Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Down The Rabbit Hole: An Exhibition – And – Alice In Wonderland Engaging With The Reflexive Project Of The Self: An Exegesis, Shana James

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a culturally significant text that is widely known across many cultures. In this Victorian story, a little girl follows the talking White Rabbit down a rabbit hole to uncover a fantastical parallel world. Alice in Wonderland has remained in print for over 150 years, highlighting its continued relevance to generations of readers. This exegesis investigates the making of visual artwork that responds to this significant story, exploring the symbology and metaphorical nature of the text and seeing the story as a “reflexive project of the self” (Giddens, 1991, p. 5).

I began this research having …

Bully Me: A Graphic Novel; The Return: A Graphic Novel; Comakademix: A Comics Anthology; Leadbetter: A Comic; Laundry: A Minicomic -And- The Erotics Of Comics: An Exegesis, Bruce Roberts Mutard

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Beholding a comic is ideally, a pleasure. The work informs, entertains and stimulates the mind in some way. There is no gainsaying which works will affect which beholders howsoever it does, yet the expecta­tion of pleasure from a work of comics makes behold­ers seek it. Making the comic is also a pleasure, even if the process can be long-winded, winding and dif­ficult. The maker wants to give others the same plea­sure they drew from beholding comics, but in their way, making their vision of Batman, Lieutenant Blue­berry or, their own story worlds. What this research seeks to explain are many …

I Walk To See, I Walk To Know: Walking To Wongawol. An Exhibition And I Walk To See, I Walk To Know: Walking To Wongawol. An Exegesis, Cim Sears

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The context of my embodied project, I Walk to See, I Walk to Know: Walking to Wongawol, is an exploration into 1) the absence of Western Desert Aboriginal narratives via the act of walking as knowing and 2) my recently discovered ancestral connections, which were historically erased by the state. The location of my project is Wongawol Station in the Western Desert, Western Australia, where my Indigenous ancestors lived, and whose lives I draw upon to make connections with the narratives and sensations of the desert landscape. I use the methodology of walking to investigate the interconnectivity between body and …

Meeting Place An Exhibition – And – Locating The Country: An Australian Bricoleuse’S Inquiry An Exegesis, Annette Nykiel

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This practice-led PhD research investigated alternate forms of articulation to relate stories of place-making, as narrative or object, and added threads to the complex meshwork and herstory of the Country. The research was conducted in ‘The Country’, of the north-eastern Goldfields and Yalgorup Lakes in Western Australia. These two non-urban sites provided unique experiences of the bush, local people’s stories and understandings of time. The research investigated the implications of non-urban spaces as studios in relation to the concepts of place, time and narrative.

This research was, in part, experiential and drew on an absorbed embodied awareness of notions of …

Comparative Pairs Judgements For High-Stakes Practical Assessments, Hendrati Nastiti

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Assessment of practical tasks, as opposed to that of theoretical tasks, has been considered to be problematic, mainly because it is usually resource intensive and the scoring is subjective. Most practical tasks need to be assessed on site or involve products that need to be collected, stored, or transported. Moreover, because practical tasks are generally open-ended, and therefore subjective, there is concern over the reliability of the scores. In high-stakes assessment, these problems are even more challenging. There is a need for an assessment method that could overcome these problems. In this study, such a method that will be referred …

A Cosmopolitan Landscape: Development Of A Body Of Paintings That Explore And Expand Upon The Shared Tropes Of Figuration In The Work Of Giovanni Bellini And Shen Zhou, Harrison See

Theses : Honours

This creative honours project is a practice-led investigation into the painted figural landscape, particularly with the aim of identifying and exploring mutuality within the enduring artistic traditions of Chinese and Western painting. Informing this cross-cultural analysis is a deep engagement with the ‘figure in the landscape’ artworks of Giovanni Bellini and Shen Zhou; both painters chosen to represent their respective artistic traditions’. To support this search for mutuality this project was equipped with a Stoic Cosmopolitan perspective designed to facilitate cross-cultural understanding. Using this theoretical perspective and an informed understanding of these two artists practices’, a series of painted studies …

Imperceptible Realities: An Exhibition – And – Digitalisation: Re-Imaging The Real Beyond Notions Of The Original And The Copy In Contemporary Printmaking: An Exegesis, Sarah Robinson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This PhD practice-led research project provides a broad overview of how newer print technologies can bring about enhanced understandings of the world whilst simultaneously questioning the value of such processes in contrast to traditional means of image making. My curiosity pivots on the worry that something essential about representation of the real might be lost if humanity were to embrace digital methods only. Through my creative project I address my concerns to re-image representations of the real beyond notions of the original and the copy through contemporary printmaking. The research culminated in the exhibition Imperceptible Realities and an exegesis.

In …

A Sound Idea: An Investigation Into Accessible Video Game Design For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing, Luke James Brook

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A widely accepted, and incorrect, assumption towards hearing accessibility in video games is that deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) users are those who encounter the least barriers and are generally well catered for. Rapid advancement in video game technology has seen video game sound evolve from simple blips generated by internal circuitry to fully realised digital audio used to convey critical information. To accommodate the DHH, this information needs to be conveyed in an alternative manner. However, evidence suggests existing accessible design solutions for the DHH lack specificity and are insufficient. Thus, the inability to hear, or hear well, …

From Artefact Design To Service Design Thinking Innovations, Erica Ormsby

Theses : Honours

This research will explore the effect of the introduction of service design methods to graphic designers, and whether graphic designers are limited to the design of ephemeral artifacts or instead can play a significant role in the innovation of products and services among larger industry and community based projects in Perth, Western Australia, and perhaps even enrich service design processes themselves. This thesis will examine established graphic design disciplinary processes as well as alterations to those practices via the introduction of service design methods. In addition, these service design processes will also be applied to a complex live service orientated …

Reframed : A Collection Of Photographs, And, Capturing The Real : Reframing Visual Pleasure In The Photographed Female Nude, An Exegesis, Larry Defelippi

Theses : Honours

This creative Honours project is a practice-led inquiry into the photographed female nude. The images of the female nude photographed during the course of this project were taken in Australia and Colombia, providing a progression in aesthetics as the project unfolded. Informing the practice, and hence the images, is Roland Barthes’ concept of the punctum as read through Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytical concept of the real. The project endeavours to develop an aesthetic of visual pleasure to liberate the female nude from a predominant psychosexual reading, and advocate a revisualisation of the nude as a less sexually objectified form.!In addition, while …

Forget Me Not: An Exhibition –And– Creative Reuse: How Rescued Materials Transformed My A/R/Tographic Practice: An Exegesis, Susan Girak

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis, comprising of a written exegesis, solo exhibition and an artist book, emerged from research undertaken by an artist-researcher-teacher. For that reason, a/r/tography was the overarching methodology used, incorporating a bricolage of methods to address a multifaceted study undertaken in two settings: a primary school classroom and an artist’s studio. A/r/tography is a multilayered interdisciplinary Arts education research methodology that correlates well with my expertise as a primary Visual Arts specialist. The methodology allowed me to immerse myself in both teaching and the artmaking process, as ways of gaining a deeper understanding of Visual Arts pedagogy. The purpose of …

Peel, Fondle, Ogle: An Exhibition And Unfixed Parameters: A Creative Arts Praxis Investigation Of The In-Between Conditions Of The Corporeal Body: An Exegesis, Kimberley Simone Pace

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research emerged from a rejection of the corporeal body as a clean, sterile entity that can be neatly contained by the boundaries of skin. Informed by Lacan’s (1977, 1979) notions of the body and desire and Kristeva’s (1982) perspectives on the abject, I have developed a concept of the unfixed status of the body as an in-between condition. This investigation of the in-between condition of the body critically explores notions of the corporeal body as constructed physically, psychically and symbolically through my creative arts praxis concerning the body, garment, object and performance. This exegesis unveils the potential for a …

Contemporary Kitsch: An Examination Through Creative Practice, Sally Stewart

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This exegesis examines the theoretical concept of contemporary kitsch within a creative practice that incorporates sculptural and installation art. Kitsch is a distinct aesthetic style. Once designated to the rubbish bin of culture, kitsch was considered to be low class, bad taste cheap fakes and copies (Greenberg, 1961; Adorno & Horkheimer, 1991; Calinescu, 1987; Dorfles, 1969). I argue, however, that this is no longer the case. This research critically examines the way in which contemporary kitsch now plays a vital and positive role in social and individual aesthetic life.

Although there are conflicting points of view and distinct variations between …

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid: Exploring The Rhetoric Of The Monster In Political And Horror Posters Of The 20th Century, Julia Lane

Theses : Honours

Australia’s current social and political climate takes us back to a time when there was a strongly perceived fear of the other. This fear is heavily reflected by the monsters which we, as a society, create. This research unearths the constructed monsters of the 20th Century for a critical assessment of what makes a monster. More specifically, it focuses on depictions of monsters within political and horror poster designs. The purpose of this research is to identify and respond to the rhetoric apparent within and between poster images, specifically concerning the cultivation of fear of the other through the …

A Leap In The Dark: Identity, Culture And The Trauma Of War Mediated Thorough The Visual Arts Of North-East European Migrants And Émigrés To Australia After 1945, Eileen Whitehead

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis explores the contribution to the cultural life of post-war Australia by migrant artists from north-eastern Europe. It researches the lives and work not only of displaced artists arriving in the mass exodus from Europe after the Second World War, but also second and third generation artists descended from original migrant families, and much later émigré artists.

Art histories written to date about the post-war period provide little coverage of the contributionto the art and culture of Australia by migrant artists from north-eastern Europe. The coverage in the literature written about the visual art produced by established Australian artists …

Cultures Of Practice Within Design: An Exploration Of The Differences And Similarities Between Photography And Painting As Representational Practices, Alun John Price

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Contemporary designers and photographers face many challenges as the profession rapidly develops. This is especially the case in in the Western Australian context. A review into the recent history of the Western Australian design profession is evidence that designers and photographers are consistently shifting between commercial and self-expressive practice. However, the urge to keep up with technological advancement has masked conscious development of this shift, which is a key to self-realisation and improvement for a designer and photographer. This lack of conscious questioning limits holistic development in design practice. This research reflects on myself as a designer developing a response …

Drawn From Artists’ Lives: An Empirical Study Of The Situation And Realisation Of Professional Visual Art Practices In The Western Australian Field Of Cultural Production, Duncan Robert Mckay

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis presents the findings of empirical research on the working lives of visual artists living and working in Western Australia. No detailed studies of this kind have previously been undertaken in a Western Australian context, though a series of national, economically framed studies have surveyed Australian artists working in a variety of art forms about their working lives on five occasions since the early 1980s. Collectively the reports published from these five studies make up the most comprehensive picture of artists’ economic activity that has been available to policymakers and others involved in arts and culture in this country …

An Examination Of Creative Performative Labour As A Tactics Of Resistance To Controlled Pedestrian Passage Through Public Urban Space, Dani Andree

Theses : Honours

This research within this exegesis has developed out of the idea that pedestrian passage through public urban space is characterised by slippages in the perception of time and the senses. This concept is theoretically framed by Marc Augé’s notion of “non-place” (1995) and Michel de Certeau’s (1984) unconscious phenomenology of walking the city street. This exegesis examines the development of a reflexive unconscious language within a visual arts practice, as a tactics of resistance to controlled pedestrian passage. This theoretical framework, along with Alex Villar’s “Temporary Occupations”, forms part of a reflexive praxis that examines the progression of my creative …

The Dialectics Of Textile Hand Production : In Search Of Poetic Content : An Enquiry Into The Position Of The Traditional Textile Crafts, Jane Donlin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis frames the significance of traditional textile hand production as a means of furthering the concept of aesthetic socio-cultural development. It approaches the traditional textile crafts in relation to the proposition that contemporary society is post-traditional and has broken away from nature. By examining the concept of tradition and the processes by which society transforms from the pre-modern context into the late modern, the changing nature of the crafts is explained. The research also examines wider social losses, gains and unforeseen consequences that occur in the continuous process of social transformation. My art praxis is contextualised within the framework …

Making The Invisible, Visible : Exploring Liminality Of Mind And Body Through Glass, Naomi Hunter

Theses : Honours

It is through the discipline of visual arts that I research the subject of the mind-body relationship and the notion of liminality- this is the space in-between. To that end, the aim of this research is to investigate and construct a visible means of exhibiting liminal space. This creative work will be used as a metaphor for the synergy between body and mind, which I contend occurs within an internal liminal space. I investigate these concepts through the double articulation of creative practice and a written exegesis, based on the following research questions: 'In what ways can glass be used …

World War Ii Prisoner Of War Visual Art : Investigating Its Significance In Contemporary Society, Eileen Whitehead

Theses : Honours

This study examines closely some of the artworks produced by Howard Taylor, Ronald Searle and Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack while they were interned as prisoners of war (POWs) during World War II (WWII). It examines the significance of their POW and post-war artworks in the context of their experiences in WWII, the institutional representation of WWII POW art generally and, more broadly, the context in which wars shape the creative output of imprisoned soldiers and civilians. It further examines how POW artwork has influenced the choice of subject matter for some contemporary artists. I discuss a certain invisibility of POW artwork …

Unmasking Albany : Addressing Social Issues Through Mask-Work With Young People In A Western Australian Regional Centre, Fleur Hockey

Theses : Honours

My research looked at whether mask-work could be used to address social issues affecting young people in a Western Australian regional centre. It consisted of a case study, where I ran a six day workshop series in two Albany primary schools, with students who had been selected by their school to participate. Throughout the workshops, the young participants each made a full expressive mask, learnt how to perform in different mask styles, developed a character and took part in a small performance at their school. I employed a performance ethnography methodology and utilised methods such as participant observation, structured interviews …

Navigate Your Way Through A Sea Of Data, Korin S. Gath

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

No abstract provided.

In The Game : An Exploration Of The Concept Of Immersion In Video-Games And Its Usage In Game Design, Cesar Manuel Saez Ojeda

Theses : Honours

This thesis outlines a research project whose aim was to develop a design taxonomy for the creation of immersion in video-games. These guidelines can then be used in-sync with different stages in video-game design and development to ensure an immersive experience. Integral to this is the 'suspension of disbelief' the end user experiences when fully immersed in a video-game (Holland, 2002; Mediacollage.com, 2006). A review of the literature has identified the major contributing theory to the concept of immersion as flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1991). Flow embodies cognitive elements of involvement such as concentration on a task, completing a challenge, having control …

Fieldwork/Fieldwalking: Art, Sauntering And Science In The "Walking Country", Perdita Phillips

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

fieldwork/fieldwalking is a contemporary art project exploring practices of walking and science in the field. 11 explores the themes of walking and-fieldwork in art, and as art. Whilst the. sociology of science in the laboratory has been well theorised, less has been said about the field in the natural sciences. And, equally, the most recent and provocative walking art is found in urban areas, in a fabric dominated by the patterns of human settlement. How could new walking art be made in non-urban places? The project set out to investigate how these two, fieldwork and walking, could be combined in …

From Cannibal To Consumer: The Shifting Poetic Metaphor Of The Vampire, Emma Margetts

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Vampire is a parasitic demon who has ·haunted humanity for thousands of years. Feeding off the living, this bloodsucking, animated corpse could generally be said to embody human fears surrounding death and sexuality. Appearing in a variety of mythologies around the world, the vampire has been connected with excessive and/or repressed desire, the subconscious and dark side of human nature. The vampire and associated metaphors' reflect social boundaries and express forbidden desires, in particular, when the figure appeared in late-Gothic literature of the 18th-century novel. The transitions occurring within the vampire's iconography over the last 200 years of Western …

Application Of Binaural Recording In The Video Game Industry, Max Leong

Theses : Honours

The video game industry is one of entertainment technologies' largest growing industries. There are thousands of games in the market covering a variety of different genres. There is also a high level technical sophistication in current games along with the game console that runs it. Games are realistic with astonishingly life like graphics. The backing audio and music tracks are performed by leading orchestras and written by renowned composers. Great technological strides have been made in the areas of graphic and audio design. The end user expects the very best and the video game industry is constantly improving software and …

Teachers' Implicit Theories Of Expression In Visual Arts Education: A Study Of Western Australian Teachers, Diana J. Brown

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examines the differences in the beliefs of primary (elementary) class teachers about the role of expression in visual arts education. The focus is on the relationship between primary teachers implicit theories, and expression in their visual arts lessons. Expression here, refers to the manifestation of an individual students interests or views through visual images. Students' expression of their personal responses through visual images, is a central intended outcome of the visual arts curriculum in Western Australia (Curriculum Council, 1998).

Resisting Aggression : Graphic Re-Presentations For Other Bodies, Camilla C. Loveridge

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

These chapters consider how art can provide a space for wider critical debate on established patriarchal power relations, which have operated in Western culture since the Enlightenment period. As a female artist, I want to explore the space in art of both the female body and the community body. This work seeks to position the female body within the "form" of her subjectivity, to destabilize patriarchal strongholds through the displacement of the traditionally aestheticised female "nude”. That is, I examine the (historicized) notion of a “subject” and the representation of an "object”, and understand the female "nude” as a representation …

Decorator Or Narrator: A Contextualisation Of Slavic And Australian Pattern Making And Its Relationship To My Painting Practice, Iliana H. Jordanov

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In this thesis, I will examine pattern making in art practice from two cultural perceptions, Slavic and Australian. Existing differences between the two cultural backgrounds will be used to debate how pattern is understood by the viewer or practiced by an artist in a particular chosen environment. The central argument focuses on pattern as a decorator and/or a narrator. I will examine the outcomes and changes in narrative pattern according to cultural context and exchange. By introducing Slavic pattern into contemporary (Australian) art practice, I examine how traditional cultural values and functions change. In discussing the processes of changes that …