The Vinyl Factory: Reverb lands at ACMI from 22 May with an extended season running until 31 August.
RISING and ACMI have announced The Vinyl Factory: Reverb, a large-scale exhibition exploring how vinyl culture has shaped art, fashion, film and social movements.
The Vinyl Factory: Reverb opens at ACMI on 22 May and runs through the RISING festival period, with an extended season stretching all the way to 31 August. Tucked inside the exhibition is The Listening Room — an acoustically treated space that transforms after hours into a strictly limited live music venue curated by Triple R’s Yasmine Sharaf, hosting intimate performances from RISING artists for audiences capped at 50.
The Vinyl Factory: Reverb
- ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne
- Opens 22 May 2026, runs until 31 August
- Presale open now — sign up via rising.melbourne
- General on sale from 16 March
- Full RISING program and Reverb Listening Room lineup announced 11 March
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Originally staged at 180 Studios in London, where it pulled more than 50,000 visitors across a twice-extended run, the exhibition brings together works from The Vinyl Factory’s 20-year collection of commissions. Featured artists include Canadian media artist Stan Douglas, British-Nigerian filmmaker Jenn Nkiru, American fashion designer Virgil Abloh, South African artist William Kentridge, Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller and German electronic music innovator Carsten Nicolai, among others.
Across interconnected spaces at ACMI, Reverb spans immersive sound installations, large-scale moving image works and interactive vinyl experiences. Visitors can get hands-on with Technics turntables loaded with remixable vinyl loops, explore a reconstructed version of Columbia’s legendary 30th Street Studio — where Kind of Blue, Lady in Satin and Highway 51 were recorded — and dig through an archive of 100 vinyl pressings featuring works by Marina Abramović, Thom Yorke and Massive Attack.
During exhibition hours, The Listening Room operates as a record listening space where visitors can select a pressing and settle in. The after-hours lineup drops with the full RISING program on 11 March, with early ticket buyers getting first access to a ballot.
The Vinyl Factory was founded in London and encompasses a pressing plant, record label and cultural platform. Reverb is described as their most ambitious project to date. The exhibition is co-presented by ACMI and RISING, with support from the Victorian government through the Victorian Music Development Office.
RISING returns to Melbourne from 27 May to 8 June.
For more information, head here.
