The City of Melbourne has unveiled the Melbourne Digital Time Capsule – a ‘snapshot in time’ of iconic and never-before-seen Melbourne locations under lockdown. Taking advantage of a quiet city, the project captured images and footage of life in Melbourne under lockdown and accessed spaces that might normally be ‘off-limits’.
The time capsule features more than 20 locations, including both iconic landmarks and hidden gems. Many of these locations are off-limits or ‘on-pause’ due to the pandemic, while others are rarely seen secret spaces; but all are intrinsically connected to the historical or cultural fabric of Melbourne.
As the city takes steps towards re-opening, the images and footage captured will be preserved in the City Collection archive to help future generations understand life in Melbourne during COVID-19.
City of Melbourne CEO, Justin Hanney said that despite the quieter scenes around Melbourne throughout lockdown, the city’s spirit remains strong. “While it’s been an incredibly tough year, Melburnians have shown their resilience and community spirit,” he said. “Now more than ever, we are proud to call Melbourne home and we can’t wait to welcome people back into the city.”
“This is about showing Melburnians that the things they love are still here and there’s always more to discover in our city. From new street art in our laneways, to iconic buildings like the MCG and the State Library Victoria, Melbourne is Australia’s cultural capital and we’ll come back even stronger,” said Mr Hanney.
Other major cities also are creating archives of life under lockdown, including the Los Angeles Public Library, while schools across the world have asked children to create time capsules of their experiences learning from home. The Melbourne Digital Time Capsule will be added to the City Collection in the coming months.
For more information and to view highlights from the Melbourne Digital Time Capsule, visit the What’s on Melbourne Facebook page.
Image: CitiPower Substation J – courtesy of Melbourne Digital Time Capsule