SEASON 2

3 August - 22 December 2018

Season 2 launches with an eclectic display featuring objects on the themes of memory and dementia, the Queensland Farming Industry to a selection of 1970s music for plants. Curiosities from the permanent collection are also on show, featuring a human hair broom, Victorian memorial items and a life-saving birthing kit. Practicing storytelling and examining our world through objects, AIRSEUM Season 2 examines the ingenuity of invention and investigates some of the unusual and unexpected stories of contemporary life. 

Tree Change Dolls are the creation of Tasmanian artist Sonia Singh. The dolls have been rescued and rehabilitated from op-shops and tip shops around Tasmania. These upcycled Bratz dolls have had a lifestyle change, swapping their high-maintenance high-fashion habits for down-to-earth style. Each doll has their own unique individuality, as Sonia hand repaints the doll faces, moulds new feet or shoes and creates custom, hand-made outfits. After posting before and after shots of the dolls on Tumblr, Tree Change Dolls went viral and they have found new homes all over the world.

Photo: Catherine Polcz

Souvenirs Past - Great Barrier Reef:Each year over 2 million tourists visit the Great Barrier Reef. Tourism to the reef grew rapidly after the Great Barrier Reef was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations and as transport to formerly inaccessible regions improved. Today, tourism is the main industry in the Great Barrier Reef precinct of Far North Queensland. Souvenirs are an integral part of the travel experience for many. Mass-produced themed spoons, fridge magnets, mugs, ashtrays and more can noe be purchased from most attractions, historical sites and cities. As warming water temperatures and coral bleaching continue to threaten the reef, visitors travel to the reef with a sense of urgency. A 2016 review revealed that 69% of tourists to the reef wanted to see the reef before it is one.Photo: Ellen Dahl

Objects for reminscence therapy displayed longside the collection of Alicia’s Klassic Kool Shoppe. Photo: Ellen Dahl

Modern farming tools collection, featuring castration rings, calf weaner and sheep prolapse retainer. Photo: Document Photography.

The Birthing Kit is a simple, clean tool that is used to prevent infection around the time of childbirth for mothers, babies and caregivers. Unclean birth environments can lead to infection, serious illness and death. For mothers and families that cannot afford the essential items for birth, the kit removes a financial barrier and often provides an incentive for mothers to attend skilled care during pregnancy and birth.

Since 2006, the Birthing Kit Foundation has delivered more than 1.65 million kits throughout the world. In 2017, 200,000 kits were distributed to woman in need. The life-saving kits, assembled by volunteers and valued at $3 contain:

· Gloves to prevent the spread of HIV and other infections between care-giver and recipient

· Plastic sheet to prevent the mother and newborn coming into contact with ground or another unhygienic surface

· Soap to wash the birth attendant’s hands and mother’s perineum

· Cord ties to tie the umbilical cord

· Gauze to wipe clear the newborn infant’s eyes and to clean the mother’s perineum prior to giving birth

· Sterile blade to cut the umbilical cord, reducing risk of newborn sepsis and tetanus

This kit was generously donated by the Birthing Kit Foundation Australia. Learn more at bkfa.org.au.

Photo: Document Photography

The Toolshed Scentscape Multisensory Pack, part of Memory Aids Collection.

Reminisce therapy is a type of therapy used to work with patients with dementia. The disease often begins with a disruption to new memory formation and not until much later in disease progression does it affect regions where older memories are stored. Many with dementia can vividly recall memories of their past with acute detail. Different aids or tools are used to help recall memories and aid in conversation.

There are a few specialised stores that produce products that improve the quality of life for both those suffering from dementia and their carers. Therapeutic products range from detailed replicas of newspapers, advertisements and other common printed material to recreated multisensory experiences of familiar places. Other sensory tools help develop mind and motor skills and include matching activities, sensory blankets and specialty board games.

Photo: Document Photography

Collection of tintype photographs from American Studio, 23 King WM St., Adelaide. Sitters unknown. Approximately 1880.

Photo: Document Photography