6 MAR – 12 JUL 2015

MEDIA KIT

THE AUSTRALIAN CAR DESIGN, INNOVATION &

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For further information, images and interviews, please contact:

NGV Media and Public AffairsElisabeth AlexanderCoordinator, Media and Public Affairs(03) 8620 23470439 348 357elisabeth.alexander@ngv.vic.gov.au

Principal Partner Major Partner Design Partner Partner Supporter Media PartnerMajor Donors

Barry & Helen Fitzgerald

Exhibition information

Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car6 March 2015 – 12 July 2015The Ian Potter Centre: NGV AustraliaFederation Square

Open 10am-5pm, closed MondaysTickets on sale from ngv.vic.gov.au

Adult $15 | Concession $12 | Child $7 Family (2 adults, 3 children) $41

(cover) GM HOLDEN LTD, Melbourne (manufacturer) est. 1931 HQ Holden Monaro GTS, coupe 1971–74 (manufactured) front-mounted 4.1L V8 Holden engine, 138kW 185bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive 137.5 x 188.0 x 475.9 cm designed by Leo Pruneau, Joe Schemansky, John Schinella and Phillip Zmood Private collection

(page 1) GM HOLDEN LTD, Melbourne (manufacturer) est. 1931 Holden Hurricane coupe, concept car 1969 (designed and manufactured), 2011 (restored) mid-mounted high-compression 4.2L V8 Holden engine, 193kW 259bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive 120.0 x 180.0 x 420.0 cm designed by Don DaHarsh, Jack Hutson, Joe Schemansky, Ed Taylor and GM Australia Design Collection of GM Holden Ltd, Melbourne

(page 3) CHRYSLER AUSTRALIA LTD, Adelaide (manufacturer) 1951–80 VH Valiant Charger R/T E49, coupe 1971–73 (manufactured) front-mounted 4.3L straight 6 cylinder Chrysler engine, 225kW 302bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive 140.0 x 190.0 x 457.0 cm designed by Dean Bond, Tom Campbell, Bill Chinnick, Bob Hubbach and Brian Smyth Private collection

(page 4) TARRANT MOTOR & ENGINEERING COMPANY, Melbourne (manufacturer) 1899–1907 Two-seater roadster 1906 (manufactured) 3.5L 4 cylinder SV Benz engine, 10–11kW 14–16bhp, 3 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive 175.0 x 155.0 x 408.0 cm designed by Harley Tarrant Collection of RACV, Melbourne

(page 5) ELFIN SPORTS CARS COMPANY, Adelaide (manufacturer) est. 1957 Elfin Streamliner 1961 front-mounted 1.1L 4 cylinder Coventry Climax engine, 82kW 110bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive 100.0 x 154.0 x 346.7 cm designed and engineered by Garrie Cooper Elfin Heritage Centre Collection, Melbourne

(page 6) HARTNETT MOTOR COMPANY LTD, Melbourne (manufacturer) 1949–56 Tasman sedan, prototype (1949) flat twin-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine, 14kW 19bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, front wheel drive 150.0 x 135.0 x 365.0 cm designed and engineered by Laurence Hartnett Museum Victoria, Melbourne Gift of Lady Gladys Hartnett, 1970 (ST 038220)

(page 7) GM HOLDEN LTD, Melbourne (manufacturer) est. 1931 Holden EFIJY coupe, concept car 2005 mid-mounted 6.0L V8 Roots-type supercharged GM LS2 engine, 480kW 644bhp, 4 speed automatic transmission, rear wheel drive 140.0 x 200.0 x 520.0 cm designed by Richard Ferlazzo and GM Australia Design Collection of GM Holden Ltd, Melbourne

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5 March 2015: From steam-powered ‘horseless carriages’ and the classic Aussie ute to muscle cars, racy V8s and dazzling concept vehicles, Australia has a rich legacy of innovative car design. In a first for an Australian art gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria celebrates this history with an exhibition of cars from 6 March 2015, Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car.

Shifting Gear presents 23 of Australia’s most iconic vehicles alongside ephemera including design sketches, illustrations, photos, car engines, racing trophies and the original ‘Holden Lion’ plaster maquette, exploring this country’s important and proud history of automobile design and engineering. The exhibition also looks to the future of the Australian automobile industry and its shift from manufacturing to being a global contributor through specialist design knowledge.

Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said, ‘Shifting Gear is the first major exhibition of Australian car design and is exclusive to the NGV. As part of the NGV’s commitment to showcasing design, this exhibition uncovers how the modern automobile is far more than simply a means of transport; it is a sophisticated design object that reflects contemporary aesthetics and social values.’

Through a vibrant exhibition display Shifting Gear presents the stories behind the development of some of the great Australian vehicles and reveals the designers who styled them.

Shifting Gear guest curator Harriet Edquist, Director of the RMIT Design Archives, commented that Australia has an astonishingly vibrant history of ingenious car designs.

‘The exhibition shows the diversity and ingenuity of Australian automobile design in the variety of cars it has brought together – not only the family car but also racing cars and sports cars, high-performance production cars and concept vehicles never intended for production, demonstrating Australia’s significant past and future role in research and development,’ said Professor Edquist.

Many iconic Australian designs are presented including the Ford coupe utility, or ‘ute’. It was in 1934 that Lewis Bandt designed the great Aussie ute following a request from a Victorian farmer’s wife for a vehicle suitable for attending church on Sunday and carrying livestock around the farm on Monday. The ute was an immediate success and soon copied by car makers in Australia and overseas.

Exceptionally rare concept vehicles, never put into production, are exhibited in Shifting Gear including the futuristic Holden Hurricane (1969), a ground-breaking concept car designed by Don Daharsh which opens up like a piece of kinetic sculpture; the stunning Holden EFIJY (2005), designed by Richard Ferlazzo as a stylistic homage to the Holden FJ; and the FR-1 (2011), a 21st century hotrod produced by volunteers through Brian

Tanti’s AutoHorizon Foundation, an organisation which aims to showcase the future of motoring in Australia.

The development of the high-performance production car is also an important part of the story of Australian car design and engineering. From the late 1960s until the early 1970s Australia produced some of the world’s fastest production vehicles, with styling to match. These included cars such as the stunning Chrysler Valiant Charger E49, which at the time of its release in 1971 was the fastest accelerating car in the world. The Chrysler Charger, Holden Monaro and Holden Torana have also come to be regarded as uniquely Australian performance vehicles and are represented in Shifting Gear.

Shifting Gear also explores the ongoing role of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) and Australia’s early history of niche automobile production, which involved dozens of small companies who produced fully-manufactured cars and original body styles. One such Melbourne-made example, the Bolwell Nagari, a limited production two-seater sports car, is now regarded as an Australian automotive icon.

Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley MP stated, ‘Shifting Gear is an exciting showcase of the work and achievements of our creative industries – our designers and innovators – over more than a century. It celebrates the creativity and ingenuity of Australian car design, demonstrates Victoria’s strengths in this

field, and tells the stories of the vehicles that have changed our lives.

‘With the Australian car manufacturing industry facing the serious challenges of globalisation and the planned closures of plants, the importance of innovation and design in the creative jobs of the future has never been more important. The lessons from car design are too important to lose.

‘The Victorian Government is working to ensure that our state’s creative industries continue to grow and thrive and lead the next century of design innovation.’

An exciting series of public programs accompanies the exhibition along with a landmark publication which traces the history of Australian car design.

Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car is on display at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square from 6 March 2015 to 12 July 2015. Open 10am-5pm, closed Mondays.

Tickets on sale from ngv.vic.gov.au

Adult $15 | Concession $12 | Child $7 | Family (2 adults, 3 children) $41

#ShiftingGear | Twitter: @NGVMelbourne | Facebook: facebook.com/NGVMelbourne | Instagram: @ngvmelbourne

THE AUSTRALIAN CAR DESIGN, INNOVATION &

The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia | 6 March 2015 – 12 July 2015

MEDIA RELEASE

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Shifting Gear is a celebration of 120 years of Australian automobile design represented by twenty-three cars, dating from late nineteenth century to the present day. It demonstrates the skill and sophistication of an automobile industry that could design and manufacture a mass-produced car from the ground up, a feat not many countries can boast.

It also shows the variety and complexity of the automobile in the modern industrial design landscape. There is no ‘right’ way to design a car, and one reason cars are fascinating as industrial products is their complex and deeply alluring marriage of function and symbolic form, which can induce strong emotional responses in the viewer and consumer.

In many ways the automobile shaped the look and experience of the twentieth century and mediated the public’s response to modernity. As the twenty-first century unfolds, however, it is clear that automobiles will further evolve, taking on different roles as new production technologies emerge and new demands from a public born into a digital age are met.

Designing the Family CarThe first fifty years of the automobile industry in Australia witnessed two of the great revolutions that defined the twentieth century: automobile design and manufacture, and personal mobility. The first led to a successful, highly skilled, multifaceted industry that could design and build cars from the ground up; the second to the development of modern urban life as we know it today.

Herbert Thomson’s steam car was a true ‘horseless carriage’, featuring an external engine on a pre-existing carriage type – the Phaeton. Fifty years later, Laurence Hartnett’s Tasman sedan was a recognisably designed industrial product. Together with

the Tarrant, Ford Coupe Utility and General Motors-Holden’s (GMH’s) ‘all-enclosed coupe’, these vehicles chart the key stages in the early history of Australian automobile design.

As mass-produced cars of Ford, GMH and others replaced limited production vehicles, cars became affordable to the average Australian. Australians now commuted to work by car from remote suburbs and embarked on family holidays supported by a growing travel industry of which the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria was a pioneer. Internal tourism boomed as, armed with RACV maps, motel and hotel guides and road assistance, Australians took to the roads and explored.

Muscle CarsFrom the late 1960s until the early 1970s, General Motors-Holden’s, Ford Australia and Chrysler Australia each contributed significant resources towards designing and developing high-performance variants of their saloon cars. The resulting research and development led to design, mechanical and handling improvements, many of which were carried through to the companies’ passenger vehicles. These so-called ‘muscle cars’ also acted as seductive marketing tools, particularly for male consumers.

In Australia, the evolution of the high-performance production car involved demonstrating potency and substantiating claims of mechanical integrity and dependability. Few races in the world have a reputation for being as demanding on vehicles, or as important in determining production cars’ handling and reliability, as the annual race at the Mount Panorama circuit near Bathurst, New South Wales. The race began in 1960 as an 800-kilometre durability race that, until 1962, was held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit in Victoria before transferring to Mount Panorama in 1963.

The 1972 supercar scare

In July 1968, General Motors-Holden’s announced the release of their bold new sports coupe – the HK Monaro. This marked the beginning of a short-lived but golden era in high-performance production car design and motorsport in Australia. Twelve months after the Monaro appeared in showrooms and on the track, Ford released the first of its higher performance versions of the GT Falcon – the XW GTHO – and, after an incredibly short development period, Chrysler launched the amazing Charger coupe – the VH S29 – in August 1971.

In an unexpected turn of events, in June 1972, the manufacture of high-performance production vehicles by Australian car makers came to an abrupt halt. One day after a newspaper article by Sydney’s Sun-Herald motoring editor, Evan Green, titled ‘160 MPH “super cars” soon: minister horrified’ was published, a political and public storm erupted that prompted the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport to announce new regulations that would discontinue series production car racing in Australia. Within one week, manufacturers had suspended high-performance vehicle production altogether. This moment, known as the ‘supercar scare’, coincided with Ford Australia’s release of the much-anticipated XA GTHO Phase IV Falcon.

Racing into HistoryAustralians were early motorsport enthusiasts and embraced car racing in all its forms: track, hill climb, road and endurance. At first modified and stripped-down imported production cars were raced, although local products such as the Tarrant also took to the track. After the First World War, the Bugatti and Austin 7 were popular, but locally designed machines, one-off specials, began to compete with the imports, some with great success. Indeed, it has been said that in no country has the special been developed to such a degree as in Australia.

The special can take numerous forms and we can trace the origins of Australian open-wheel racing cars to the Chamberlain

and the Maybach specials, which were the progenitors of the Repco Brabham BT19, Australia’s most famous racing car. Garrie Cooper’s Elfin marque, established in Adelaide in the late 1950s, showed just how successful locally designed racing cars of all types could be.

The most popular form of special, however, was the sports car. Paul England’s Ausca and Lou Molina’s Monza, both fitted with the Phil Irving–designed Repco Hi-Power head, were among the most glamorous and successful in the postwar years. The later Bolwell Nagari and Purvis Eureka, on the other hand, were not intended for the race track; they were limited-production stylish sports cars designed for young urbanites.

Designing for the FutureThe concept car, pioneered by Harley Earl’s 1938 Buick Y-Job for General Motors, is designed to gauge public response to new, often innovative designs and technologies, and is not intended for production. The first local concept car designed by a major company was Charles Dean’s 1959 Repco Record, a road-going sports coupe that trialled Repco components and design capacity. It was not until the late 1960s, however, that the major companies followed suit with General Motors-Holden’s (GMH’s) dazzling Holden Hurricane and stylish Torana GTR-X.

While the original strategy behind the concept car was to project forward to future styling and engineering possibilities, by the 1990s concept cars had begun to take a retro turn inspired by Thomas Gale’s 1993 Plymouth Prowler for Chrysler. Brian Tanti took a lesson from the American hot rod for the styling of his concept FR-1 (Fund Raiser 1), while Richard Ferlazzo’s 2005 EFIJY for GMH combined references to past Buick designs and the iconic FJ Holden. In 2015 GMH’s Buick Avenir concept, which is indebted to Buick’s long design traditions, was awarded concept car of the year at the North American International Motor Show.

THE EXHIBITION

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PostscriptShifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car marks a critical point in the fortunes of the Australian automotive industry, as the fossil-fuel-powered automobile, which it celebrates, faces the battle of its life.

Just as GMH, Ford and Toyota close their manufacturing plants, alternative material, propulsion, data and energy technologies are being developed that will do away with the internal combustion engine and much that we have taken for granted in the design of cars. In developed countries, young people are driving less, households are becoming smaller, there is a stronger focus on sustainability, and more of the population is moving to cities that are increasingly looking to replace privately owned vehicles with transportation alternatives.

While the huge global automotive conglomerates are growing, in many cases they are burdened with large capital infrastructure investment and established automobile architecture. The future consumer will demand more choice and may become a part of the way automotive products are delivered, as the technology for mass customisation becomes more available and the possibilities of rapid prototyping and co-design become commonplace.

All of these developments require highly responsive and sophisticated design solutions. It is in this new, emerging industrial landscape that Australia, with its long history of automobile design and engineering, should flourish.

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Herbert THOMSON (designer and engineer)

Australia 1870–1947

MARTIN & KING, Armadale, Melbourne (coachbuilder)

Australia 1888–1955

Steam car, phaeton 1896–98

twin-cylinder steam engine, 3.75kW 5bhp

178.0 x 142.0 x 271.0 cm

Museum Victoria, Melbourne

Gift of Mrs O. Stening, 1960 (ST024990)

TARRANT MOTOR & ENGINEERING COMPANY, Melbourne (manufacturer)

1899–1907

Two-seater roadster 1906 (manufactured)

3.5L 4 cylinder SV Benz engine, 10–11kW 14–16bhp, 3 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

175.0 x 155.0 x 408.0 cm

designed by Harley Tarrant

Collection of RACV, Melbourne

FORD AUSTRALIA LTD, Geelong, Victoria (manufacturer)

est. 1925

Ford coupe utility 302 1933 (designed), 1934 (manufactured)

front-mounted 3.6L V8 Ford engine, 56kW 75bhp, 3 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

180.0 x 175.0 x 460.0 cm

designed by Lewis Bandt

Collection of Peter Emmett and Geoffrey Emmett, Melbourne

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY, Detroit (manufacturer)

United States est. 1908

GM HOLDEN LTD, Adelaide (coachbuilder)

est. 1931

Pontiac all-enclosed coupe (Silver Streak) 1938

front-mounted 3.6L straight 6 cylinder Pontiac engine, 63kW 85bhp, 3 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

170.0 x 185.0 x 495.0 cm

body designed Hartley Chaplin and Tom Wylie

Collection of Violet Cecil, Melbourne

HARTNETT MOTOR COMPANY LTD, Melbourne (manufacturer)

1949–56

Tasman sedan, prototype (1949)

flat twin-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine, 14kW 19bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, front wheel drive

150.0 x 135.0 x 365.0 cm

designed and engineered by Laurence Hartnett

Museum Victoria, Melbourne

Gift of Lady Gladys Hartnett, 1970 (ST 038220)

Alan ‘Bob’ CHAMBERLAIN (designer and maker)

Australia 1908–92

Chamberlain Special 1928–29 (manufactured), 1935 (engine refit)

front-mounted 1.0L 4 cylinder Roots-type supercharged opposed-piston two-stroke engine, 74kW 100bhp, 3 speed manual transmission, front wheel drive

113.0 x 156.0 x 380.5 cm

Private collection

AUSTIN MOTOR COMPANY LTD, Longbridge (manufacturer)

England 1905–52

JAMES FLOOD PTY LTD, Melbourne (coachbuilder)

1907– (1970s)

Austin 7 Ace 1933

front-mounted 0.75L 4 cylinder engine, 10kW 13.5bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

145.0 x 125.0 x 325.0 cm

Private collection

H. Charles DEAN (designer and maker)

Australia 1914–85

Maybach Special Mk1 1946

front-mounted 4.2L straight 6 cylinder naturally-aspirated SOHC dry sump Maybach engine, 238kW 320bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

110.0 x 180.0 x 395.0 cm

Private collection, Melbourne

MOTOR RACING DEVELOPMENTS (BRABHAM), Milton Keynes (manufacturer)

England 1960–78

Brabham BT19 1966

mid-mounted 3L V8 Repco 620 engine, 231kW 310bhp, 5 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

700.0 x 150.0 x 300.0 cm

designed and engineered by Jack Brabham, Phil Irving and Ron Tauranac

Collection of Repco Australia, Melbourne

Paul ENGLAND (designer and maker)

Australia 1929–2014

Bill HICKEY (designer and maker)

active in Australia (1950s)

Ausca sports racer 1955

front-mounted 2.1L straight 6 cylinder Holden Grey engine with Repco Highpower head, 111kW 150bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

100.0 x 252.0 x 381.0 cm

Private collection, Melbourne

Lou MOLINA (designer and maker)

Australia 1920–2002

Silvio MASSOLA (designer and maker)

active in Australia (1950s)

Brian BURNETT (coachbuilder)

active in Australia (1950s)

Molina Monza Special (1950s)

front-mounted 2.1L straight 6 cylinder Roots-type supercharged Holden Grey engine with Repco Highpower head, 171kW 230bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

112.0 x 152.0 x 370.0 cm

Private collection, Tasmania

ELFIN SPORTS CARS COMPANY, Adelaide (manufacturer)

est. 1957

Elfin Streamliner 1961

front-mounted 1.1L 4 cylinder Coventry Climax engine, 82kW 110bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

100.0 x 154.0 x 346.7 cm

designed and engineered by Garrie Cooper

Elfin Heritage Centre Collection, Melbourne

BOLWELL CAR COMPANY LTD, Seaford and Mordialloc, Victoria (manufacturer)

est. 1962

Nagari Sports Mk8 1970–74 (manufactured)

front-mounted 5.0L V8 Ford engine, 165kW 220bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

104.1 x 167.6 x 401.3 cm

designed and engineered by Graeme Bolwell, Campbell Bolwell and Ross McConnell

Collection of Bolwell Car Company, Melbourne

PURVIS CARS LTD, Dandenong, Victoria (manufacturer)

1974–91

Eureka F4 1976

rear-mounted 1.6L F4 VW engine, 48kW 65bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

101.7 x 175.3 x 442.3 cm

designed by Allan Purvis

Collection of Jeff Thompson, Adelaide

CHRYSLER AUSTRALIA LTD, Adelaide (manufacturer)

1951–80

VH Valiant Charger R/T E49, coupe 1971–73 (manufactured)

front-mounted 4.3L straight 6 cylinder Chrysler engine, 225kW 302bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

140.0 x 190.0 x 457.0 cm

designed by Dean Bond, Tom Campbell, Bill Chinnick, Bob Hubbach and Brian Smyth

Private collection

GM HOLDEN LTD, Melbourne (manufacturer)

est. 1931

HQ Holden Monaro GTS, coupe 1971–74 (manufactured)

front-mounted 4.1L V8 Holden engine, 138kW 185bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

137.5 x 188.0 x 475.9 cm

designed by Leo Pruneau, Joe Schemansky, John Schinella and Phillip Zmood

Private collection

FORD AUSTRALIA LTD, Geelong, Victoria (manufacturer)

est. 1925

XA Ford Falcon GT (RPO83), coupe 1973 (manufactured)

front-mounted 5.8L V8 Cleveland engine, 283kW 380bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

136.9 x 136.9 x 473.7 cm

designed by Allan Jackson, Brian Rossi and Jack Telnack

Collection of Les Dole, Gippsland, Victoria

GM HOLDEN LTD, Melbourne (manufacturer)est. 1931Holden Hurricane coupe, concept car 1969 (designed and manufactured), 2011 (restored)mid-mounted high-compression 4.2L V8 Holden engine, 193kW 259bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive 120.0 x 180.0 x 420.0 cm designed by Don DaHarsh, Jack Hutson, Joe Schemansky, Ed Taylor and GM Australia DesignCollection of GM Holden Ltd, Melbourne

Holden GTR-X Torana coupe, concept car 1970

front-mounted 3.0L straight 6 cylinder Holden engine, 101kW 160bhp, 4 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive

113.5 x 173.2 x 417.8 cm

designed by Don DaHarsh, Phillip Zmood and GM Australia Design

Collection of GM Holden Ltd, Melbourne

Holden EFIJY coupe, concept car 2005

mid-mounted 6.0L V8 Roots-type supercharged GM LS2 engine, 480kW 644bhp, 4 speed automatic transmission, rear wheel drive

140.0 x 200.0 x 520.0 cm

designed by Richard Ferlazzo and GM Australia Design

Collection of GM Holden Ltd, Melbourne

AUTOHORIZON FOUNDATION, Melbourne (designer and maker)est. 2009FR-1, concept car 2011 (designed and manufactured)mid-mounted 6.0L V8 Chevrolet engine, 270kW 362bhp, 6 speed manual transmission, rear wheel drive104.0 x 182.0 x 310.0 cma collaboration with GM Australia Design, Victorian Centre for Advanced Materials Manufacturing, Boeing Aerostructures Australia and Marand Precision EngineeringCollection of AutoHorizon Foundation, Melbourne

RMIT ELECTRIC RACING, Melbourne (designers and manufacturers)

est. 2008

R13e (Formula SAE-A) 2013

rear-mounted Motenergy ME-0913 Brushless DC motors, 60kW 80bhp, independent direct chain drive, development electronic differential transmission, rear wheel drive

107.5 x 128.0 x 261.5 cm

Collection of RMIT School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Melbourne

GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY (BUICK), Detroit (manufacturer)

United States est. 1903

Buick Avenir, concept model 2014–15

142.4 x 193.0 x 519.4 cm

designed by Warrack Leach, GM Australia Design and GM North America Design teams

Collection of GM Holden Ltd, Melbourne

THE CARS

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Voluntary Guide ToursWed, Fri & Sun, 11.30amCost Exhibition admission feeMeet Exhibition entrance

Opening WeekendThe Past, Present and Future of Car DesignSat 7 Mar, 11amDiscover some of Australia’s most iconic vehicles as objects of art and design with exhibition curators David Hurlston, Senior Curator of Australian Art and guest curator Professor Harriet Edquist, RMIT.Cost Exhibition admission feeVenue Exhibition space

Australian Innovation and Car DesignSat 7 Mar, 1.30pmExplore the innovation and design of historic cars with General Motors Australia Lead Exterior Designer, Warrack Leach, followed by discussions of the future of Australian design.Cost Exhibition admission feeVenue Exhibition space

Film: On the BeachSat 7 Mar, 3pm(1959, 134 mins, PG)After a nuclear war, U.S. sailors stationed in Australia deal with the death of humanity in Stanley Kramer’s On The Beach, filmed in Victoria and featuring iconic Australian cars.Cost FreeVenue Theatre, Ground level

Women in the Australian Car IndustrySun 8 Mar, 3pmJoin Dr Judith Glover, RMIT, and a panel of Melbourne female designers and engineers for inspiring stories about women working in the Australian car industry, including industrial designer Shareen Joel, Shareen Joel Design, and designer Yan Huang, General Motors. Cost FreeVenue Theatre, Ground level

A Collector’s PerspectiveSun 19 Apr, 3pmTour the Shifting Gear exhibition with collector and racing driver John Mann to hear stories behind the innovations in car design and their appeal.Cost Exhibition admission feeVenue Exhibition space

Creative Encounters: Shifting GearWed 8, Thu 9 & Fri 10 Apr, 10am–1pmGet up close to some of the best examples of Australian car design in the exhibition Shifting Gear, and then be inspired in a hands-on creative workshop. Young people aged 13–17 are invited to spend time with likeminded people and feed their creative side in this free school holiday program.Cost Free, bookings essential, phone 03 8662 1555Meet Information desk, Ground level, NGV AustraliaCode P1520

Drop-by Drawing for Kids: Shifting Gear Sun 28 Jun, 5 & 12 Jul, 10.30am-12.30pmLed by contemporary artists and designers, children and families are invited to spend time together and sketch the cars on display in the exhibition Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car. Cost Exhibition admission fees apply Meet Exhibition space

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS EDUCATION PROGRAMS

From early years to tertiary level, a diverse range of programs for students and teachers will explore Shifting Gear. For further information visit ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/education/

Highlights include:

Beep Beep…. Broom Broom!Recommended for Years K –2Learn through making and doing! Students design and construct their own ride-in box racing car using up-cycled materials and take their vehicles for a test drive adventure.Cost $19 (2hrs)

Design and Art dayTue 28 Apr, 10am–4pmRecommended for VCE, VCD, PDT, Art and Studio Arts studentsExplore skills and knowledge with design and art practitioners in a day filled with great design and art. This program includes viewing of StArt Up: Top Arts 2015, Shifting Gear and the Top Design 2015 exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. Learn how designers and artists incorporate design thinking into their practice. Explore issues of sustainability in design and art, the roles and responsibilities of designers and how to work through the design process.Cost $19 + Museum booking fee

Shifting Gear with RMIT Design departments1 Jun – 12 Jun, 10.30am–3pmRecommended for Years 10–12 VCD and PDT studentsEnjoy a fun packed day of hands-on design! This program includes one selected workshop option with the RMIT Engineering and Industrial Design departments as well as an introductory talk and tour of the Shifting Gear exhibition and practical design workshop at the National Gallery of Victoria.Cost $19 (Max. 25 students)

Workshops include:

NGV Workshop – Racing rendersRecommended for Years 10–12Rendering techniques are a powerful means of visualising design ideas. This workshop allows students to experiment with a range of rendering techniques and materials inspired by the classic vehicles in Shifting Gear.

RMIT Workshop - After Auto Mobility – Design a sustainable transportation vehicle for a post car worldVehicles exist not as singular entities, but are part of a complex system of various infrastructures that enable their safe and effective operation. As their effectiveness reduces through exacerbated use and individual ideals, so does their value. With the automobile firmly embedded within Australian culture, what changes could be implemented for future mobility when independent ownership becomes an increasingly unsustainable practice? Where within this broad field can a substitute practice be established that delivers similar expectations yet considers our environmental and economic imperative?

RMIT Workshop - Automotive Engineering – Crash Testing for Dummies and Crashworthy Vehicle DesignIn this crashworthy vehicle design activity you will explore the ideas used to design cars that better protect drivers and passengers. In a small group you will design and construct a ‘crumple zone’ to be attached to the front of a miniature test car, with the aim of minimising the peak acceleration reached during a frontal crash. You will then test your design by propelling the car into a mini ‘crash barrier’. You will use a computer to record the peak de-acceleration of your vehicle and compare this value with those used by a professional.

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ADDITIONAL OFFERINGS

Publication

Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian CarHarriet Edquist and David HurlstonPublisher: National Gallery of Victoria290 x 240mm, portrait, paperback,156 pagesFully illustrated in colourISBN: 9780724104017Category: Design, automobile designPublished: March 2015$34.95

Written by Harriet Edquist and David Hurlston, this beautifully illustrated volume celebrates some of this country’s iconic vehicles as sophisticated objects of art and design and reveals the designers and the stories behind each model’s development. At a critical moment in Australia’s automotive history, Shifting Gear reflects on its heyday, recognises the important contribution our designers have made to international car production and looks to Australia’s future role in the global vehicle industry.

MerchandiseAn exclusive range of Shifting Gear merchandise is available from the NGV design store.

SPONSOR MESSAGE

RACV is delighted to partner with the National Gallery of Victoria in bringing Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car to all Victorians.

This exhibition celebrates the history of Australian automotive design and innovation; a history closely aligned with RACV’s involvement with the automobile and Victorian motorists.

RACV’s support for this showcase of Australian motoring milestones builds on a proud history of providing assurance and service to our members for more than 110 years.

We invite you to join with friends and family to experience firsthand this wonderful display of Australia’s automotive history.

Colin Jordan Managing Director and CEO, RACV