Revisit Canberra: National Film & Sound Archive
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Typical of a travel brochure, many of our iconic Canberra attractions are really only ever visited by locals when family or friends come to town. As was the case for Bethany Nevile recently. Having only ever visited places such as the National Library, National Museum and National Gallery for school excursions, complained about being dragged to them as a kid, or realising she had never actually ever checked them out, Beth decided to make a re-visit and live it list—for Canberra that is.
Over the last few months, Beth has revisited iconic landmarks around the capital and rediscovered tourist attractions that are often forgotten (the ones we’re all guilty of driving by each day without giving a second thought). This series will hopefully inspire you to revisit some of Canberra’s institutional treasures with new eyes, fresh enthusiasm and the determination to reinvigorate an appreciation for the city you call home.
It’s time to make media social at the National Film and Sound Archive.
There is change in the air at the National Film and Sound Archives (NFSA). After all 2014 marks 30 years in the nation’s capital.
A well-loved Canberra institution since 1984, the NFSA have decided to mix things up to mark the big occasion—and with great results too.
The NFSA offers an in-depth look at Australia’s history and culture through screen and sound with a written collection (screen plays, scores, transcripts etc) that holds 2.16 million works, including films, TV and radio shows, tapes, records and CDs as well as pictures, props, costumes, oral histories, scripts and much, much more.
As an ANU student (with the archives on my doorstep) and a lover of media, the NFSA had always been on my periphery. Even my two younger brothers have had great experiences when they visited the NFSA during school holiday programs as kids particularly in music—their ‘design your own album cover’ course helped shape my brother into the musician he is today, so I know how important all the elements of their work are.
Upon my visit last week, I decided to take my revisit one step further and so I sat down with Peter White, senior manager of Programming and Indigenous Affairs to find out a little more about the NFSA’s plans for 2015 and beyond detailing just how crucial the role of the Archives’ is in the digital world.
One of the most exciting things to come from the NFSA is their plans for community outreach.
“We want to investigate what it means to be a national cultural institution,” says Peter, and that means taking Australia’s collection online as well as on the road.
Romulus, My Father
As part of Black Screen, a program promoting indigenous screen culture, the NFSA already tours the collection around to rural and remote indigenous communities giving everyone a chance to enjoy and interact with their stories through screen and sound. Now, after the recent success of their Muriel’s Wedding celebration, which involved a screening and exhibition, Muriel might just be travelling too. People can already head to the website to see behind-the-scenes footage and deleted scenes from the film, as well as costumes and props. With other Australian films celebrating milestones in the next few years there will be plenty of chances for all of Australia to return to well-loved classics.
The NFSA also highlights different elements of the collection at varying times so I was particularly lucky when I visited as the display in the foyer focused on a topic close to my heart—literary adaptation. Great Adaptations—Words to Image is an exhibition of pictures and information about several film adaptations of classic Australian novels and plays including Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park, Colin Thiele’s Storm Boy, and even scripts and costumes from Romulus, my Father by Raimond Gaita.
I found tracing some of the process from the printed page to screen absolutely fascinating.
Fractured Heart
I also loved Fractured Heart, an interactive multimedia display based around the collaboration between Wally De Backer (known as best-selling musician Gotye) and innovative design company illuminart for the 2011 ARIA awards. Words don’t do it justice and it’s a little hard to describe, so you’ll have to go see for yourself but it is basically an interactive light and sound sculpture that you control, creating remixes of Gotye’s hit singles. Not only can you play around with Fractured Heart but you can get a glimpse of what it took to put it together too (side note: Gotye’s original very polite email to Cindi Drennan is definitely worth a read).
The Front Room
The Front Room is another new feature of the NFSA having launched early December in the space of the old shop (which is now online) and offers a place for people to walk in off the street and interact with the collection, particularly through sound. They say the Front Room is for exploring ‘the history of sound, music and broadcast in comfort’, and so you can ‘listen to radio broadcasts on our 1950s radiogram, watch classic TV in the lounge space or play CDs on our listening posts’.
I immediately settled in—listening to the radio, checking out their SoundCloud and playing around with the old fashioned TV. I was only there for a little while, but I can definitely see how a music fan could wile away the hours in The Front Room.
The Vinyl Lounge
If you’re into vinyl, on the first Friday evening of every month the NFSA’s theatrette turns into the Vinyl Lounge. It’s totally free and provides a space to listen to records from 1960’s to the 1980’s, (I’ve decided I have to visit again to make up for missing the ABBA themed session before the Muriel screening!). You can bring your own LPs, grab a drink and some nibbles and just spend an hour sitting back and listening to quality tunes.
The theatrette also hosts the 100 Seats program, a series of curated talks from media performers and professionals, and Black Chat, a regular series that explores ‘what it means for Australia’s Living Archive to appropriately represent the world’s longest living culture’. These events are all part of the NFSA’s efforts to try reinvigorate Canberrans to become involved in screen and sound culture, and get people to share these experiences with others.
It’s about active listening: forget social media, it’s time to make media social.
Gallery at the National Film and Sound Archive
While the 2015 autumn program is still being finalised, there’s lots to look forward to at the NFSA throughout summer. I for one will be coming back to watch classic Disney movies screening in January (tickets are $5, check the website for the full program and times) and for the Black Chat The Sapphires special in February, based on the 2012 film and the real women who inspired it.
“Our aim for the NFSA moving forward, is to have a little bit of something for everyone and to bring the collection out to the wider Canberra community and beyond,” says Peter.
And given how exciting, intriguing and enlightening my revisit to the National Film and Sound Archives was, I’m already looking forward to the great things yet to come.
The essentials
What: The National Film and Sound Archives
Where: 1 McCoy Circuit, Acton
When: Open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday (closed from 25 December to 1 January)
How much: Free
Web: www.nfsa.gov.au
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