STAR WARS Identities: The Exhibition
STAR WARS Identities: The Exhibition has just opened at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney and will run until 10 June 2019. We sent Addy Fong along to check it out:
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away lived a child who dreamed of a universe beyond her own. She would accompany her companions on daring space adventures, fight alongside the resistance, learn the ways of the force and rescue a beautiful princess from the clutches of an evil emperor. That child was me.
Growing up I’ve always had a familiarity with the Star Wars universe, often playing pretend with the children I hung out with swinging plastic lightsabers in among pillow fortresses and exploring the forests of Endor in the local park.
Fast forward to 2018, I found out that the Star Wars Identities Exhibition was coming to Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum and was given the opportunity to check out the exhibition and meet my main man, Yoda, again. When I was a child I visited an Star Wars exhibition where an animatronic Yoda spoke to me and I knew the time had come to meet my master.
Equipped with comms pack audio guide earpiece and a magic wristband, participants await to enter the ‘launch site’ and journey into the Star Wars multiverse where a countdown begins. I wondered if these packs were only for those hard of hearing but it all made sense once I entered and John Williams’ famous Star Wars title theme hit my ears. My inner child had woken and I was super excited.
At the Star Wars Identities Exhibition, participants are given a mission to complete tasks at 10 interactive touch screen stations as they pass through. Learning about who they are in among the Star Wars multiverse, you input data about your preferences and are presented with educational information about social and behavioural psychology and genetics embedded within famous scenes from Star Wars as you pass through the exhibit. There are also displays of movie memorabilia such as costumes, props, and production sketches from the films and of course the big guy, my friend, Yoda standing there in a glass cabinet.
Attending the exhibition alone, I felt a little self-conscious trying to take a selfie with Yoda in a crowd of attendees which consisted of mainly young families and middle-aged Star Wars fans who gave me a look of, ‘oh she’s trying to take a selfie with Yoda. That’s very strange.’ Despite the strange looks and socially awkward situation I felt I was in, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to get a photo with one of my childhood heroes. I took 3 photos on my phone but it didn’t really work out.
If you’re a fan of the franchise, the Star Wars Identities exhibition is pretty amazing thing to check out and the gimmicks of the comms unit audio guide, the interactive spaces, and people dressed up as characters. At times the experience feels a little tacky but it really adds to the feel of being immersed in the Star Wars universe as a character in the franchise. At the end you are given a character with all they information you input along your journey, I choose an alien avatar with a long neck because it reminded me of a giraffe.
Throughout the hour or so I spent in the exhibition I quickly realised that this exhibition is really suited to group visits. This stood out to me when I came across an interactive station regarding friendship and the dilemma I faced was trying to find a friend to complete the station’s task. I was alone but determined to find a friend so I approached a random lady wondering aimlessly around the exhibition and I said to her, ‘Hey, do you want to tap on together?’
I thought it sounded a bit like a pick-up line but I guess that’s how you make friends at a Star Wars exhibition, right?
What STAR WARS Identities: The Exhibition
When 16 November 2018 – 10 June 2019
Where Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007
Price $23 Child, $32 Concession, $36 Adult and
Website https://ma.as/
Words by Addy Fong.
