The Vinyl Factory: Reverb, Presented by ACMI and Rising

Opening as part of Rising (and continuing until August after the festival is over), The Vinyl Factory: Reverb is less a static exhibition, and more of a full-body immersion into sound. Originally staged at 180 Studios in London, this Australian premiere transforms ACMI into an archive of music’s influence across visual art, film, fashion and beyond.

Encounter works by leading contemporary creatives including Canadian artist Stan Douglas; Nigerian-British director Jenn Nkiru; South African artist William Kentridge; English conceptual artist Jeremy Deller; and the late American fashion designer and entrepreneur Virgil Abloh, founder of Off-White. Also included in the exhibition are American filmmaker Kahlil Joseph, Argentinian artist and dancer Cecilia Bengolea, London-via-Sierra-Leone artist Julianknxx and German musician Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto). That’s all alongside a deep dive into The Vinyl Factory’s back catalogue, featuring pressings from Massive Attack, Grace Jones, Daft Punk and more.

The exhibition traces sonic histories across time and place: from Kingston’s dancehall roots to the acid house euphoria of the late 1980s and into today’s digital frontiers. It’s as much about collective experience as it is about individual listening – and what happens when music moves through bodies, cities and subcultures. Expect everything from sculptural sound systems and remixable vinyl stations to hypnotic video works, including a six-hour jam session set inside a reconstruction of the legendary New York recording studio where Miles Davis, Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan laid down tracks.

At the exhibition’s core is the Listening Room, an acoustically tuned space fitted with a custom Australian designed and manufactured Pitt & Giblin system. By day, it’s a meditative space to sit with rare and iconic records. By night, it hosts intimate 50-person sessions featuring Rising artists like Adrian Sherwood, Tom Ellard (Severed Heads), Nicole Skeltys (B(if)tek, Artificial), Mark Ernestus and Saul Williams for talks, deep listening and one-off performances.

The Vinyl Factory: Reverb opens on Friday May 22 and runs until Monday August 31. Find out more and buy tickets on the ACMI website.

Broadsheet is a proud media partner of The Vinyl Factory: Reverb, presented by Rising and ACMI.