(Image: ACMI)

Spectacle, an exhibition retracing the history and cultural impact of the music video, is in its final weeks at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

Visitors to Spectacle at ACMI are greeted by a video wall

It’s a must-see showcase for anyone interested in Western popular culture of the last forty years, detailing the influence of iconic videos by artists as varied as Feist, Michael Jackson, Fatboy Slim, A-ha and Beyonce.

While the exhibition begins with the 1920s, it is in the 1980s that the music video really came into its own, and video released since the advent of MTV make up the bulk of the ‘exhibits’.

The Art House section of Spectacle at ACMI

One of our favourite sections was the ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ exhibit, explaining the magic of videos such as Ok Go’s This Too Shall Pass. We also loved the black-and-white imagery in ‘Shadows and Light’, such as in Bjork’s Big Time Sensuality. Through a wall studded with peep-holes, the ‘Agent Provocateur’ exhibit featured controversial videos such as Madonna’s Like a Prayer. And crowd-sourced videos such as response videos to PSY’s Gangnam Style take pride of place in the ‘Remix’ section.

In the ‘Beginnings’ section of Spectacle at ACMI

Spectacle costs $15 for adults and runs until 5pm Sunday 23rd February. It will also stay open all night on White Night, on the evening of 22nd February. Tickets and more information can be found on ACMI’s website.