Review: The Vinyl Factory: Reverb at ACMI

Review by Greg Gorton

Reverb, by The Vinyl Factory, is a serviceable exhibition of audio-visual art, with some attempts at interactivity, that has been poorly marketed and will be missed by the people it would most impress. At its core, Reverb is an examination and celebration of the audio-visual makings arising from the modern African diaspora. 

The audio-visual material here ranges from the mundane to the exciting. While others might be more excited for a six-hour recording of a replica music studio, I was far more fascinated by Shelly Belly Inna Real Life, a compelling music video showing the evolution of dance-hall music through communities of Jamaica. There are animated shorts, documentaries, and other projected works that could make you argue that this exhibit would be better suited to a cinema.

Only three works required physical space. While the giant boombox was an obvious favourite to influencers who could pose in front of it, and the turntable “artwork” would be a hit for children interested in learning the skills of DJing, it was the “Listening Room” that had me most fascinated.

A custom-made room, with high-end equipment (the specs were very much made known), and carefully designed acoustic lining, attempts to “instil records with an elevated audio quality and richness”, offering vinyl at its most pure. There is a chance to choose from a dozen or so records when the previous is finished. If unlucky, you can walk in to find visitors chatting lazily, and the music being barely more than a background distraction. But if the right album is chosen at the right time (in this case, Miles Davis - Kind of Blue), the voices will hush themselves, and for a small moment you can believe in the concept that music is sacred.

The Vinyl Factory is a capitalist entity, regardless of how much it works with artists and artistic groups. This could not be made more clear than by the space it gives to its collection of 100 “impressive imprints”, that feel a little too much like advertising “the big names we have been involved with” rather than showcasing the incredible artwork on the covers. No musical samples were offered. This is also a short exhibit (as most ACMI ones are). However, the love that the company has for this work, the belief that it is something all should experience, has led it to offer additions to the experience that are worth knowing about. Each night, the listening room holds small sessions for a select audience (chosen from ticket holders who enter a ballot). On select dates, the exhibition will hold.AUSLAN and low-sensory tours, as well as ten dollar tickets for special occasions. 

Reverb has been marketed as a “multi-sensory exhibition”, which “featuring immersive works”, and I think these sorts of claims can be backed up only in the technical sense. I would instead like to recommend it as an underpriced exhibit of a musical world many of us would not be familiar with, a chance to discover artists well worth following, and a good excuse to check out the gift shop after and buy a vinyl of the one you most liked.

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