| History |
Planning for a light and sound museum commenced in
1964.
The Museum of Light and Sound
Technology was founded in 1980.
The Fremantle Light and Sound
Discovery Centre was opened in 2003 and was closed in
2009.
The Light and Sound Discovery
Centre was created in 2013 to continue the work of the
Fremantle Light and Sound Discovery Centre. |
| Our Aims |
To collect, preserve, research, display and interpret to the
public examples of technologies that use light and/or sound, with
special emphasis on light and sound technologies that were used for
the recording, retrieval and transmission of information.
To use these light and sound technologies in educational and
entertaining environments for people of all ages.
|
| Exhibitions and Consultations |
In the period 1980 – 2000 The Museum of Light and Sound Technology
was involved in numerous displays and exhibitions.
Significant exhibitions presented by the museum include those
hosted by:
- Royal Western Australian Historical Society - Nedlands
- City of Fremantle Library - Fremantle
- Hyde Park Holiday (festival) - Perth
- Town of Waroona
- City of Belmont Library - Belmont
Groups to which the museum has contributed by providing public
displays include:
- Colonial Bottle Club of W.A.
- Antique Collectors Club of W.A.
- Vintage Wireless and Gramophones Club of W.A.
- Nostalgia Unlimited - Perry Lakes
- Mandurah Collectors Club
Exhibitions to which the museum has loaned artifacts for display
include:
- Capital Community Radio
- My Fair Lady stage production
- John Curtin's Legacy - John Curtin Prime Ministerial
Library Bentley
- Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts - Edith
Cowan University
- The Illuminating Engineers Society of Australia -
Perth
- The Western Australian Museum
- Perth and Kalgoorlie
The Museum of Light and Sound Technology was also a major
contributor to (and co-curator of) the following:
- Centenary of the Cinema Exhibition - Hellenic Gallery
of the Western Australian Museum. (Winner of AMEC Museum
Education Award)
- Centenary of Recorded Sound Exhibition -
Entertainment Centre Perth
Institutions to which the museum has been a consultant include:
- Western Australian Museum - Kalgoorlie Boulder branch
- University of the Third Age - Claremont
- History House - Armadale-Kelmscott Municipal Museum
- Wongan Hills Museum - Wongan Hills
- Robert Holmes à Court Collection - Perth
- Tom Fernihough Collection - Perth
- Allan Lynd Collection - Tasmania
- Wynella Museum - Denmark
- Blythewood Museum - Bridgetown
- Subiaco Historical Society - Subiaco
- Southern Cross Museum - Southern Cross
- Australian Customs Service - Western Australia
- The Australian Museum of
Motion Picture Technology - Western Australian chapter
Professional development lectures or workshops presented by
The Museum of Light and Sound Technology:
- Light and Sound: P.D.
for the Early Year Education Society (2004).
- Oh! I See. Science of
light and sight - workshop for primary school teachers (2003).
- It's Not My Volt!
Science of electricity - workshop for primary school teachers
(2002).
- How Changes in Technology Have Changed Teaching -
Conference of the Science Teachers Association of W.A.
(CONSTAWA)
- How Changes in Technology Have Changed Teaching -
Institute on science communication, Curtin University of
Technology
- Back To the Future Science - Future Science
Conference (STAWA).
- Teaching Science Using Historical Artefacts -
(CONSTAWA)
- Science of the Early Cinema - Conference of the
Australia Science Teachers Association. (ASTA)
- Its All In The Groove - A workshop for gramophone
owners and small museums.
- Dinosaurs of Film! History of the cinema - Claremont
Museum.
|
Fremantle Light and Sound Discovery Centre
|
The Fremantle Light and Sound Discovery Centre evolved from
the Museum of Light and Sound Technology. It was a science Experience
and Learn centre which used historical gadgets to provide
real context for science learning experiences. It was open in the
Fremantle History Museum for six and a half years. |
| School Holiday Programs presented by
the Fremantle Light and Sound Discovery Centre |
In the period 2004 to 2009, over 2750
children booked into the school holidays programs offered by the Fremantle
Light and Sound Discovery Centre.
The holidays programs presented by the Fremantle Light and Sound
Discovery Centre and the Fremantle History Museum were considered by
parents and children to be the equal to the best in the Western
Australian Museum. Indeed many parents regard the holidays programs
presented in the Fremantle Light and Sound Discovery Centre as some
of the best offered by any
organization in the metropolitan area. (For instance the
January 2007 program was booked out on almost every day of the two
weeks it was offered.) Following is a list of the programs offered.
Super Sounds (Sounds and Hearing) (April 2004)
The Tale of the Talking Machine
The Great Morse Code Mystery
The Invisible Man (Science of Invisibility)
Movie Magic (Invention of the Moving Pictures)
Edison and His Inventions
Mysterious Musical Instruments
Movie Magic (Invention of the Moving Pictures)
The Tale of the Talking Machine (History of sound recording)
Super Sounds (sound and hearing)
The Great Morse Code Mystery (Using morse code)
Spectre - the Science of Illusions
Edison and His Inventions
Fun With Mirrors (periscope or kaleidoscope)
ColourSpace (spectroscope)
Inspect a Gadget (Phenakistoscope)
Toilet Roll Radio (Crystal Set)
Good Vibrations (Zip-o-phone)
Fun with Fotography (Camera Obscura)
3D (Brewster Stereoscope)
No Batteries Required (Crank-o-Phone)
Galileo’s Great Experiments (Galilean Telescope) (July 2009)
|
| Exhibitions presented by the
Fremantle Light and Sound Discovery Centre |
The other focus of the Fremantle
Light and Sound Discovery Centre was its special exhibitions. Three
or Four exhibitions were presented each year. Following is a list of
exhibitions presented in the period 2004 - 2009
50th Anniversary of Rock Around the
Clock (April 2004) - Talk and display.
Richard Rennie (1890 – 1936)
- Fremantle’s Rough Diamond. Talk and display. Fremantle Heritage
Week 2004
80th Anniversary of opening of 6WF
(June 2004) - Western Australia’s first radio station. Talk and
display
The Days of the Quick Brown Fox -
Display of historic office technology Seniors Week 2004 - Talk and
exhibition
Professor Archibald’s Fantastic
Phonograph (The story of the first Edison Phonograph in
W.A.) Talk and Presentation - Fremantle Festival 2004
Treasures in the Tracks -
the History of Magnetic Recording. Exhibition and Talk Topic -
Fremantle Festival 2005
Billy Edwards and the Billy Edwards
Music Company - the story of Western Australia's
Billy Edwards. Fremantle Heritage Week 2005 – Talk and display:
Movie Magic (2005 - 2006)-
Exhibition celebrating the 110th Anniversary of the Cinema.
From Daguerreotype to Digital
- a Brief History of Photography Exhibition Fotofreo 2006 - The City
of Fremantle Festival of Photography and Fremantle Heritage Week
2006
The Invention of Television -
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Television in Australia
Exhibition and Talk Seniors Week 2006 (2006)
Clarion Gold Exhibition –
celebrating Western Australia’s legendary Clarion Record label.
(2006/7)
Bubbles of Light – The
Evolution of the Light Globe. Exhibition and Talk for Fremantle
Heritage Week. (2007)
The First Real International
Exhibitions of Darksuckers (F.R.I.E.D.) - exhibition and
talks about darksuckers and the theory of dark (2007)
The Edison Phonograph -
Celebrating the 130th anniversary of the invention of the talking
machine. (2007) Exhibition and talks.
Light and Sound Toys -
An exhibition of toys that use light and/or sound - modern and
antique. (Jan - Mar 2008)
Wild “1” - Celebrating the
50th anniversary of Australian Rock ’n’ Roll (May - July 2008)
Exhibition and talks.
Science in (Old) Comic Books
- Science concepts used on comic books of the 1950s and 1960s.
(August - October 2009)
From Wireless to Radio - The
story of radio in the home. (December 2008 - February 2009)
The Long History of the Long
Playing Record - Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the 45
rpm record. (April - June 2009)
|
Public Programs presented by the
Fremantle Light and Sound Discovery Centre
|
The Fremantle Light and Sound
Discovery Centre has presented public programs in the Fremantle
History Museum in conjunction with the following events.
The Sounds of World War I (Anzac
Day 2003) - Talk: The use of the gramophone in the
First World War.
Seniors Week 2003 - Historic Sights
and Sounds - Using light and sound technology to bring the
past to life.
Fremantle Heritage Week 2004
- Topic: Richard Rennie - Fremantle’s Rough Diamond. Talk and
display.
50th Anniversary of Rock Around the
Clock (April 2004) - Talk and display.
80th Anniversary of opening of 6WF
(June 2004) - Western Australia’s first radio station. Talk and
display
Seniors Week 2004 -
Exhibition Theme: The Days of the Quick Brown Fox - Display of
historic office technology
National Science Week 2004 and 2005-
Presentation Topic: Incredible Inventions That Changed The World.
Fremantle Festival 2004 -
Talk Topic: Professor Archibald’s Fantastic Phonograph (The story of
the first Edison Phonograph in W.A.)
Foster Family Free Day 2005 -
Presentation Topic: Mysterious Musical Instruments (no charges to
visitors)
Fremantle Heritage Week 2005 -
Talk Topic: Billy Edwards and the Billy Edwards Music Company
- the story of Western Australia’s Billy Edwards.
Fremantle Festival 2005 -
Talk Topic: Treasures in the Tracks - the history of magnetic
recording.
Movie Magic (2005 - 2006) - exhibition and talks celebrating the 110th
Anniversary of the Cinema.
Fotofreo 2006 - The City of
Fremantle Festival of Photography - Exhibition titled From
Daguerreotype to Digital - a brief History of Photography.
Fremantle Heritage Week 2006
- Talk Topic: From Daguerreotype to Digital - a brief History of
Photography.
Seniors Week 2006 - Talk
Topic: The Invention of Television - Celebrating the 50th
Anniversary of Television in Australia.
Fremantle Heritage Festival 2007
(3 Talks) - Topic: Bubbles of Light - The Evolution of the
Light Globe. (May 07)
Fremantle Heritage Festival 2007
(2 Talks) - Topic: Darksuckers and the Theory of Dark.
Seniors Week 2007 (2 talks)
Topic: Professor Archibald’s Fantastic Phonograph - the story of the
first Edison Phonograph in Western Australia.
Fremantle Festival 2007 (2
talks) Topic Edison’s Phonograph - the invention of the talking
machine.
Fotofreo 2008 - The City of
Fremantle Festival of Photography - Public talk - a brief History of
Colour Photography.
Fremantle Heritage Festival 2008
- Wild “1” The Genesis of Australian Rock ‘n’ Roll - Talk
celebrating the 50th anniversary of Australian rock ‘n’ Roll.
Seniors Week Oct 2008 - in
Old Comic Books - Public Presentation
Fremantle Heritage Festival 2009
- The Long History of the Long Playing Record (4
talks/presentations)
|
| School Holiday Programs for
Melville's Museum and Local History Service |
After the Fremantle History Museum
was closed, the Fremantle Light and sound Discovery Centre had no
permanent venue.
For the period 2010 - 2013 we
presented the following school holiday programs for the Melville's
Museum and Local History Service.
Jan 2010 Good
Vibrations (Zip-o-Phone)
April 2010 Chrom
o Fun (Fun with Colour)
July 2010 The
Great Morse Code Challenge (In Wireless Hill Museum)
Oct 2010 Toilet
Roll Radio - Crystal Set (In Wireless Hill Museum)
Jan 2011 Make
a Microscope (including flora and flora of Wireless Hill)
April 2011 Make
a Camera Obscura (and use it to take photos)
July 2011
Magic Lantern Projector (Make a magic lantern projector)
Oct 2011 No
Batteries Required (Make a hand cranked gramophone)
Jan 2012 3D
(Make a 1850s Brewster Stereoscope)
April 2012 Telescopes
- From Galileo to the SKA (Make a Galilean Telescope)
July 2012 Fun
With Mirrors (Make a Periscope and Kaleidoscope)
Oct 2012 Morse
Code to the Rescue
Jan 2013
Movie Magic (Phenakistoscope, Zootrope, Thaumatrope)
|
Other Presentations for Melville's
Museum and Local History Service
|
In the period 2010–2013 Richard
Rennie presented the following talks:
Sound Like History (Rare
Historical sound recordings)
Two Ears Good (The History
of Stereophonic Sound)
From 6WF to the ABC
(celebrating the 80th anniversary of the ABC)
G.P. Stevens and the Story of the
First Radio Experiments in WA
Royalty on Records (Rare
recordings of Kings and Queens from 1895–1960)
Sounds Like Heritage (Rare
and unique early western Australian Sound Recordings) (2013)
|
Light and Sound Discovery Centre
|
The
Light and Sound Discovery Centre has evolved from the
Fremantle Light and Sound Discovery Centre.
It does not have a permanent display. However it can provide science
programs in schools. It can provide school holiday programs.
In April 2013 the school holiday program presented in Hopetoun was
No Batteries
Required – Machines that make music without the need for
batteries; and make a Crank-o-Phone (hand cranked gramophone) to
keep.
On April 28 it presented in Hopetoun Sounds
Like
Heritage as part of Western Australia's Heritage Festival.
The presentation was repeated in Albany and then in Melville.
|
| Staffing |
The Light and Sound Discovery Centre is a not-for-profit
science organization.
A qualified Science teacher runs the school programs and holidays
programs on a cost recovery basis.
|
Community Services
|
Gramophone repairs and servicing
Help and conservation advice is available to small local museums
throughout Western Australia.
The Light and Sound Discovery Centre offers to provide
information about the correct way to repair, restore and service
antique Gramophones or Phonographs.
Free advice is given on the care, conservation and restoration of
early light and sound technological artifacts.
|
Professional Development
for Teachers |
The Light and Sound Discovery Centre offers a stimulating
and sometimes amusing professional development presentations. |
| Study and Research Programs |
The facilities of The Light and Sound Discovery Centre are
available to Masters and PHD students for research purposes.
Technical and historical assistance is provided.
Research projects suitable for History, Media, Music and
Technology students are available. Some projects are
specially relevant to Western Australia. The centre provides
a unique support for original historical and technological
research in Western Australia.
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