Inside the armour: Ned Kelly returns in new innovative web experience.

Artefacts belonging to Australia’s most notorious bushranger, Ned Kelly, can now be seen in near forensic detail in Mouthful of Dust, an interactive web experience presented by State Library Victoria. 

Mouthful of Dust showcases 3D scans of the armour, rifle, boot, death mask and Jerilderie Letter, enabling users to examine the items in stunning detail. Viewers can travel inside the suit of armour and look out through Ned’s helmet; or see Ned’s engravings on the rifle butt, including a dedication to his father Red Kelly.

Leading Victorian writers including Sarah Krasnostein and Grace Chan, have produced new short works inspired by the 3D scans, adding fresh perspectives and interpretations of Ned Kelly’s story, as well as the role of the Library, and to a certain degree, Australia’s colonial past. The new writings and their recordings, voiced by the writers themselves, accompany the 3D scans, which viewers can interact with or enjoy as stunning short films.

Almost five thousand photographs of the items were used to generate the 3D representations through a process called photogrammetry, which analyses the similarities between photographs taken from different perspectives. The result is an experience of the objects that would be otherwise impossible – parts of the Kelly collection are on permanent display at the Library and housed under strict preservation settings to ensure their survival.

Responding to spatial photography of the rifle, Sarah Krasnostein writes:

‘When taking aim, Ned steadied the stock’s brass plate near his accelerating heart, the metal warmed by fear and rage. Zoom in on the exterior until it yields and you find yourself, suddenly, inside the stock, shot through the rust-red artery of the barrel back through time.’

Edward ‘Ned’ Kelly, born in 1854 - the same year the Library was established - is an icon of Australian history, culture and identity. His troubled story and defiant words continue to divide, provoke and inspire. His short life was a series of crises, some self-made but many imposed, and his story remains intertwined with the Library. The crude suit of armour, rifle and the Jerilderie Letter are among the Library’s most famous collection items. Kelly was sentenced to hang by Library founder Sir Redmond Barry, at the old court across from the Library on La Trobe Street. Kelly’s armour is now exhibited in the Redmond Barry Reading Room. The title of the web experience, Mouthful of Dust, are words from the Jerilderie Letter and evoke the dust in which Kelly, his collaborators and enemies now rest, as well as the power of words which allow this story and our anti-hero to live on. 

State Library Victoria CEO Paul Duldig said:

‘Ned Kelly has long been a source of inspiration for Australian authors and artists. Mouthful of Dust continues that tradition with a diverse group of award-winning writers commissioned to produce new imaginative perspectives on one of the most well-known and divisive figures in Australian history. The Kelly collection is very popular with our users, and these incredible 3D scans provide never-before-seen access inside these incredible artefacts.’

State Library Victoria Chief Digital Officer Paula Bray said:

‘Mouthful of Dust is a visually rich and interactive experience, and a key example of how leading-edge technology can breathe new life into historic collection items. When Ned Kelly’s armour was taken off display for relocation to the Redmond Barry Reading Room, we took the rare opportunity to conduct photogrammetry scans of the items. The scans allow any user – researchers, creatives and the public - to explore the collection in ways which would never have been possible before.’

Mouthful of Dust launches on 10 April 2025, and features new writings from Sarah Krasnostein, Nam Le, Grace Chan, Wesley Enoch and Cameron Hurst of The Paris End. 

For more information visit slv.vic.gov.au/mouthful-of-dust