Countdown sign

Edie Kurzer, Australia, 2020
Courtesy Australian Broadcasting Commission

Object On display
Photograph by Egmont Contreras

When those glowing, yellow bulbs flashed on to spell out the word ‘Countdown’ it heralded the beginning of an Australian institution. The weekly music show hosted and helmed by Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum launched the careers of international acts such as Madonna and Aussie acts like Olivia Newton-John, INXS, AC/DC, Kylie Minogue, Mental as Anything and countless more. Over the course of its 14 year run, it became a critical tastemaker for deciding what was and wasn’t cool. This much loved show was one of the few mainstream outlets for youth culture and essential viewing for audiences wanting to engage with popular culture and music.

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Collection

Not in ACMI's collection

On display until

16 February 2031

ACMI: Gallery 1

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

Curatorial section

The Story of the Moving Image → Foyer → Entry → FSF-02. Fed Sq Foyer Cabinets → FSF Cabinet 8

Object Types

3D Object

Diorama

Collected

2163 times

Cite this work on Wikipedia

If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/112018--countdown/ |title=Countdown sign |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=18 July 2026 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}