Eternity
The Eternity exhibition is a glimpse into Australia's past, present and future through the lives, emotions and experiences of its people. More than 1.6 billion people have lived in Australia, 32 million of them since 1788. Personal stories make an important contribution to our history. Eternity opens a window onto some of them and encourages each of us to consider the significance of our own lives and stories.
In a radical departure from the usual categories of museums, Eternity is based on 10 themes that speak directly to people's real experiences. These themes of Joy, Hope, Passion, Mystery, Thrill, Loneliness, Fear, Devotion, Separation and Chance provide a new angle on Australian history. Each theme features five stories, each anchored by one significant object. Innovative multimedia techniques are used to tell the wider story.Eternity is an exhibition that shows that we can all leave our story in some way.
Take Arthur Stace, 'Mr Eternity'. At least 50 times a day for 30 years he wrote the word 'Eternity' in chalk on the streets of Sydney. His simple, enduring message can still make people stop, think and feel.
Eternity is about happiness and hedonism and what makes Australians laugh, cry or have the courage to turn the other cheek. It shows how people deal with experiences such as war, discrimination, personal tragedy or isolation. Stories range from losing a loved one, facing death every day, spiritual devotion, sporting triumph, missing one's homeland and appreciating the little things in life. Share the emotion as the selected stories unfold. Laugh. Feel fear. Fall in love. Take a chance.
An everlasting story in chalk:
The Eternity gallery's name comes from the fascinating story of Arthur Stace, a reformed alcoholic who for 35 years was inspired to write the word 'Eternity' in perfect copperplate in chalk on the streets of Sydney. Many people who lived in Sydney between 1932 and 1967, and those who visited, would have seen the word written on footpaths. It was a mystery for years, until 1956 when it was revealed to be the work of Arthur Stace. He wrote 'Eternity' over half a million times.
Arthur Stace grew up in poverty, and was jailed at the age of 15. After serving in France during the First World War, he returned to the streets of Sydney, partially blind, unemployed and an alcoholic. One day, drawn into the Burton Street Baptist Tabernacle with the promise of a free meal, Arthur Stace encountered something that changed his life, as he described to a journalist from the Daily Telegraph in June 1965, two years before his death:
John Ridley was a powerful preacher and he shouted, 'I wish I could shout Eternity through the streets of Sydney.' He repeated himself and kept shouting, 'Eternity, Eternity,' and his words were ringing through my brain as I left the church. Suddenly I began crying and I felt a powerful call from the Lord to write 'Eternity'. I had a piece of chalk in my pocket, and I bent down right there and wrote it. I've been writing it at least 50 times a day ever since, and that's 30 years ago. The funny thing is that before I wrote it I could hardly write my own name. I had no schooling and I couldn't have spelled 'Eternity' for a hundred quid. But it came out smoothly, in a beautiful copperplate script. I couldn't understand it, and I still can't. I've tried and tried, but 'Eternity' is the only word that comes out in copperplate. I think Eternity gets the message across, makes people stop and think.
The story of Arthur Stace contains all the elements of the ten themes chosen for the Eternity exhibition. His story is a metaphor for the exhibition as a whole. Written in ephemeral chalk, the word 'Eternity' is suggestive of the timelessness of stories, and embodies the message that all people can leave their stories in some way, with one word or with many.
In a radical departure from the usual categories of museums, Eternity is based on 10 themes that speak directly to people's real experiences. These themes of Joy, Hope, Passion, Mystery, Thrill, Loneliness, Fear, Devotion, Separation and Chance provide a new angle on Australian history. Each theme features five stories, each anchored by one significant object. Innovative multimedia techniques are used to tell the wider story.Eternity is an exhibition that shows that we can all leave our story in some way.
Take Arthur Stace, 'Mr Eternity'. At least 50 times a day for 30 years he wrote the word 'Eternity' in chalk on the streets of Sydney. His simple, enduring message can still make people stop, think and feel.
Eternity is about happiness and hedonism and what makes Australians laugh, cry or have the courage to turn the other cheek. It shows how people deal with experiences such as war, discrimination, personal tragedy or isolation. Stories range from losing a loved one, facing death every day, spiritual devotion, sporting triumph, missing one's homeland and appreciating the little things in life. Share the emotion as the selected stories unfold. Laugh. Feel fear. Fall in love. Take a chance.
An everlasting story in chalk:
The Eternity gallery's name comes from the fascinating story of Arthur Stace, a reformed alcoholic who for 35 years was inspired to write the word 'Eternity' in perfect copperplate in chalk on the streets of Sydney. Many people who lived in Sydney between 1932 and 1967, and those who visited, would have seen the word written on footpaths. It was a mystery for years, until 1956 when it was revealed to be the work of Arthur Stace. He wrote 'Eternity' over half a million times.
Arthur Stace grew up in poverty, and was jailed at the age of 15. After serving in France during the First World War, he returned to the streets of Sydney, partially blind, unemployed and an alcoholic. One day, drawn into the Burton Street Baptist Tabernacle with the promise of a free meal, Arthur Stace encountered something that changed his life, as he described to a journalist from the Daily Telegraph in June 1965, two years before his death:
John Ridley was a powerful preacher and he shouted, 'I wish I could shout Eternity through the streets of Sydney.' He repeated himself and kept shouting, 'Eternity, Eternity,' and his words were ringing through my brain as I left the church. Suddenly I began crying and I felt a powerful call from the Lord to write 'Eternity'. I had a piece of chalk in my pocket, and I bent down right there and wrote it. I've been writing it at least 50 times a day ever since, and that's 30 years ago. The funny thing is that before I wrote it I could hardly write my own name. I had no schooling and I couldn't have spelled 'Eternity' for a hundred quid. But it came out smoothly, in a beautiful copperplate script. I couldn't understand it, and I still can't. I've tried and tried, but 'Eternity' is the only word that comes out in copperplate. I think Eternity gets the message across, makes people stop and think.
The story of Arthur Stace contains all the elements of the ten themes chosen for the Eternity exhibition. His story is a metaphor for the exhibition as a whole. Written in ephemeral chalk, the word 'Eternity' is suggestive of the timelessness of stories, and embodies the message that all people can leave their stories in some way, with one word or with many.
posted by Dr. Joe at 10:29 AM
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