Total theory (vertical) and total theory (horizontal)

The works depicted two ostensibly plaster figures 'cocooned' in protective overalls. The pose of both figures had a sense of instability, balancing improbably due to internal weights. This teetering, arching quality, combined with the empty sleeves of the overalls, made reference to the Rodin's Balzac and its aura of heroic subjectivity. As the Tyvek suits depicted in the works are a common part of my studio paraphernalia, these works sought to draw a line between these two opposing aspects of the subjectivity of the artist - the transcendent and the quotidian. The works were shown as part of ‘The Day the Machine Started’ for Dianne Tanzer Gallery + Projects at the 2010 Melbourne Art Fair. The works received citations in The Age and The Australian newspapers.

Diversity in action : minority group media and social change

My thesis consists of a creative work plus an exegesis. This exegesis uses case study research to investigate three Brisbane-based media organisations and the role they play in encouraging social inclusion and other positive social change for specific disadvantaged and stigmatised minority groups. Bailey, Cammaerts and Carpentier’s theoretical approach to alternative media forms the basis of this research. Bailey et al. (2008, p. 156) view alternative media organisations as having four important roles, two media-centred and two society-centred, which must all be considered to best understand them: • serving their communities • acting as an alternative to mainstream media discourses • promoting and advocating democratisation in the media and through the media in society • functioning as a crossroads in civil society. The first case study, about community radio station 4RPH (Radio for the Print Handicapped), centres on promoting social inclusion for people with a print disability through access to printed materials (primarily mainstream print media) in an audio format. The station also provides important opportunities for members of this group to produce media and, to a lesser extent, provides disability-specific information and discussions. The second case study, about gay print and online magazine Queensland Pride, focuses on promoting social inclusion and combating the discrimination and repression of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Central issues include the representation (including sexualised representation) of a subculture and niche target market, and the impact of commercialisation on this free publication. The third case study, about community radio station 98.9FM, explores the promotion of social inclusion for peoples whose identity, cultures, issues, politics and contributions are often absent or misrepresented in the mainstream media. This radio station provides “a first level of service” (Meadows & van Vuuren, 1998, p. 104) to these people, but also informs and entertains those in the majority society. The findings of this research suggest that there are two key mechanisms that help these media organisations to effect social change: first, strengthening the minority community and serving its needs, and second, fostering connections with the broader society.

The symbiosis of improvised and rehearsed elements in the creation of contemporary jazz ensemble music

This research investigates the symbiotic relationship between composition and improvisation and the notion of improvisation itself. With a specific interest in developing, extending and experimenting with the relationship of improvisation within predetermined structures, the creative work component of this research involved composing six new works with varying approaches for The Andrea Keller Quartet and guest improvisers, for performance on a National Australian tour. This is documented in the CD recording Galumphing Round the Nation - Collaborations Tour 2009. The exegesis component is intended to run alongside the creative work and discusses the central issues surrounding improvisation in an ensemble context and the subject of composing for improvisers. Specifically, it questions the notion that when music emphasises a higher ratio of spontaneous to pre-determined elements, and is exposed to the many variables of a performance context, particularly through its incorporation of visitant improvisers, the resultant music should potentially be measurably altered with each performance. This practice-led research demonstrates the effect of concepts such as individuality, variability within context, and the interactive qualities of contemporary jazz ensemble music. Through the analysis and comparison of the treatment of the six pieces over thirteen performances with varying personnel, this exegesis proposes that, despite the expected potential for spontaneity in contemporary jazz music, the presence of established patterns, the desire for familiarity and the intuitive tendency towards accepted protocols ensure that the music which emerges is not as mutable as initially anticipated.

Bouncing back : Resilient design for Brisbane - Exhibition

"Bouncing Back: Resilient Design for Brisbane" was an opportunity for QUT students to communicate their inspiring design responses to adversity, to the larger Brisbane community. The exhibition demonstrates new and innovative ways of thinking about our cities, and how they are built to be resilient and to suit extreme environmental conditions. The challenge for architecture students is to address the state of architecture as a reflection of today's world and to consider how design fits into the 21st century. Students have explored notions of 'Urban Resilience' from multiple perspectives, including emergency design while facing flooding, flood proof housing and urban designs.

The Fleet Store : pop up fashion retail gallery

The Fleet Store is a project that was created to research the impact of enterprise and authentic learning models, in increasing the viability and improved career potential of fashion business, design and creative industry (fashion major) students. Reflective Thinking techniques were employed to gain valuable insights into the quality of the experience, the networking and the motivational and experiential learning for all students. The lecturer acted as the Managing Director and curator of the entire event while maintaining pedagogy to support the experience. Research focussed on the ways in which student learning outcomes have been improved by creating product a professional and economically viable pop up fashion outlet in an inner city, high profile shopping precinct. The first QUT double degree fashion business students were supervised and guided to be responsible for creating and maintaining a profitable fashion outlet in collaboration with their lecturer Kay McMahon, Wintergarden Management, Brisbane Marketing, Creative Enterprise Australia and QUT Fashion. Reflective thinking and further research into career outcomes (that are acknowledged as being supported by the experience) are currently being undertaken.

Choreographic approaches to music composition for a new musical interface : the eMic

Gesture in performance is widely acknowledged in the literature as an important element in making a performance expressive and meaningful. The body has been shown to play an important role in the production and perception of vocal performance in particular. This paper is interested in the role of gesture in creative works that seek to extend vocal performance via technology. A creative work for vocal performer, laptop computer and a Human Computer Interface called the eMic (Extended Microphone Stand Interface controller) is presented as a case study, to explore the relationships between movement, voice production, and musical expression. The eMic is an interface for live vocal performance that allows the singers’ gestures and interactions with a sensor based microphone stand to be captured and mapped to musical parameters. The creative work discussed in this paper presents a new compositional approach for the eMic by working with movement as a starting point for the composition and thus using choreographed gesture as the basis for musical structures. By foregrounding the body and movement in the creative process, the aim is to create a more visually engaging performance where the performer is able to more effectively use the body to express their musical objectives.

Frock Paper Scissors [website]

Frock Paper Sissors (http://www.frockpaperscissors.com): curated web based fashion work. Research has focussed on creating a professional and ‘real world’ website (available in the international/public arena) while producing a high quality design and journalistic fashion medium. The hard copy Frock Paper Scissors magazine has been the focus of assessment in a Fashion and Style Journalism class for the last five years, and for the last three years, students from an Advanced Web Design class have been involved in the production of the accompanying web site, http://www.frockpapersissors.com. This project researches the ways in which synergies across design disciplines can be developed through student engagement on authentic design projects. The Frock Paper Scissors website is a curated collaboration of work from the Fashion,Journalism, Creative Industries and Communication Design discipline areas in the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Research focusses on how this authentic assessment task has been integrated into the two design (and communication)classes; discussing the different approaches taken by teaching staff, the challenges faced, and the ways in which student learning outcomes have been improved through interactions between design disciplines. The final curated work is a public/international website which successfully displays student work and engages students from different design (and creative industries) fields on an authentic design project within their studies.

Frock Paper Scissors [annual hard copy fashion magazine editions]

The Frock Paper Scissors magazine (and accompanying web site, www.frockpapersissors.com ) has been the focus of assessment in a Fashion and Style Journalism unit from 2006 to 2011 (current). The research has focused on the ways in which synergies across disciplines can be developed through student engagement on authentic projects (with a public audience). Up to 80 students from the Fashion Design, Journalism, Media Communication, Creative Industries, Business, Creative Writing and Communication Design discipline areas in the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) work on the content, production, layout and funding for the Frock Paper Scissors magazine (and web site). Research focusses on how this authentic assessment task has been integrated into the classes; discussing the approaches taken by teaching staff, the challenges faced, and the ways in which student learning outcomes have been improved and their career outcomes enhanced. The final output requires staff to curate a professional hard copy fashion magazine(and website) where 5,000 copies are distributed annually throughout south east Queensland, Sydney, Melbourne, London, New York and Amsterdam.

Forgotten places : rediscovering the small spaces and laneways of Fortitude Valley

A design Charrette was the starting point for understanding the different scales within the design process of this architectural intervention. The week-long, intense design activity promoted group interaction amongst students while examining local issues of the Fortitude Valley context. The process was an opportunity for the fourth year architectural design students to collaborate on a complex design problem. Students were asked to identify a unique condition of their site beyond the physical built environment. They were asked to consider the political and social context and respond to these by designing a temporary art gallery for underdeveloped areas within Fortitude Valley. The exhibition shows how architecture can invigorate a space by providing new use and new life.

Dublin Docklands Development Authority architectural concept competition for a landmark tower/U2 studio

The U2 Tower competition entry involved the architectural design for a landmark office tower with associated head office for the world acclaimed rock band U2. The selected site for the office tower was located on the banks of the river Liffey, Dublin. The tower design was intended as a signifier or gateway to the docklands and the city itself. The proposed design incorporated a podium level for music retail and a media centre, a concourse level including cafeteria and outdoor areas as well as a commercial tower.

Heritage refurbishment : National Trust House (Basement 3) [Architectural Practice Academy Office]

The refurbishment of The National Trust House (Basement3), undertaken in 2005, represents heritage consultation, architectural and interior design of a disused and deteriorating subbasement of a historically and culturally significant building situated in Brisbane. Research into rectification and restoration work of the existing structure and interior surfaces (inclusive of masonry work sourced from the Kangaroo Point quarry in the 1860's) formed a significant component of the project. The National Trust House sub basement 3 was refurbished to house the Architectural Practice Academy, a joint initiative of the Queensland Government and the Australian Institute of Architects.

Sustainable home, Gladstone

The design for the Gladstone Sustainable Home was an invited commission which contributed to the Queenland Governments Smart and Sustainable Homes Program, a legacy borne out of the 2004 Year of the Built Environment. The Sustainable Homes Program involved the partnering of the Queensland Government and Design/Building industry to promote and engage with sustainable housing. The Gladstone Sustainable Home incorporated 3 principles of sustainability - social, economic and environmental, and is listed within the Government Sustainable Homes website.

Thinking feeling

In “Thinking Feeling” a camera zooms in and around an animated constellation of words. There are ten words, each repeated one hundred times. The individual words independently pulse and orbit an invisible nucleus. The slow movements of the words and camera are reinforced by an airy, synthesised soundtrack. Over time, various phrasal combinations form and dissolve on screen. A bit like forcing oneself to sleep, “Thinking Feeling” picks at that fine line between controlling and letting go of thoughts. It creates small mantric loops that slip in and out of focus, playing with the liminal zones between the conscious and unconscious, between language and sensation, between gripping and releasing, and between calm and irritation.

Reflection of My Digital Mind

This artwork visualised my digital mind which is built on my technology experience. The contemporary technologies make available many small pieces of factual information that have affected the formation of my identity. This results that multiple identities can exist in a rhizomatic form through a vertical gene transfer. This does not refer to schizophrenia, but an ongoing transformation of digital mind.

Suzumushi : a silent future

This paper introduces the creative work Suzumushi: the silent swarm, produced by Kuuki. The paper provides an outline of the work and draws together the ideas that influenced the works form, the conceptual material and interaction design, including acoustic ecology and emergence.