Exhibition opening times: Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm

One of the first buildings to be constructed by the Australian National University, the John Curtin School of Medical Research was a place of significant medical advancement; of Nobel Prize winning research and of deep investigation into the workings of the human body. When the building was refurbished in 2014, many of the original fittings such as early Bakelite switches and power points, Negretti Zambra thermographs, pressure gauges, fans and bells were salvaged by ANU Heritage, and repurposed into sculptural assemblages by artist and archaeologist Martin Rowney.

The artworks in this exhibition reflect upon the dichotomy between the profound nature of the research undertaken at the John Curtin School, and the mundane nature of everyday objects that were silent witnesses to these considerable events. Rowney has reimagined these objects within his artworks to tell the stories of their observations.

This exhibition has been developed by ANU Heritage, in the Facilities Services Division, to highlight one of many ways in which the heritage values of a place can be interpreted, explored and retained.