Environmental change in northern Cenozoic Australia: a multidisciplinary approach. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that by 2020 to 2050, Australia will suffer significant biodiversity loss and water shortages. Our research will document and date the evolution of Australia's biota through three cycles of climate change over the last 25 million years to quantify and thereby better anticipate the nature and dimension of threats facing our natural and cultural communities ....Environmental change in northern Cenozoic Australia: a multidisciplinary approach. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that by 2020 to 2050, Australia will suffer significant biodiversity loss and water shortages. Our research will document and date the evolution of Australia's biota through three cycles of climate change over the last 25 million years to quantify and thereby better anticipate the nature and dimension of threats facing our natural and cultural communities. We will develop innovative techniques to date prehistoric biotic and climatic events and, using a range of tracers, characterize ancient environments and groundwater. This project will assist rural and regional Australia through education and job creation in geotourism and natural resource interpretation and provide a mechanism to combat generational skill shortage.Read moreRead less
Frontier Conflict in History and Memory: South and Central Australia from European settlement to the Present. The aims of this project are to map, as comprehensively as possible, the nature and extent of conflict between Aboriginal people and Europeans in South and Central Australia and to analyse the ways in which those events have survived in social memory. This is significant in light of recent contestations in Australian history about the degree and remembrance of conflict. No extensive regi ....Frontier Conflict in History and Memory: South and Central Australia from European settlement to the Present. The aims of this project are to map, as comprehensively as possible, the nature and extent of conflict between Aboriginal people and Europeans in South and Central Australia and to analyse the ways in which those events have survived in social memory. This is significant in light of recent contestations in Australian history about the degree and remembrance of conflict. No extensive regional study has been conducted for South and Central Australia. This project will contribute new research for academic and general social use.Read moreRead less
Mining and transformation in Jawoyn country, southern Arnhem Land. This project integrates archaeological, documentary and oral evidence about the Maranboy and Yeuralba mines' role in the transformation of Aboriginal people living in southern Arnhem Land from a hunter-gatherer way of life to the community residence patterns of today. The collaborative project includes direct participation and direction by Indigenous custodians and will produce an Aboriginal perspective about the impact of the ....Mining and transformation in Jawoyn country, southern Arnhem Land. This project integrates archaeological, documentary and oral evidence about the Maranboy and Yeuralba mines' role in the transformation of Aboriginal people living in southern Arnhem Land from a hunter-gatherer way of life to the community residence patterns of today. The collaborative project includes direct participation and direction by Indigenous custodians and will produce an Aboriginal perspective about the impact of the mines on their lives. The results will contribute to knowledge about the ways in which Aboriginal society changed and adapted to European settlement in this part of Australia and will produce a range of interpretative materials for the Jawoyn Association's nascent tourism enterprises.Read moreRead less
Short-pulse laser cleaning for Australian heritage conservation. Conserving heritage objects is a demanding discipline, requiring a suite of techniques for different problems. Overseas, laser cleaning using long pulse techniques leaves microscopic damage as discrete chunks of material are removed, and is unsuitable for many materials. We have developed a short pulse laser process which can remove material molecule-by-molecule in a controlled fashion, and which can be readily halted once the fi ....Short-pulse laser cleaning for Australian heritage conservation. Conserving heritage objects is a demanding discipline, requiring a suite of techniques for different problems. Overseas, laser cleaning using long pulse techniques leaves microscopic damage as discrete chunks of material are removed, and is unsuitable for many materials. We have developed a short pulse laser process which can remove material molecule-by-molecule in a controlled fashion, and which can be readily halted once the final finish is achieved. We will research this technique for application to unique Australian heritage materials that are important to the specific conservation needs of the Australian War Memorial, the RAAF, Navy and Army Museums, Artlab Australia, and the Art Gallery of NSW.Read moreRead less
The Port Adelaide Historical Archaeology (PAHA) project. The aim of this project is to investigate the concept of neighbourhood archaeology in relation to the working class of Port Adelaide. There has been limited previous research on the residents of Port Adelaide and what has been done has mainly been from a town planning and sociological perspective. The traditional history of Port Adelaide has marginalised the role of the residents in the development of Port Adelaide. Archaeological excavati ....The Port Adelaide Historical Archaeology (PAHA) project. The aim of this project is to investigate the concept of neighbourhood archaeology in relation to the working class of Port Adelaide. There has been limited previous research on the residents of Port Adelaide and what has been done has mainly been from a town planning and sociological perspective. The traditional history of Port Adelaide has marginalised the role of the residents in the development of Port Adelaide. Archaeological excavation, therefore, along with extant collections, can provide information not available from other sources. Comparison with previous work undertaken outside Port Adelaide will also provide useful insights into life in early Port Adelaide.Read moreRead less
The Art of AIDS Prevention: Cultural Responses to HIV/AIDS in Australia and the United States. While a number of studies have examined HIV/AIDS as a biological entity, the crucial 'cultural construction' of AIDS, and the effect of this construction on people living with AIDS and the wider public, is poorly understood. This project will assist wider awareness of the fact that public understandings of disease and affected individuals are both culturally mediated and contestable. In examining the i ....The Art of AIDS Prevention: Cultural Responses to HIV/AIDS in Australia and the United States. While a number of studies have examined HIV/AIDS as a biological entity, the crucial 'cultural construction' of AIDS, and the effect of this construction on people living with AIDS and the wider public, is poorly understood. This project will assist wider awareness of the fact that public understandings of disease and affected individuals are both culturally mediated and contestable. In examining the important role that artists played in confronting AIDS, this project will also suggest how similar cultural interventions might be employed during existing and future disease epidemics and other public health threats.Read moreRead less
The twentieth century in paint. The art market is a major contributor to the Australian economy worth over $500M per annum. However many modern works created with new materials introduced in the 20th century in Australia and Southeast Asia exhibit problems with deterioration, and there is little research on the use and effects of these materials. Without answers to material based preservation questions collectors, curators and conservators cannot make informed decisions. This project, with partn ....The twentieth century in paint. The art market is a major contributor to the Australian economy worth over $500M per annum. However many modern works created with new materials introduced in the 20th century in Australia and Southeast Asia exhibit problems with deterioration, and there is little research on the use and effects of these materials. Without answers to material based preservation questions collectors, curators and conservators cannot make informed decisions. This project, with partners in Australia, Asia, US and UK will provide fundamental information to assist in formulating management strategies, inform curatorship and develop innovative approaches to conservation and the manufacture of art materials.Read moreRead less
'Wizards in Oz': The impact and legacy of Colonel de Basil's Ballets Russes on Australian cultural life and artistic practice. The project heralds a nationally significant co-operation between Australian cultural and tertiary institutions to research the content, impact and legacy of Australian tours 1936-40 by the acclaimed Ballets Russes. Australians were overwhelmed by the company's high-modernist aesthetic, and inspired by the collaborative ideals celebrated in its balletic, theatrical and m ....'Wizards in Oz': The impact and legacy of Colonel de Basil's Ballets Russes on Australian cultural life and artistic practice. The project heralds a nationally significant co-operation between Australian cultural and tertiary institutions to research the content, impact and legacy of Australian tours 1936-40 by the acclaimed Ballets Russes. Australians were overwhelmed by the company's high-modernist aesthetic, and inspired by the collaborative ideals celebrated in its balletic, theatrical and musical masterpieces. Research will generate a range of scholarly publications, physical and virtual exhibitions, and select performances by the Australian Ballet. The project utilises an innovative interactive research methodology to establish a vital nexus between scholarly research, digital archival management and dissemination strategies, and artistic practice.Read moreRead less
The Adelaide Hills Face Zone: Reconstructing the cultural landscape and the identification of sites of cultural significance. Aim is to document historical cultural impacts on the landscape of the Adelaide Hills Face Zone, to identify and document sites of cultural heritage significance and to develop selected sites as cultural tourism destinations.The study will test developing methodologies for the interpretation of cultural landscapes with potential to pioneer the application of cultural heri ....The Adelaide Hills Face Zone: Reconstructing the cultural landscape and the identification of sites of cultural significance. Aim is to document historical cultural impacts on the landscape of the Adelaide Hills Face Zone, to identify and document sites of cultural heritage significance and to develop selected sites as cultural tourism destinations.The study will test developing methodologies for the interpretation of cultural landscapes with potential to pioneer the application of cultural heritage management strategies to a broad landscape. University departments and industry groups from diverse backgrounds will collaborate to develop management strategies and cultural tourism opportunities in a significant landscape. Outcomes will include improved planning strategies and new economic opportunities for semi-rural and rural communities.Read moreRead less
The South Australian Historical and Maritime Archaeology Management Project. This project is expected to identify strategies for the implementation of best practice archaeological heritage management in Port Adelaide and South Australia. This research will result in strategies and approaches which will safeguard archaeological heritage while allowing development to proceed and community needs and interests to be met. These strategies will be used as the basis for development of an archaeological ....The South Australian Historical and Maritime Archaeology Management Project. This project is expected to identify strategies for the implementation of best practice archaeological heritage management in Port Adelaide and South Australia. This research will result in strategies and approaches which will safeguard archaeological heritage while allowing development to proceed and community needs and interests to be met. These strategies will be used as the basis for development of an archaeological heritage management model that results in archaeological research and conservation outcomes and public and community outcomes. It is expected that this model will be applicable within Port Adelaide, South Australia, Australia and Internationally.Read moreRead less