Museums • First Nations • Nature

Sharks: the exhibition

Client

Location

Completed

Australian Museum

Sydney, Australia

2022

Awards

Best Awards: Exhibition and Temporary Structures Finalist

*Image © Australian Museum, credit Andrea Venegas.*

*Image © Australian Museum, credit James Alcock.*

*Image © Australian Museum, credit Abram Powell.*

The Process

We worked with our frequent collaborators Studio Cassells to produce Sharks, an exhibition for Australian Museum. Bringing this interactive exhibition together and identifying the stories and information to be included was a collaborative process in which we consulted extensively with:

Australian Museum staff
First Nations peoples
scientists
shark lovers
and surfers

Through this process, we discovered our story. And that story is indeed about sharks, the incredible, diverse creatures that have lived in our oceans for hundreds of millions of years, but it’s also about people.

In many western cultures, sharks are seen as fearsome, dangerous monsters of the deep to be avoided at all costs. But it is the sharks that are in danger, not us. Populations of many species are in free-fall.

Other cultures view sharks differently. In many Pacific and Australian First Nations cultures, sharks are revered - often seen as ancestors, or even gods. Among some groups, sharks are never taken; in others, only under strict protocols.

Image © Australian Museum, credit James Alcock.

The Result

This exhibition explores what we need to learn from Pacific and Australian First Nations cultures if we are to save sharks, and with them our oceans.

Sharks is immersive, exciting, and thought provoking. Its content is brought to life through engaging graphics, models, video, AR, and interactives that include:

Life-size shark models ranging from the 50cm Epaulette Shark to the 8m Whale Shark
Augmented reality interactives where visitors can play with a Whale Shark or explore the contents of a shark’s stomach
Real, touchable shark specimens from the Australian Museum collection

Learn more about how we helped create Sharks on our blog

Check out the Australian Museum to learn more about the exhibition, the shark model making process, and the virtual 3D-exhibition!