There is no doubt that multimedia technology can tell stories dramatically. These stories particularly resonate with a generation raised on video games and social media, which are now an intrinsic part of their lives.
The problems with this technology in relation to armed conflict, though, are whether it conveys reality or distorts it and what impacts it has on veterans who have experienced the real thing and don’t want to be reminded of it.
This issue is significant for the Australian War Memorial and how it makes use of its new galleries. According to AdNews, an advertising industry trade publication,
M&C Saatchi’s Resolution Design has partnered with the Australian War Memorial to design and produce stories and immersive experiences to be open to the public in early 2026. Resolution Design will focus on delivering a range of multimedia experiences and cinema-style documentaries about life in war zones that span World War I, World War II and the war in Afghanistan.
AdNews quoted Resolution Design creative producer and director, Jeffrey Jaffers:
The relationship with the Australian War Memorial has been ten years in the making and with this project specifically, it's been a privilege to learn more about people’s stories ... Ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and how the human spirit prevails in times of conflict. Connecting people with these stories through our work with the Australian War Memorial is a privilege.
A multimedia approach was used a few years ago in the Memorial’s presentation on the Battle of Hamel. Despite some hyped-up advertising, this turned out to be a sober and balanced view of the battle and General Monash’s plans. Many watchers have been, however, irritated by the frequency and intrusion of ads for the armament manufacturing sponsors, such as Boeing.
The approach is also used at the Australian National Memorial, located behind the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery which honours Australian soldiers who fought in France and Belgium, and consists of a central tower, with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, flanked by wing walls commemorating the 10 719 Australians who died in France and who have no known grave.
Villers-Bretonneux became famous on 23 April 1918, when the German advance on Amiens ended in the capture of the village by tanks and infantry. On the following day, the 4th and 5th Australian Divisions, with units of the 8th and 18th British Divisions, recaptured the village, and some say turned the tide on the First World War. On 8 August 1918, the 2nd and 5th Australian Divisions advanced from its eastern outskirts in the Battle of Amiens.
Then, a century later, along came former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, whose greatest regret in life was probably not having fought in a war, who decided to improve on the existing commemorative recognition of all this, and in 2015 announced a plan to build a $100 million educational facility on the site and make it more famous. Needless to say, this encompassed a major multimedia presentation which is, according to many, very good, and deserves to be seen by more people. But visitation has been disappointing.
So, what the latest multimedia presentation will do for the wars between WWI and Afghanistan will be interesting to say the least. M&C Saatchi also has the contract for the ‘Stegglers’ promotion of chicken products. According to MediaWeek, the Stegglers campaign ‘celebrates people who care a little bit more about the things that matter to them, particularly the importance of traditions, mateship, and family’. Saatchi is looking for ‘strong emotional connections’ between customers and chooks; making emotional connections has long been the ambition of the Memorial, too.
Personally, as a veteran, I don’t want to see recreations of wars and vivid multimedia performances. The only time I ever visited the Memorial was to see the Roll of Honour. When at the Royal Australian Artillery School, before posting to a unit and then Vietnam, I met a Duntroon graduate, who also came from Melbourne, and we would share the driving from Sydney to Melbourne in his car for a few weekend breaks with family.
The next time I saw him was when I was leaving Vietnam, and we passed at the Tan Son Nhat airport in what was then Saigon. He was killed on the last day of his last operation.
Some years later, I was in Canberra and went to the Memorial to search out his name on the Roll of Honour. I touched the name and stood silently for a while and then left. I’ve never been back and a multichannel, multimedia presentation will certainly not get me back.
Image credit: An unidentified sergeant of the 16th Battalion on a child's bicycle and an American private sitting in a perambulator just prior to the Battle of Hamel which took place on 4 July 1918 (AWM A00815).
This piece also appeared in Pearls & Irritations on 10 August under the title 'Armed conflict and multimedia at the Australian War Memorial'.
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