Seb Chan, ACMI: Reflections on Time, Technology and Institution

​Coming into the museum and exhibition design fields from a background in media, criticism, policy, and electronic music, my career has not been the standard “curator to museum director” path.

​Now running the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, a large State-owned museum focussed on screen culture, I am leading an institution that is deeply intertwined with changes in media technologies, computation, and technical crafts - as much as it is with narrative (and non-narrative!) storytelling.

​I will share some reflections on how I’ve changed my understanding of, and relationship, with the potential of the ‘institution’ to make change, as well as some of the u-turns I have made in my thinking over the past two decades in a bit of an Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) conversation.

​For those who knew my work at the Powerhouse Museum in terms of open collections and community access, or for the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in terms of interactive media design and software preservation, there might be some surprises in how I now think about time, technology and the potential of the ‘museum.’

​- Seb Chan, 2024

​About Seb Chan
Seb Chan was appointed to the role of ACMI Director & CEO in August 2022. He was previously a key part of the team behind the organisation’s $40 million renewal project, underpinned by co-design methodology, which transformed ACMI into a multi-award winning, multiplatform museum.

​Seb joined ACMI as Chief Experience Officer in 2015, as the senior executive responsible for the Experience & Engagement division of the museum, guiding teams responsible for visitor experience, marketing, brand & communication design, digital products, technology, and the museum’s collections, digitisation & digital preservation programs. He designed and leads ACMI's CEO Digital Mentoring Program (2021–2023), working with CEOs and directors across the Australian arts and cultural sector. He is currently the National President of the Australian Museums & Galleries Association.

​Prior to ACMI, Seb led the digital renewal and transformation of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York (2011–15) and the Powerhouse Museum’s pioneering work in open access, mass collaboration and digital experience during the 2000s. His work has won awards internationally in the museum, media and design spheres. Seb is Adjunct Professor, School of Media and Communications, in the College of Design and Social Context at RMIT, an international advisory board member of Art Science Museum (Singapore) and a Board member of the Tessitura Network. He is an alumnus of the Getty Leadership Institute, Salzburg Global Seminar and UNSW. Seb also leads a parallel life in digital art, writing and music.

​About Futurespaces
Futurespaces delves into contemporary experience design, with a specific focus on how innovations in design and technology can meaningfully enhance human connection.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Founded and led by Josh Goldblum (Bluecadet) Futurespaces offers live webinars and in-person tours that provide valuable insights into the creative process of creating contemporary experiences.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​more at: https://futurespaces.com/