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Perth's Spin - a missed opportunity to highlight some really good stuff

By Tara Brabazon - posted Thursday, 15 April 2004


These are only a few examples of innovative modes of display in the world's popular cultural museums. Popular music provides even more opportunities than sport for museum visitors to commence a journey through memory, history and identity. The rise of screen cultures has changed visual and aural literacies. Frequently, visitors will know more about the music than the curators. Distancing visitors from their own culture alienates them from their own memories.

A new museology, when inflected by cultural studies, offers innovative links between sound and vision, memory and popular culture. Spin was mounted without the assistance or advice of trained scholars in popular cultural studies, creative industries strategies, history, internet or library studies, and it shows. It has learnt few lessons of popular cultural museums around the world.

Obviously it is socially and politically important that popular music has been recognised by a publicly-funded, state-based museum. But Spin is a wasted opportunity. When the Contemporary Music Taskforce released its report in September 2002, one of their seven recommendations was to create a History of Western Australian Music exhibition at the Western Australian Museum. Greater research and expertise were required to bring this important recommendation to fruition.

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One lesson of popular culture – and there are many – is that people endlessly remake music, film and fashion to fit into their own lives. While wandering through Spin, concerned by the lack of energy and passion around me, I attempted to enter the first sound pod, being held back by a mouth-locked couple using the music as a soundtrack for their embrace. When leaving the exhibition and peeking once more into the pod, the clenching couple had returned, creating new meanings from The Triffids' Bury me deep in love. Even when unintended, music creates movement and interactivity that shatters the glass.

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About the Author

Tara Brabazon is the Professor of of Education and Head of the School of Teacher Education at Charles Sturt University.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Tara Brabazon
Related Links
Murdoch University School of Media, Communication and Culture
Spin: WA Music from underground to on-the-air
Photo of Tara Brabazon
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