Spotlight on the unseen: MOD. launches new exhibition

By Rosanna Galvin

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES Time Reveals the Unseen in the Universal Gallery at MOD.

> There’s more to see at Invisibility

What do we miss when we’re not looking? Who are the people we don’t notice? What are the environmental changes we can’t see? Where does our data go when we switch off our phones?

Underground exhibition at MOD.

The latest exhibition at MOD. pulls back the curtain on the parts of the world we don’t normally see, inviting visitors to explore what becomes visible when we start paying attention.

Opening this month, Invisibility features a number of interactive exhibits on topics ranging from climate change and lessons from Country, through to data privacy and Australia’s foster care system.

Director of MOD. Dr Kristin Alford says the exhibition is designed to spark conversations about four overarching questions – who is visible, what do we overlook, how do we perceive the invisible, and who controls what is visible?

“We took inspiration for Invisibility from topics that were important to our audience – it turns out people have a lot to say when they pause to consider things they don’t normally see,” she says.

“Some people were really conscious about the digital footprints they leave behind. Some were concerned about invisible disabilities.

“Others were anxious about the once invisible changes of climate change that are now making themselves more seen.”

Climate change – a largely invisible global challenge where many of the effects won’t be witnessed until it’s too late – is a central theme across several exhibits.

In the exhibit Underground, UniSA’s own geoscientists Professor Tom Raimondo and Dr Alicia Pollett have collaborated with UniSA artists Peter Walker and Agnieszka Woznicka to take visitors on a journey underground.

Dr Alford says there is a lot to learn about the world around us from digging a little deeper.

“This exhibit explores UniSA research into the rocks located kilometres beneath the ground of the Nullarbor – which was once connected to Antarctica,” she says.

“The results can help us understand more about the land we live on and what the past can tell us about our future.

“Climate change is also the focus of the interactive exhibition Time Reveals the Unseen in the museum’s main Universal gallery, which reveals the extent of human impact on the planet.  

“Visitors will be confronted with floor-to-ceiling images, developed by artist Yandell Walton, that expose environmental issues such as melting ice caps, coral bleaching and ocean pollution.”

While the latest climate change science shows that things are looking pretty dire, Dr Alford says she hopes the exhibits demonstrate that everyone has a part to play in climate action.  

“I hope visitors leave MOD. feeling inspired to consider the changes they can make before it’s too late,” she says.

Invisibility will run until late November 2022 at MOD., located in the Bradley Building on North Terrace at UniSA’s City West campus. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday and entry is free.

For more information, go to the MOD. website.

There’s more to see at Invisibility

Biometric Mirror at MOD.

Invisibility encompasses 13 exhibits spread across several gallery spaces. Other exhibits include: 

Show Your Stripes – We’re now looking down the barrel of a global increase in temperature of 1.5°C by 2030. The climate stairs located on North Terrace next to MOD. are a small part of a much larger international project from the Berkeley Earth data set, illustrating how the Earth has changed over time.

The Glass Room – A public intervention that aims to educate about technology. With a sleek tech shop vibe, visitors can freely and critically discuss their relationships with data privacy. Having toured Europe and the US, it will be visiting Australia for the first time in 2022.

Biometric Mirror – More than 33,000 people looked at photographs of faces and judged them. They decided how calm or kind or weird they were. An algorithm was fed all this information, which it will now use to make judgements about you. The mirror is programmed to read your face to determine who you really are inside. But how accurate is it?

Ngapulara Ngarngarnyi Wirra (Our Family Tree) – Each AFL game, Adam Goodes’ body was tracked ten times per second by a global network of satellites. He now has access to billions of data points. For Adam, this data is culturally significant. This gallery reveals the kinship and culture hidden within the data.

Bokarra – In this interactive seasonal story, storyteller and artist Karl ‘Winda’ Telfer from the Mullawirra Meyunna (the Dry Forest People) will take you on a journey in preparation for the Kaurna Meyunna season of Bokarra, the hot and dry season between January and February.

For a full list of exhibits, go to the MOD. website.

Other Stories

• Citizen scientists needed to help tackle mosquito boom
• A healthier heart can protect your brain too. Five lifestyle changes to prevent dementia
• UniSA prepares for perfect landing with second simulator
• More than 30,000 students prepare to hit the books in 2022
• From the Vice Chancellor
• Achievements and Announcements
• First language footy program set to make a mark in APY Lands
• Spotlight on the unseen: MOD. launches new exhibition
• Pets in aged care homes makes paw-fect sense with new tool
• Putting the focus on first-in-family experiences
• Four prominent researchers named inaugural Bradley Distinguished Professors
• The latest books from UniSA researchers
• In Pictures: City West campus over summer