{"id":865459,"date":"2026-08-23T11:38:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T11:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/865459\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T11:38:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T11:38:16","slug":"immersive-experiences-among-exhibitions-announced-for-powerhouse-parramatta-grand-opening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/865459\/","title":{"rendered":"Immersive experiences among exhibitions announced for Powerhouse Parramatta grand opening"},"content":{"rendered":"

A crystal tunnel set within a meteorite, a maze of mirrors and a vintage Qantas plane will be among the exhibits on offer when Powerhouse Parramatta opens its doors on November 7.<\/p>\n

The full program for the museum’s grand opening was revealed on Sunday, with work continuing to install more than 3,000 objects sourced from Australia and around the world.<\/p>\n

The museum is promising an immersive experience, including an exhibition of five major works by British artist Es Devlin.<\/p>\n

The Turning includes a labyrinth of mirrors called the Forest of Us.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

The Forest of Us artwork involves a labyrinth of mirrors. (Supplied: Andrea Mora)<\/p>\n

Visitors will be encouraged to get lost in its light-filled maze, while discovering the “striking visual symmetries” between trees and human lungs.<\/p>\n

Powerhouse CEO Lisa Havilah said one of the “beautiful things” about the new space at Parramatta was its flexibility, allowing for large-scale installations.<\/p>\n

“We’re able to create these exhibitions that people will really be able to immerse themselves in,” Ms Havilah said.<\/p>\n

“It’s also about presenting the collection in new ways as well.”\"An<\/p>\n

Devlin’s Memory Palace will also feature in the exhibition. (Supplied: Powerhouse Parramatta)<\/p>\n

Devlin’s other works include Memory Palace, an immersive 3D cityscape, and Collective Portrait, which will invite visitors to draw portraits of strangers.<\/p>\n

‘Don’t be scared’ of the dark<\/p>\n

An immersive experience catering to children will be an exhibition called The Dark.<\/p>\n

“The Dark can be wondrous. There’s no need to be scared,” the museum’s program teases.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Dark is among the exhibitions catering to children. (Supplied: Powerhouse Parramatta)<\/p>\n

Ms Havilah said the exhibition would be set inside a meteorite-like installation, showcasing more than 800 objects including an impressive minerals collection.<\/p>\n

“There’s a crystal tunnel, there are objects that make noise.<\/p>\n

“There are different perspectives of how you imagine the dark, whether it’s deep into space, deep underwater or deep in your body.”<\/p>\n

The Dark will also display the cherished personal objects of children from across Western Sydney.<\/p>\n

“We did a call-out and 100 kids \u2026 have loaned us their most special object,” Ms Havilah said.<\/p>\n

“So there’s a whole room with these 100 objects, but also the stories behind each of [them].”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

One room will feature the favourite objects from 100 children across Western Sydney. (Supplied: Powerhouse Parramatta)<\/p>\n

Walking on water<\/p>\n

The third of the new exhibitions announced is a First Nations-led work called Overflow.<\/p>\n

Through the films of acclaimed director and Kamilaroi man Ivan Sen, visitors can learn about Aboriginal custodianship of the oceans, rivers and other waterways in NSW.<\/p>\n

According to the Powerhouse, Overflow will shine a light on cultural practices that foster species protection, flood mitigation, sustainable and commercial fishing and water quality.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Films by Kamilaroi man Ivan Sen are part of the Overflow exhibition. (Supplied: Powerhouse Parramatta\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Ms Havilah said audiences would be invited to “walk on water” as part of the exhibition.<\/p>\n

“There will be a huge platform in the middle of the space that will have water in the middle of it,” she said.<\/p>\n

There will be five opening exhibitions, two of which were previously announced.<\/p>\n

Task Eternal will explore the “human ambition to defy gravity”, and the display will include a NASA <\/a>moon rock and original drawings of flying machines by Leonardo da Vinci.<\/p>\n

It will also feature the Avro 504K\u2014 a replica of the very first Qantas plane.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A replica of the very first Qantas plane will be on display when the museum opens. (Supplied: Powerhouse Parramatta\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Another exhibition, The Mall, will span two storeys of the Powerhouse, exploring the history and evolution of the modern shopping centre.<\/p>\n

Western Sydney will get another nod in this exhibition, as the birthplace of the Westfield shopping centre \u2014 a concept that was exported to the world.<\/p>\n

Rare items from Australian fashion brands will be on show, along with the signature jeans worn by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.<\/p>\n

The display will also include prototypes of the Predator boot, conceived by Australian footballer Craig Johnston and worn by David Beckham.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

The Mall will be exhibited over two storeys of the museum. (Supplied: Jo Duck)<\/p>\n

Kids see it for free<\/p>\n

All of the exhibitions will be free of charge for visitors under 16 years of age.<\/p>\n

However, Task Eternal will attract an as-yet undisclosed entry fee for visitors who are 16 years old and over.<\/p>\n

Powerhouse Parramatta opening date revealed<\/a><\/p>\n

The NSW government announced in May that construction of the $915 million museum had been completed four years after work began.<\/p>\n

Ms Havilah said the museum was designed to increase Sydneysiders’ access to “world-class arts and culture.”<\/p>\n

“It’s a really great gift,” she said.<\/p>\n

“To have four of the five exhibitions free to the public, I think is incredible.”<\/p>\n

Arts Minister John Graham said the $915 million project, which also includes storage and archiving, would offer good value to families facing cost-of-living pressures.<\/p>\n

“We want to ensure that price isn’t a barrier for young people to explore the big ideas, the creativity, the innovation that Powerhouse Parramatta will exhibit and celebrate,” he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A crystal tunnel set within a meteorite, a maze of mirrors and a vintage Qantas plane will be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":865460,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[110663,64,63,434204,434205,134,182225,15941,434203,50961,131,16862,434202,289700],"class_list":["post-865459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-artwork","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-avro-504k","tag-craig-johnton","tag-entertainment","tag-es-devlin","tag-exhibitions","tag-ivan-sen","tag-john-graham","tag-nasa","tag-nsw-government","tag-powerhouse-ceo-lisa-havilah","tag-powerhouse-parramatta"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=865459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/865460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=865459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=865459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=865459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}