Description:
This exegesis explores the sacred, holy and commercial aspects of spring water as revealed by an exploration of the relationships of Indigenous Australians and non–Indigenous European Australians to spring water. As a non–Indigenous Australian migrant, my knowledge of Indigenous Australian spiritual and cultural matters was limited, as was knowledge of Indigenous Australian history, both pre- and post-European settlement. As a migrant, I have many memories and experiences of spring water at European wells, springs and places of pilgrimage where healing, both physical and spiritual was sought. In childhood, I enjoyed reading the many myths and legends that surround the magical, mysterious and often invisible resource of spring water. Realising that my current knowledge of spring water relied more on folklore and anecdotal information than on fact, I decided that the topic of spring water offered worthwhile opportunities for research. [...] The availability of spring water is being challenged on more than one front. This research explores and investigates the abundance of (particularly) art references to spring water in Indigenous Australian culture and traditions, while noting the dearth of art references relating specifically to spring water in non-Indigenous Australian culture; although an abundance of art references to water in general is revealed. In the latter context, references to art depicting aspects of the hydrologic cycle have been substituted and explored.
Description:
This exegesis explores the sacred, holy and commercial aspects of spring water as revealed by an exploration of the relationships of Indigenous Australians and non–Indigenous European Australians to spring water. As a non–Indigenous Australian migrant, my knowledge of Indigenous Australian spiritual and cultural matters was limited, as was knowledge of Indigenous Australian history, both pre- and post-European settlement. As a migrant, I have many memories and experiences of spring water at European wells, springs and places of pilgrimage where healing, both physical and spiritual was sought. In childhood, I enjoyed reading the many myths and legends that surround the magical, mysterious and often invisible resource of spring water. Realising that my current knowledge of spring water relied more on folklore and anecdotal information than on fact, I decided that the topic of spring water offered worthwhile opportunities for research. [...] The availability of spring water is being challenged on more than one front. This research explores and investigates the abundance of (particularly) art references to spring water in Indigenous Australian culture and traditions, while noting the dearth of art references relating specifically to spring water in non-Indigenous Australian culture; although an abundance of art references to water in general is revealed. In the latter context, references to art depicting aspects of the hydrologic cycle have been substituted and explored.
Description:
In this thesis I have researched what I believe is the powerful, catalytic effect of poetry on the creative work of some artists. I have chosen three, Australian painters; Sidney Nolan, James Gleeson and Brett Whiteley. I have looked carefully at how the works of various poets have influenced and inspired these artists. I have put forward the idea that this engagement with the poetic realm has greatly enhanced the artist’s creative form-making. Indeed these artists have acknowledged their strong links with the world of poetry. I have touched very briefly on the ideas of some renowned philosophers who stress society’s need for fine works of art. In my opinion great works of art can come from this linking of painting with poetry and therefore, this nexus is to be encouraged. I have in my own painterly works looked to the poets for inspiration. In The Wimmera Series of landscape works, I read Brian Edwards’ and Homer Reith’s poetry, and found in their imagery a rich source of creative ideas. I continued to read the works of the poets and found that the poetry of Ezra Pound, Dante Alighieri, Judith Wright and the works of many others, were an inspirational and catalytic force. I have also discovered on this artistic journey that the very writing of poetry, my own attempts in this field, seemed to bring to my painting, a sharper, a more analytical and critical focus. Renowned art critics and art historians have criticised contemporary art for its lack of the poetic, and its boring shallowness. I would urge artists to engage with the poetic realm, and this interplay between painting and poetry, may produce fine works of lasting greatness.
Description:
In this thesis I have researched what I believe is the powerful, catalytic effect of poetry on the creative work of some artists. I have chosen three, Australian painters; Sidney Nolan, James Gleeson and Brett Whiteley. I have looked carefully at how the works of various poets have influenced and inspired these artists. I have put forward the idea that this engagement with the poetic realm has greatly enhanced the artist’s creative form-making. Indeed these artists have acknowledged their strong links with the world of poetry. I have touched very briefly on the ideas of some renowned philosophers who stress society’s need for fine works of art. In my opinion great works of art can come from this linking of painting with poetry and therefore, this nexus is to be encouraged. I have in my own painterly works looked to the poets for inspiration. In The Wimmera Series of landscape works, I read Brian Edwards’ and Homer Reith’s poetry, and found in their imagery a rich source of creative ideas. I continued to read the works of the poets and found that the poetry of Ezra Pound, Dante Alighieri, Judith Wright and the works of many others, were an inspirational and catalytic force. I have also discovered on this artistic journey that the very writing of poetry, my own attempts in this field, seemed to bring to my painting, a sharper, a more analytical and critical focus. Renowned art critics and art historians have criticised contemporary art for its lack of the poetic, and its boring shallowness. I would urge artists to engage with the poetic realm, and this interplay between painting and poetry, may produce fine works of lasting greatness.
Description:
The purpose of this research is to contribute a non indigenous perspective to current discourse on sense of place in contemporary Australia. The research employs a number of strategies to investigate current responses to our geographic and historical time position. Within the exegesis there is a vers libre poem, written from the imagined viewpoint of members of the Burke and Wills’ expedition. The poem is supported by a superimposition of the Don Quixote story over that of the ill-fated inland Australian explorers. [...]
Description:
The purpose of this research is to contribute a non indigenous perspective to current discourse on sense of place in contemporary Australia. The research employs a number of strategies to investigate current responses to our geographic and historical time position. Within the exegesis there is a vers libre poem, written from the imagined viewpoint of members of the Burke and Wills’ expedition. The poem is supported by a superimposition of the Don Quixote story over that of the ill-fated inland Australian explorers. [...]
Description:
The main aim of the current study was to investigate formal and informal psychosocial support use among a sample of men with cancer living in rural and regional Australia, and to examine how use of psychosocial support is related to psychological, physical and social wellbeing.
Description:
Master of Applied Science (Psychology)
Description:
The main aim of the current study was to investigate formal and informal psychosocial support use among a sample of men with cancer living in rural and regional Australia, and to examine how use of psychosocial support is related to psychological, physical and social wellbeing.
Description:
Master of Applied Science (Psychology)
Description:
The Ship of Fools is an ancient allegory that has long been a part of Western culture in literature, art and song... It has been chosen by many to comment on contemporary issues throughout history, highlighting the foibles of that society. The ship of fools however is also about our world, as a vessel, full of passengers of humanity, full of those who have no care what they do or where they are going... It is the 21st Century and we are all sailing on a Ship of Fools. We consume beyond reason, we want, and get the latest, newest, biggest things. We complain about interest rates and petrol prices, but consume beyond reason often with purchases on credit we don't really need.
Description:
The Ship of Fools is an ancient allegory that has long been a part of Western culture in literature, art and song... It has been chosen by many to comment on contemporary issues throughout history, highlighting the foibles of that society. The ship of fools however is also about our world, as a vessel, full of passengers of humanity, full of those who have no care what they do or where they are going... It is the 21st Century and we are all sailing on a Ship of Fools. We consume beyond reason, we want, and get the latest, newest, biggest things. We complain about interest rates and petrol prices, but consume beyond reason often with purchases on credit we don't really need.
Description:
We propose a novel approach to investigate and implement unsupervised segmentation of color images particularly natural color images. The aim is to devise a robust unsu- pervised segmentation approach that can segment a color textured image accurately. Here, the color and texture information of each individual pixel along with the pixel's spatial relationship within its neighborhood have been considered for producing precise segmentation of color images. Precise segmentation of images has tremendous potential in various application domains like bioinformatics, forensics, security and surveillance, the mining and material industry and medical imaging where subtle information related to color and texture is required to analyze an image accurately. We intend to implement a robust unsupervised segmentation approach for color im- ages using a newly developed multidimensional spatially variant ¯nite mixture model (MSVFMM) using a Markov Random Fields (MRF) model for improving the over- all accuracy in segmentation and Haar wavelet transform for increasing the texture sensitivity of the proposed approach. [...]
Description:
We propose a novel approach to investigate and implement unsupervised segmentation of color images particularly natural color images. The aim is to devise a robust unsu- pervised segmentation approach that can segment a color textured image accurately. Here, the color and texture information of each individual pixel along with the pixel's spatial relationship within its neighborhood have been considered for producing precise segmentation of color images. Precise segmentation of images has tremendous potential in various application domains like bioinformatics, forensics, security and surveillance, the mining and material industry and medical imaging where subtle information related to color and texture is required to analyze an image accurately. We intend to implement a robust unsupervised segmentation approach for color im- ages using a newly developed multidimensional spatially variant ¯nite mixture model (MSVFMM) using a Markov Random Fields (MRF) model for improving the over- all accuracy in segmentation and Haar wavelet transform for increasing the texture sensitivity of the proposed approach. [...]
Description:
For over seven years I have worked within the Disability sector witnessing not only the daily challenges faced by individuals with a disability, but also the barriers placed by society. Throughout this period I have become acutely aware of the lack of representation of individuals with Down syndrome within the public domain of contemporary art. This is an area which I believe also creates barriers to society's acceptance and understanding of disability.
Description:
For over seven years I have worked within the Disability sector witnessing not only the daily challenges faced by individuals with a disability, but also the barriers placed by society. Throughout this period I have become acutely aware of the lack of representation of individuals with Down syndrome within the public domain of contemporary art. This is an area which I believe also creates barriers to society's acceptance and understanding of disability.
Description:
My work involves the insertion of a structure into a landscape - a particular landscape, one I have contemplated for many years. In my landscape, 'my place', time is seen through the change of farming and weather seasons. We think we know and understand the landscape that immediately surrounds us, the place in which we live, but in the event of even a small change within that familiar place, our understanding and perceptions are called into question and our sense of time and space are rearranged.
Description:
My work involves the insertion of a structure into a landscape - a particular landscape, one I have contemplated for many years. In my landscape, 'my place', time is seen through the change of farming and weather seasons. We think we know and understand the landscape that immediately surrounds us, the place in which we live, but in the event of even a small change within that familiar place, our understanding and perceptions are called into question and our sense of time and space are rearranged.
Description:
The Seven Valleys is an interactive 3D installation based artwork inspired by mystical writings of the Bahá'í Faith. Created as a modification of the firstperson shooter Unreal Tournament 2003 (Epic, 2003) it subverts the original paradigm of the game to create an experience of the numinous, which in spirit, is diametrically opposed to the original intent of the gameplay design. This artwork presents an exploration of, and allusion to, the often subtle and illusive concepts found in the sacred treatise The Seven Valleys (Bahá'u'lláh, 1991) in which the user engages in an experiential journey through the work. The user is faced with conditions and situations that provide motivation to question, explore and attempt to fathom the abstract sense of the numinous. Each of The Seven Valleys contains its own individual mysteries while at the same time contributing its part to the telling of a collective story.
Description:
The Seven Valleys is an interactive 3D installation based artwork inspired by mystical writings of the Bahá'í Faith. Created as a modification of the firstperson shooter Unreal Tournament 2003 (Epic, 2003) it subverts the original paradigm of the game to create an experience of the numinous, which in spirit, is diametrically opposed to the original intent of the gameplay design. This artwork presents an exploration of, and allusion to, the often subtle and illusive concepts found in the sacred treatise The Seven Valleys (Bahá'u'lláh, 1991) in which the user engages in an experiential journey through the work. The user is faced with conditions and situations that provide motivation to question, explore and attempt to fathom the abstract sense of the numinous. Each of The Seven Valleys contains its own individual mysteries while at the same time contributing its part to the telling of a collective story.
Description:
"This work explores how current embodied theories of cognition can account for the comprehension of narrative texts. Theoretically, this thesis develops a framework for the study of narrative text comprehension by linking current advances in embodied theories of cognition, discourse processing, and neurosciences. Experimentally, two experiments are reported in which participants were required to read passages of text implying emotional states. The coherence of critical sentences in relation to the preceding text was manipulated in terms of both the emotional adjectives used and the sensory-motor component. In the first experiment, three tasks were used to index the effect of the manipulations on the critical sentences. The first was an on-line naming task in which response times to name emotional labels which matched the implied emotional state of the texts were recorded. [...] The second experiment used backward masking in the naming task with the aim of providing a more sensitive index of the effect of the text manipulations on on-line processing."
Description:
Master of Applied Science by research
Description:
"This work explores how current embodied theories of cognition can account for the comprehension of narrative texts. Theoretically, this thesis develops a framework for the study of narrative text comprehension by linking current advances in embodied theories of cognition, discourse processing, and neurosciences. Experimentally, two experiments are reported in which participants were required to read passages of text implying emotional states. The coherence of critical sentences in relation to the preceding text was manipulated in terms of both the emotional adjectives used and the sensory-motor component. In the first experiment, three tasks were used to index the effect of the manipulations on the critical sentences. The first was an on-line naming task in which response times to name emotional labels which matched the implied emotional state of the texts were recorded. [...] The second experiment used backward masking in the naming task with the aim of providing a more sensitive index of the effect of the text manipulations on on-line processing."
Description:
Master of Applied Science by research
Description:
The investigations surrounding the topic ‘The Landscape of My Life’ questions whether it is possible for a landscape to delineate the way in which we live our lives. For a period of thirty-two years my home has been a historic rural property comprising a dwelling and outbuildings on twenty acres of undulating countryside at Carngham. The work conveys the story of my life at this locale and pursues the motives behind the purchase of the country property, the experiences and remembrances that exist from this period of time and reflects upon the implications of a way of life over the last three decades. While considering the impact that a landscape can have on individual lives, it became important to consolidate the insights that surfaced for me with respect to my own life and works and compare it with that of other selected landscape artists. This comparison took into account personal and family backgrounds, artistic techniques, relationships with the land and the motivations that resulted in the depiction of particular landscapes. The result of these observations led to a consideration that not only can a landscape define the way in which we live our lives but, also identifies an affinity between human beings and the environment.
Description:
The investigations surrounding the topic ‘The Landscape of My Life’ questions whether it is possible for a landscape to delineate the way in which we live our lives. For a period of thirty-two years my home has been a historic rural property comprising a dwelling and outbuildings on twenty acres of undulating countryside at Carngham. The work conveys the story of my life at this locale and pursues the motives behind the purchase of the country property, the experiences and remembrances that exist from this period of time and reflects upon the implications of a way of life over the last three decades. While considering the impact that a landscape can have on individual lives, it became important to consolidate the insights that surfaced for me with respect to my own life and works and compare it with that of other selected landscape artists. This comparison took into account personal and family backgrounds, artistic techniques, relationships with the land and the motivations that resulted in the depiction of particular landscapes. The result of these observations led to a consideration that not only can a landscape define the way in which we live our lives but, also identifies an affinity between human beings and the environment.
Description:
The sun-moths (family Castniidae) are a distinctive group of monocot-feeding diurnal Lepidoptera that contains a high proportion of threatened species worldwide. Seven of the eight Victorian Synemon species are considered as threatened. This study has determined through extensive fieldwork that most of these species are now restricted to very small remnants of their particular habitats. These findings have been integrated into a review of the current distribution, biology and habitat requirements of all the Victorian species. This has enabled recommendations for their long-term conservation and management to be made. Special attention was paid to the Pale Sun-moth (Synemon selene Klug, 1850) because it appeared to be nationally endangered and without a government strategy for its conservation. Also, there was strong circumstantial evidence of complete parthenogenesis within all of its Victorian populations. The Victorian occurrences are shown to be parthenogenetic, although specimens of both sexes are known from a ?now-extinct population near Two Wells, South Australia. It was also established that these parthenogenetic populations include five distinct morphs, two or three of which occur sympatrically at four localities in the Wimmera area. Parthenogenetic populations of these morphs cannot interbreed, this potentially restricting their genetic diversity. The extent of genetic diversity was examined with all parthenogenetic Victorian morphs of S. selene. DNA sequencing of 1515 bp of the COI gene revealed a maximum divergence level of 12 bp between some of the morphs and 1 to 2 bp within some morphs. This level of genetic diversity implies that these morphs have continued to evolve in the absence of males through time. This study has highlighted the special academic interest of S. selene and the urgent need for its adequate conservation. Some important directions for future research on the species are also discussed.
Description:
The sun-moths (family Castniidae) are a distinctive group of monocot-feeding diurnal Lepidoptera that contains a high proportion of threatened species worldwide. Seven of the eight Victorian Synemon species are considered as threatened. This study has determined through extensive fieldwork that most of these species are now restricted to very small remnants of their particular habitats. These findings have been integrated into a review of the current distribution, biology and habitat requirements of all the Victorian species. This has enabled recommendations for their long-term conservation and management to be made. Special attention was paid to the Pale Sun-moth (Synemon selene Klug, 1850) because it appeared to be nationally endangered and without a government strategy for its conservation. Also, there was strong circumstantial evidence of complete parthenogenesis within all of its Victorian populations. The Victorian occurrences are shown to be parthenogenetic, although specimens of both sexes are known from a ?now-extinct population near Two Wells, South Australia. It was also established that these parthenogenetic populations include five distinct morphs, two or three of which occur sympatrically at four localities in the Wimmera area. Parthenogenetic populations of these morphs cannot interbreed, this potentially restricting their genetic diversity. The extent of genetic diversity was examined with all parthenogenetic Victorian morphs of S. selene. DNA sequencing of 1515 bp of the COI gene revealed a maximum divergence level of 12 bp between some of the morphs and 1 to 2 bp within some morphs. This level of genetic diversity implies that these morphs have continued to evolve in the absence of males through time. This study has highlighted the special academic interest of S. selene and the urgent need for its adequate conservation. Some important directions for future research on the species are also discussed.
Description:
"Through a review of the art of late antiquity and early Christianity, the study examines the nature of, and tension between, superstion and belief. It debates the implicit question 'is all religion superstition?' in an attempt to provide a sound basis for the presentation of reasons for my personal unwilingness to 'disallow belief' in the mysteries of the Faith, despite doubts on their content."
Description:
"Through a review of the art of late antiquity and early Christianity, the study examines the nature of, and tension between, superstion and belief. It debates the implicit question 'is all religion superstition?' in an attempt to provide a sound basis for the presentation of reasons for my personal unwilingness to 'disallow belief' in the mysteries of the Faith, despite doubts on their content."
Description:
"Non-economical industrial sites are being demolished in Geelong, making way for alternative economic development. Whilst progress is inevitable, I question the wisdom of short-term financial gain over long-term loss of identity. The association of industrial buildings with the concept of cultural heritage, art and architecture does not seem so incongrous in other parts of the world."--leaf 2.
Description:
"Non-economical industrial sites are being demolished in Geelong, making way for alternative economic development. Whilst progress is inevitable, I question the wisdom of short-term financial gain over long-term loss of identity. The association of industrial buildings with the concept of cultural heritage, art and architecture does not seem so incongrous in other parts of the world."--leaf 2.
Description:
"A natural process in examining properties of Banach spaces is to see if a Banach space can be decomposed into simpler Banach spaces; in other words, to see if a Banach space has complemented subspaces. This thesis concentrates on three main aspects of this problem: norm of projections of a Banach space onto its finite dimensional subspaces; a class of Banach spaces, each of which has a large number of infinite dimensional complemented subspaces; and methods of finding Banach spaces which have uncomplemented subspaces, where the subspaces and the quotient spaces are chosen as well-known classical sequence spaces (finding non-trivial twisted sums)." --Abstract.
Description:
"A natural process in examining properties of Banach spaces is to see if a Banach space can be decomposed into simpler Banach spaces; in other words, to see if a Banach space has complemented subspaces. This thesis concentrates on three main aspects of this problem: norm of projections of a Banach space onto its finite dimensional subspaces; a class of Banach spaces, each of which has a large number of infinite dimensional complemented subspaces; and methods of finding Banach spaces which have uncomplemented subspaces, where the subspaces and the quotient spaces are chosen as well-known classical sequence spaces (finding non-trivial twisted sums)." --Abstract.
Description:
"The thesis itself, involves some psychological and philosophical aspects and thoughts about fear as the main mover in the so called negative aesthetic. This specific method of self-expression, its possible triggers and the reasons that may initiate art creation on the basis of pessimistic and ugly imagery have not been discussed to a great degree in the past. Generally, the content of this writing is focused on the fictious correspondence between two engravers and printmakers. These invented letters serve as an exposé for practical findings and thoughts about the author's works executed during the period 2005-2006."
Description:
"The thesis itself, involves some psychological and philosophical aspects and thoughts about fear as the main mover in the so called negative aesthetic. This specific method of self-expression, its possible triggers and the reasons that may initiate art creation on the basis of pessimistic and ugly imagery have not been discussed to a great degree in the past. Generally, the content of this writing is focused on the fictious correspondence between two engravers and printmakers. These invented letters serve as an exposé for practical findings and thoughts about the author's works executed during the period 2005-2006."
Description:
"Improved survival rates for premature infants have resulted in extended hospital stays in neonatal nurseries with consequent challenges for mothers assuming a parental role. Additionally, maternal medical complications associated with surgical birth, and a need to locate themselves in unfamiliar clinical environments, exacerbate women's experiences and transition to a maternal role competes with other roles at this time. For women living in rural and regional areas, who experience premature birth, there is additional hardship due to isolation, distance and limited support services. There has been little research on women's experiences with infants in special care nurseries in regional Australia."--(leaf ii).
Description:
"Improved survival rates for premature infants have resulted in extended hospital stays in neonatal nurseries with consequent challenges for mothers assuming a parental role. Additionally, maternal medical complications associated with surgical birth, and a need to locate themselves in unfamiliar clinical environments, exacerbate women's experiences and transition to a maternal role competes with other roles at this time. For women living in rural and regional areas, who experience premature birth, there is additional hardship due to isolation, distance and limited support services. There has been little research on women's experiences with infants in special care nurseries in regional Australia."--(leaf ii).
Description:
The aim of this research project has been to merge components of ideas relating to House and Home that have been formed by the inherently sensitive autobiographical nature of my own experience whilst growing up in a suburban environment. Naturally, these symbols or metaphors of the mundane reveal much more than what superficial impressions allow. They invite the viewer into an inner world of dream /memory and hypothesis that hopefully invokes within the viewer a desire to reach beyond their own perceptions of the everyday, and to re-examine the source of their own identity, thereby bringing some new emphasis to their own significant journey.
Description:
This research project into the manipulation of spatial concepts by artists on the two-dimensional surface plane, has involved a selected study into cultural and aesthetic evolution from early civilization through to the present era. I have cast a line of inquiry into eastern, western and primitive art practices, observing the journey of chance accelerated by developments in technology. Traditionally artists utilized modes of spatial convention and techniques according to the specific cultural traditions of the time and place of their production. By contrast, contemporary artists know no such boundaries, and are able to select from a range of spatial options relevant both to current forms of expression and to a personal visual language. My own art practice has been enriched and extended, increasing my ability to challenge the notion of still life composition by reversing the traditional hierarchy of form and space through the application of a series of experiments brought about by extensive research into this spatial evolution. The research project has further assisted this development in my art practice by engaging me in a new level of understanding of the topic, informing my perceptions and increasing my ability to translate a combination of forms in space with heightened emotion and personal meaning.
Description:
This research project into the manipulation of spatial concepts by artists on the two-dimensional surface plane, has involved a selected study into cultural and aesthetic evolution from early civilization through to the present era. I have cast a line of inquiry into eastern, western and primitive art practices, observing the journey of chance accelerated by developments in technology. Traditionally artists utilized modes of spatial convention and techniques according to the specific cultural traditions of the time and place of their production. By contrast, contemporary artists know no such boundaries, and are able to select from a range of spatial options relevant both to current forms of expression and to a personal visual language. My own art practice has been enriched and extended, increasing my ability to challenge the notion of still life composition by reversing the traditional hierarchy of form and space through the application of a series of experiments brought about by extensive research into this spatial evolution. The research project has further assisted this development in my art practice by engaging me in a new level of understanding of the topic, informing my perceptions and increasing my ability to translate a combination of forms in space with heightened emotion and personal meaning.