Join a free curator floor talk to explore the exhibition Micro:Macro: models of insight and inspiration. Learn the way models have been used to help us with understanding and exploring our world, and the exhibition features models from science, mathematics, medicine, engineering, art, and architecture.
Models have been a valued part of teaching and learning since the late-19th century. While digital options have now partly replaced physical ones, many disciplines including architecture, aeronautical engineering, veterinary science, and medicine continue to value the experiential and experimental benefits of physical models. Learn why they still hold value in the 21st century.
In this floor talk, exhibition curator Dr Paul Donnelly will discuss the stories behind some of the key models on display.
Dr Paul Donnelly is the Deputy Director of the Chau Chak Wing Museum where he works with the curators and broader team in developing exhibitions. Prior to this, he was a curator of decorative arts and design at the Powerhouse Museum (Museum of Applied Art and Sciences) where his curatorial responsibilities expanded across many collections including numismatics, ceramics, furniture, and design.
Concurrent with his museum career, he continued his archaeological research at University of Sydney excavations including Pella in Jordan which was pivotal for his doctorate on the Bronze Age fine ceramic, Chocolate-on-white Ware. He is co-director of the Zagora Archeological Project on Andros, Greece.
Paul is an honorary associate of the Department of Archaeology. He is a founding member and vice president of the Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation and a governor of the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens, both at the University of Sydney.
Header image: Micro:Macro (installation view), Chau Chak Wing Museum, 2024. Photo by David James.
