Regimes of reading. The project analyses the ways in which reading and interpretation have been socially organised across a range of cultures, from ancient Rome to the contemporary world of virtual reality. It focuses in particular on conflict between different practices of reading in order to highlight the cultural assumptions underlying the uses of texts.
Avatars and Identities. The avatar, a virtual representation of its user, is the key element of interface technology for everyday computer use in the twenty-first century. While specialist aspects of the avatar have received intensive attention from the technology industries and scholars, the focus of the work to date has been on the technical efficiency of the interface, rather than understanding the full social implications of its use. Through a historical, ethnographic and critical analysis o ....Avatars and Identities. The avatar, a virtual representation of its user, is the key element of interface technology for everyday computer use in the twenty-first century. While specialist aspects of the avatar have received intensive attention from the technology industries and scholars, the focus of the work to date has been on the technical efficiency of the interface, rather than understanding the full social implications of its use. Through a historical, ethnographic and critical analysis of the role of the avatar, in consultation with industry, this project offers a unique opportunity to develop a wider perspective that will contribute to an understanding of the uses and policies for the digital economy.Read moreRead less
The Promise of Justice. Justice is often framed as a human problem. How other species shape just or unjust futures is rarely considered. Biodiversity loss and modernisation programs can result in unequal suffering for Indigenous communities. Health inequalities, produced by microbial diseases, also disproportionately impact marginalsed peoples in developing countries. Collaborative ethnographic research in Indonesia will enable participants to reconceptualise justice and make policy reccomendati ....The Promise of Justice. Justice is often framed as a human problem. How other species shape just or unjust futures is rarely considered. Biodiversity loss and modernisation programs can result in unequal suffering for Indigenous communities. Health inequalities, produced by microbial diseases, also disproportionately impact marginalsed peoples in developing countries. Collaborative ethnographic research in Indonesia will enable participants to reconceptualise justice and make policy reccomendations in three arenas: 1) the environment, 2) human rights, and 3) health. New knowledge in cultural theory and multispecies studies will be generated through collaborations with distinguished international scholars and indigenous intellectuals.Read moreRead less
Investigating Innovative Waste Economies: redrawing the circular economy . Australia is facing a waste crisis and government and industry are promoting the Circular Economy as a solution. This project investigates innovative cultural and economic practices in three waste streams: single use plastics, organics and bulky household waste, to understand how they realise or redraw the circle. The project develops empirical evidence to advance thinking about how novel waste economies are organised and ....Investigating Innovative Waste Economies: redrawing the circular economy . Australia is facing a waste crisis and government and industry are promoting the Circular Economy as a solution. This project investigates innovative cultural and economic practices in three waste streams: single use plastics, organics and bulky household waste, to understand how they realise or redraw the circle. The project develops empirical evidence to advance thinking about how novel waste economies are organised and the cultural and social innovations they generate. Outcomes include national and international case studies of innovative waste economies, social learning events with industry stakeholders and academic publications. Key benefits provide evidence of how different waste practices enable more sustainable ways of living. Read moreRead less
Aboriginal young people in Victoria and digital storytelling. Victorian Aboriginal youth are using digital technology to tell stories, (which assert and affirm their identities), and also to produce and consume information in creative and interactive ways, that are relevant to them. This project on digital storytelling will support creative approaches for building digital literacy, while increasing understandings of Aboriginal culture.
Globalisation and the formation of meaning: the career of a key concept. How did globalisation become the most powerful buzzword of our time? The project will examine texts, contexts and interview the most prominent globalisation experts in the English-speaking world to develop the first comparative history of the concept.
Art of Peace: New perspectives in visual art on peacekeeping from the 1990s. Art of Peace investigates the important role of art in Australia’s engagement in international peacekeeping. Australian artists such as George Gittoes and Wendy Sharpe have created powerful and memorable images of Australian forces as peacekeepers and nation-builders. Yet, what of the less-visible perspectives of artists from the countries to which Australia sends peacekeepers? Art of Peace will create new knowledge aro ....Art of Peace: New perspectives in visual art on peacekeeping from the 1990s. Art of Peace investigates the important role of art in Australia’s engagement in international peacekeeping. Australian artists such as George Gittoes and Wendy Sharpe have created powerful and memorable images of Australian forces as peacekeepers and nation-builders. Yet, what of the less-visible perspectives of artists from the countries to which Australia sends peacekeepers? Art of Peace will create new knowledge around those artists’ perceptions of peacekeeping missions, through a new body of scholarship, public engagement and an exhibition in Perth and Sydney curated by Art Gallery of WA. It engages a national audience to focus on the important role of Australia in international affairs since 1990 through new contemporary art.Read moreRead less
Art in conflict: transforming contemporary art at Australian War Memorial. This project aims to investigate conflicts and compromises arising within official schemes for commissioning Australian contemporary war art, in partnership with the Australian War Memorial (AWM). The AWM has built on its Official War Artist scheme to transform the commissioning of war art, engaging high profile contemporary artists to produce often challenging work. This project will focus on this important yet under-res ....Art in conflict: transforming contemporary art at Australian War Memorial. This project aims to investigate conflicts and compromises arising within official schemes for commissioning Australian contemporary war art, in partnership with the Australian War Memorial (AWM). The AWM has built on its Official War Artist scheme to transform the commissioning of war art, engaging high profile contemporary artists to produce often challenging work. This project will focus on this important yet under-researched national collection of art, placing it at the centre of current discussions around contemporary art and war. The project seeks to continue to transform the AWM’s curatorial approaches and build an enduring digital archive of analysis and interpretation.Read moreRead less
Curating Cities: the social and ecological potential of public art practice. This project researches the contribution of public art to eco-sustainable development, focusing on world’s best practice and potential benefits to Sydney and cities in general. It seeks to establish how the arts can promote environmentally beneficial behaviour change and the development of green infrastructure.
Minds, Bodies, Machines: a cultural and intellectual history of technologies in the 21st century. This project benefits the intellectual and cultural life of the nation by establishing a unique dialogue between the I.T. community and University researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Using an
interdisciplinary methodology to explore technologically-driven social change across a period of more than two hundred years, the project will generate new and fresh ways of thinking about emerg ....Minds, Bodies, Machines: a cultural and intellectual history of technologies in the 21st century. This project benefits the intellectual and cultural life of the nation by establishing a unique dialogue between the I.T. community and University researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Using an
interdisciplinary methodology to explore technologically-driven social change across a period of more than two hundred years, the project will generate new and fresh ways of thinking about emerging areas of intense debate and controversy, such as humanoid robotics and artificial intelligence. The dialogue we propose will foster an environment of enhanced innovation, one in which knowledge translates directly and indirectly into social and economic benefits.Read moreRead less