Percy Grainger (1882–1961) and Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack (1893–1965) are key figures within Victoria’s cultural history. The University of Melbourne holds an outstanding collection of items by Grainger, a world pioneer in experimental music. Items include a number of terry-towelling costumes, whose design can be traced to the dominant modernist concerns of the early twentieth century. Similarly, paintings, prints, and drawings by the Bauhaus-trained artist Hirschfeld Mack, provide insights into the European modernist tradition.

Drawing strong visual links between the patterning and colour of the terry-towelling clothes and the colour theories of the Bauhaus, this display offers viewers the opportunity to connect with contemporary music and colour theory, and to gain insight into Hirschfeld Mack’s and Grainger’s individual quests towards utopian ideals.