Sian Tjia Hennessy

Exhibition Buildings

This interactive sound design concept for the grounds of the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne explores and makes overt underlying racist values and attitudes embedded in colonial institutions in Australia; values and attitudes that persist to this day.

This sound design concept aims to question and develop the narrative that surrounds the Royal Exhibition Building and asks the listener to reflect on their own understandings of Australia’s history and national pride. The original exhibition that the Royal Exhibition Building was constructed for and known for was part of an international trend of World Fair exhibitions, which often involved exhibiting stolen artefacts of First Nations people by colonising nations. Furthermore, the recent destruction of a sacred 350-year-old tree on Djab Wurrung land in comparison to the vast preservation and restoration efforts for the 140-year-old Royal Exhibition Building demonstrates what Australia views as culturally significant and worth heritage listing.

Racism in Australia is often considered a thing of the past and subtle racism is often brushed over. The aggressive verbal abuse in Section A is an overt example of racism and by juxtaposing it with the news clips from recent years in Section B, the sound design reframes racism in a modern context.

By using sound paired with the physical experience of being at the building, the visual intake of the listener is layered with historical information. This information initially reflects the information that can be found on plaques at the site, but introduces new perspectives that stray from the polished narrative. In doing so, this sound design concept may further ask the listener to consider the biases of authorities that distribute information and knowledge.