The Powerhouse Museum is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Sydney 2000 Olympics by digitising some of the most iconic objects which were broadcast into lounge rooms around the world.
Australian Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said the Powerhouse Ultimo digitisation studio is bringing famous artefacts into a virtual world.
“This is a special walk down memory lane from the world’s biggest sport event,” Mr Lee said.
“From the torch used by Cathy Freeman to ignite the Olympic cauldron to the infamous Prawn bike used in the Closing Ceremony, these objects connect us to a time when the eyes of the world were fixed on Sydney.
“The Powerhouse has the largest collection of Sydney Olympics objects in Australia. It’s nostalgic to see our nation’s personality and way-of-life showcased through these objects and to remember the pride we shared for our Aussie athletes.”
Minister for the Arts Don Harwin said when complete, the Powerhouse digitisation project will see around 330,000 objects from the collection captured, enhancing its accessibility for local, national and international audiences.
“As one of the largest digitisation projects currently in Australia, the Powerhouse collection digitisation will result in expanded community access to the Museum’s incredible collection,” Mr Harwin said.
Powerhouse Chief Executive, Lisa Havilah said the Powerhouse is also launching guided walkthroughs at the Museum Discovery Centre (MDC) in Castle Hill to reconnect with the major moments of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“The MDC in Castle Hill houses a significant collection of more than 600 objects from the Sydney Olympic Games. This spans iconic pieces from the opening and closing ceremonies, to native wildlife mascots and performance costumes crafted by renowned Australian designers Lisa Ho, Jenny Kee and Peter Morrissey,” Ms Havilah said.
Tours are available by booking only. More information can be found here.
*Video of the Olympic objects being digitised can be found here.