17 May 2021 to 18 February 2022
From Aussie classics to contemporary concept cars, Dream Factory takes a tour through almost 60 years of design by way of rarely seen drawings, models, photographs, film and memories from key designers, showcasing one of Australia's most important industrial design studios, the Technical Centre, at Fishermans Bend.
Opened in 1964 and scarcely known outside the world of GMH, the Technical Centre was a powerhouse of design and one of the most successful industrial design studios in Australia.
The drawings on display represent the work of nine designers covering a span of more than 50 years. Accompanied by quotations about style, technique and intent, the exhibition explores the activity of design and Australia’s industrial design history.
Some of GMH’s most significant and recognised cars are represented – the HK and HQ Monaro (Wheels Magazine’s Car of the Year in 1968), the LC and LJ Torana, the Statesman, the VN and VT Commodore, the Bathurst TR-X Torana and the eye-catching Hurricane concept car, on display as a scale model (on loan from GMH).
Dream Factory also features a commissioned work by ceramicist Jia Jia Chen, Dream my Monaro. The scale model is both a homage to those who lovingly embellish their cars, and an envisioning of Jia Jia’s own ‘dream machine’ fabrication.
Curated by Harriet Edquist
Harriet Edquist is a curator and historian, and Emeritus Professor in the School of Architecture and Urban Design at RMIT. She was founding director of the RMIT Design Archives 2007–20 and inaugural president of Automotive Historians Australia 2015–19.
Opening hours
Monday to Friday: 8.30am to 12.30pm
Closed weekends and public holidays.