The acoustic and sound design for a museum exhibition on indigenous music and dance

Abstract

Museum exhibitions commonly use visual design to orientate and inform the visitor. At the Powerhouse museum in Sydney, Australia, an exhibition (entitiled Ngaramang Bayumi) was recently developed on indigenous music and dance. This exhibition was designed to orient the visitor using aural cues, in addition to the visual. This has been achieved by the use of acoustic design and through the use of a specialized sound systems that presents a 3-D sound (ambisonics), that calls and guides the visitor through the space. The experience, along with audiovisuals, objects, text, and graphics uses unusual geometries, layouts, and building materials. Using this design as a case study, this presentation will explain the research and development of the acoustic elements within the exhibition. These are the elements of cross talk, sound quality, sound focusing, sound isolation, sound ambience, localization, dynamic range, and reverberation times. Visitor reaction to the exhibition will also be discused.