First Nations

The Powerhouse acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the ancestral homelands upon which our museums are situated. We respect their Elders, past, present and future and recognise their continuous connection to Country.

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Stories

Bob Moran – Engineer

Object Lesson
A figure walks through a corridor of shelves with typewriters on them
Stories
Bob Moran – Engineer
‘The only certainty is the certainty of change.’
Bob Moran

Part of Mignon 'Stylus' typewriter
1/3
Mignon 'Stylus' typewriter
Object No. H5159-1
Portable index typewriter with a wooden body
2/3
American Typewriter Co index typewriter
Object No. H7198-1
Typewriter, Sholes & Glidden Type Writer, glazed metal and black paint with gold details
3/3
Typewriter by E Remington & Sons
Object No. H4286
Having a favourite machine is a problem, I like the index machines because they’re simple, some of the very early machines were super complex.
Figure sits at a desk writing on an illuminated surface, at a birds eye view

Object Lesson

Object Lesson is a Powerhouse digital content series that upends and inverts the legacy of a set of lesson cards held in the collection since 1880. Named for English educator. Elizabeth Mayo’s 1831 publication Lessons on Objects, the series is underpinned by a desire to learn more about the objects in our collection from people and communities who have special relationships with them.

‘Knowledge stems not only from teacher or institution or object alone — but at the intersection of all.’
Agatha Gothe-Snape, Powerhouse artistic associate

In this Series

Figure sits at a desk writing on an illuminated surface, shelves are in the background.

Agatha Gothe-Snape – Artistic Associate

Object Lesson
Figure sits behind the steering wheel of an orange open roof car

Bill Buckle – Automotive Engineer and Dealer

Object Lesson
A figure stands in suburban garden wearing a maroon jumper and black jeans.

Majid Rabet – Engineer, Inventor and Artist

Object Lesson
Young adult underwater with light on their face with their eyes closed

Chella Man – The Device That Turned Me Into A Cyborg Was Born The Same Year I Was

Object Lesson
Stories
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