grassy bank in the shade of the cube

museum surveillance staff mingle with the crowd

The reality of GOAD, in keeping with the social history focus of MOA, is a blend of showcase and theatre with imagery and icons of the `Great Australian Dream' and the `Dreaming' on display. First impressions are of a large, bright and colourful play space with an enticing water feature and an array of familiar and unfamiliar objects waiting to be explored.

A truncated circular-shaped lower level courtyard is surrounded by buildings and overlooked, through portholes, from the main entry terrace. Access to the garden is indirect, requiring navigation through the main hall, down a flight of stairs, along a corridor and through ubiquitous glass doors. After passing through a crescent of deciduous trees, planted at an angle on grassed mounds, the viewer is confronted with a contoured ground surface overlaid with multiple grids, text and wandering tangled lines.