheric Memory?
Atmospheric Memory was inspired by computing pioneer Charles Babbage’s proposal that the air is a ‘vast library’ storing every word ever spoken, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s breathtaking immersive art environment invites audiences to a multisensory experience at the intersection of art and science. Control 18 interactive artworks and surround yourself with light, sound and colossal projections as you walk through the chambers of Atmospheric Memory.
If we could 'rewind' air molecules to recreate all voices of the past, whose voice would you want to hear?
Heat map shadow play below is a way of controlling Navier-Stokes fluid-dynamics algorithm - here Rafael Lozano-Hemmer mentioned how perfect this shadow work was for kids.
Photo credit: Busy City Kids - Media Preview - 11th August 2023
This exhilarating show features historical artifacts mixed with cutting-edge technologies from AI, robotics, endoscopy and fluid-dynamics to nanotechnology, mapping and 3D-printing.
Photo credit: Busy City Kids
In Atmospheric Memory you can touch the world's first 3D-printed speech bubble, see your voice travel in a ripple tank, walk through clouds of text written in mid-air, hear 3,000 speakers each with its own field recording, and interact with virtual environments in a colossal 360-degree projection chamber.
Photo credit: Powerhouse Ultimo
What is the atmosphere trying to tell us?
Over 12 interactive artworks in this immersive Art meets Science experience.
Atmospheric Memory includes bright lights, strobe, low light, loud noise, haze and smoke. Relaxing sessions available.
Photo credit: Busy City Kids
Is Atmospheric Memory in Sydney suitable for kids?
Atmospheric Memory is suitable for all ages but recommended for kids 8 years +. Some parts of the experience can be a bit loud and at times affect sensory sensitive children and adults.
Kids will enjoy the interactive aspects of this exhibition, the AI talking booth Banderoles and other interactive parts like Atmosphonia which features 3,000 loudspeakers each of which plays a different sound channel when visitors walk through. You can hear wind, then water, fire, ice, over 200 types of insects, over 300 types of birds, bells etc.
The family will definitely enjoy Cloud Display which writes any spoken words using pure water vapour and also generates a cascade wall. Voice Tank, Weather Vanes will also allow kids to see how their voice or songs generate ripples in water or moves arrows.
One thing for sure, the sequences featured on the wall of the Chamber will definitely make the kids interact with shadows, vapour waves, text streams, face recognition and more!
Photo credit: Busy City Kids
Does Atmospheric Memory have relaxed sessions for kids and adults?
The show has great accessibility, quiet/relaxed sessions are available for sensory sensitive audiences such as people with autism. Visitors can only touch aspects of the exhibition that have a microphone to interact with.
Suitable for all ages: recommended 8+, $25 Adult, $15 Child, $15 Concession.
Family ticket $65, 4 people, up to 2 adults.
Bookings required.