A Secret Chord is a new exhibition recently opened at the Jewish Museum of Australia. Curated by Esther Gyorki, who notes: “A Secret Chord is a celebration of rhythm, music and movement, a journey into the heart of cultural expression that transcends language and connects us all. At its core, this exhibition explores how sound and rhythm can bridge divides, unite communities and serve as a shared language that fosters understanding and belonging.”

The exhibition draws its name from Leonard Cohen’s lyrics for Hallelujah, which also served to inspire the exhibition design. The strings of the harp have been abstracted as an installation along the gallery’s walls, intersecting with video, text and artwork displays to create a tactile and layered viewing of the exhibition content. A big thank you to John and Jamie who interpreted my sketches to craft this installation on site.

Esther’s notes in her introduction to the exhibition: “Music and colour are both powerful forms of expression that can evoke emotions and create atmospheres. Inspired by the many Jewish visual artists who were and are masters of colour; including Mark Rothko, Marc Chagall, Yaacov Agam, Lee Krasner, Anni Albers and Helen Frankenthaler; throughout the exhibition we have sought to explore the connection between music and colour.”

The palette of colours and painted scenography sought to complement the collection objects on display, and through a synaesthetic mode - bring the qualities of music explored in the exhibition - translated into visual form. Fourteen distinct colours have been used throughout A Secret Chord, generously supplied by Dulux.

Client: Jewish Museum of Australia: Gandel Centre of Judaica

Curator: Esther Gyorki

Exhibition Design: Studio Peter King

Graphic Design: BOTH

Installation: John & Jamie
Painting: Celtic Decor
Paint supplied by: Dulux
Lighting: MEGS Lighting
Multimedia: Rowan Cochran

Graphic installation: Design To Print

Photos by: Dean Schmideg and Adam Meredith

Videos by Studio Peter King.