Welcome Wall Transcript

This is the audio description of the Top Designs 2024 Welcome Wall, the first encounter visitors will experience when arriving at the Mind and Body Gallery at Melbourne Museum.

The wall displays in landscape orientation white text, logos, access symbols and 2 QR codes on black background and colourful oval shaped opalescent forms, with linework inspired by cartographic maps, they signify the different pathways available to students post-VCE and the opal-shaped forms together with lines reference oversized fingerprints, marking the individuality of each exhibitor and their unique educational journey.

The lustrous rainbow-like array of colours of each oval form, is similar to what one might see in an oil slick or mother of pearl. The colours are iridescently and uniquely combined per shape with some that are blue-green, others that are blue-green-purple, and an abundant that include the blue-green-yellow- purple- pink and or arrange-red spectrum.

The wall has an inviting touch-friendly area left of centre middle where those who are standing or seated can reach out to feel the raised outlines and markings to connect with the visual motif of this year’s exhibition.

The first column of text reads:

Top Designs acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the eastern Kulin Nations, on whose ancestral lands this exhibition takes place.

We acknowledge First Peoples as the traditional and ongoing custodians of the lands across Victoria, where exhibitors have investigated new creative possibilities and developed their bold designs.

We pay respect to all First Peoples as the first innovators, inventors, storytellers and creatives of these lands, and recognise the deep knowledge of their Countries.

The second and third column of text that follows reads:

Welcome to Top Designs 2024, a celebration of outstanding work by students who completed VCE and VCE VET design studies in 2023.

Now in its 24th year, Top Designs showcases the future of contemporary Australian design. The products on display highlight the innovative, solution-based thinking of their designers.

With applications received from government, independent and Catholic schools across Victoria, panels of expert educators selected 92 works across each of the 10 design studies. The panels considered the imaginative ways students responded to the assessment criteria and the strength of design development and folios in their decision-making.

Managed by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), Top Designs is part of the VCE Season of Excellence, which also includes Top Talks, Top Screen, Top Arts, Top Class and Top Acts.

Presented by, logos in order: The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and Victorian State Government, and cultural partners: Melbourne Museum and Eckersleys Art and Craft.

To the right of the welcome wall is another panel with heading Accessibility Resources.

The text reads:

Top Designs 2024 accessibility resources have been created in collaboration with Vitae Veritas and Melbourne Museum.

The text below accompanied with their respective access keys and symbols is displayed as follows:

This exhibition is fully wheelchair accessible.

This exhibition includes 24 audio descriptions.

All audio content in this exhibition is open-captioned.

This exhibition is described in an access guide.

The nearest Quiet Room is located near the entrance of the Gandel Gondwana Garden and has a sign on the door saying Quiet Room.

A tactile map of this exhibition is available.

Large print exhibition labels are available online and in print.

End text.

More about the welcome wall QR codes.

Two QR codes are displayed next to the accessibility resources list and is reachable to people who are standing or may be seated. The first QR code is the current description you are listening to- about Top Designs 2024 and the welcome wall. The second QR code will navigate users to the Top Designs 2024 accessibility web resources page.

More about Audio Descriptions.

QR codes for each of the audio described student works can be found consistently displayed on subject banners throughout the exhibition. The audio description and accompany images and/or films will be played via Youtube videos embedded into the page.

More about the Tactile Map. The tactile map is displayed on a pedestal to the right of the welcome wall, below the accessibility resources information panel.

Thank you for attending Top Designs 2024. We hope you enjoy your experience.

The exhibition is open 9am to 5pm from Saturday 23 March to Sunday 14 July 2024.