Bern Hall is one half of the curatorial team at Science Gallery Melbourne.
Bern entered the Science Gallery world in 2021, initially leading the multi-talented team of Mediators for the MENTAL exhibition. This was a return to the University of Melbourne, where Bern had previously completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in neuroscience and physiology. Trying to better understand how the mind makes sense of the world - and what happens when these processes go awry - is something Bern has also always explored through drawing and making comics, which then led to a more formal qualification in graphic design.
This dual exploration of both neuroscience and design lent Bern a unique skillset perfectly placed for designing compelling and thought-provoking art-science experiences. Bern quickly found her home in gallery curation and never looked back. With her particular interest in the process of how our brains make meaning, her curatorial work aims to create spaces, schemes and shows that bring an eccentric sense of ‘aliveness’ and play to the fore, animating and plugging directly into the sparkiest parts of ourselves. Tugging the audience along with her into a more curious state of mind, she thrives in the messy middle – a place full of interesting conversations, big ideas and unconventional connections.
DISTRACTION is Bern’s first exhibition as lead curator, after five years with the gallery.
Bern Hall is the curator of DISTRACTION: The exhibition for your attention, re-opening on Wednesday 18th February and running until Saturday 2nd May at Science Gallery Melbourne.
Exploring the collision of art and science, Science Gallery Melbourne is located in Melbourne Connect, The University of Melbourne's hub for innovation. We’re proud to be part of the International Science Gallery Network, pioneered by Trinity College Dublin and connecting creative thinkers worldwide.
Science Gallery Melbourne aims to involve, inspire and transform curious minds through art and science. As part of a global network of galleries linked to leading universities, we bring researchers, academics, and students into conversations with artists, creatives and our visitors. Together, we’re rethinking possibilities and inspiring new collaborations that break boundaries and shift how we see the world.
DISTRACTION plugs into the streaming torrent of content and the places our brains go when we want to focus on anything but the thing. You know… the thing you’re supposed to be doing right now? Your distraction of choice might be scrolling, daydreaming or exploring a digital universe. Where are we escaping to? What are we missing in the process? Confusion reigns, disinformation spreads and the truth is called into question. Attention becomes profit-driven, and it is hard to know who is really in control.
Yet we are creative and connective creatures, alive with an incalculable capacity to surprise. Look through a playful lens at the ways we devote our time and find space for ourselves in an increasingly nonsensical world. When we are bouncing around the whirring, flashing, pinball machine of existence, is our wayward attention a way of coping with the chaos?
Through local and international experimental projects – some developed in conversation with scientists and researchers – you are invited to participate in your own way. The time here is yours, what do you want to do with it?
