‘Else-where’ : essays in art, architecture, and cultural production 2002-2011

“Else-where”: Essays in Art, Architecture, and Cultural Production 2002–2011 is a synoptic survey of the representational values given to art, architecture, and cultural production at the closing of the twentieth century and the opening of the twenty-first. Written primarily as a critique of what is suppressed in architecture and what is disclosed in art, the essays are informed by the passage out of post-structuralism and its disciplinary analogues toward the Real (denoted over the course of the studies as the “Real-Irreal,” or “Else-where”). The essays collected in “Else-where” cross various disciplines (inclusive of landscape architecture, architecture, and visual art) to develop a nuanced critique of a renascent formal regard and elective exit from nihilism in art and architecture that is also an invocation of the highest coordinates given to the arts – that is, formal ontology as speculative intelligence itself, or the return of the universal as utopian thought “here-and-now.”

Seniors in shopping centres

Many studies have examined issues of youth and public spaces; however, less attention has been devoted to seniors and their navigation and experience of community spaces, particularly in relation to their sense of inclusion in, or exclusion from, consumptive spaces. This paper explores the everyday experiences of seniors in four Australian shopping centres, two in Melbourne and two in Hobart. Based on a survey of 260 seniors (the majority aged 75 years or more), respondents’ perceptions of this environment are considered, including the reasons for visiting the shopping centre, and the challenges of accessing and negotiating the shopping centre ‘terrain’.
The research findings indicate that how seniors engage with and navigate the shopping centre is influenced not only by the nature of the space itself, but also by their personal historical and cultural experiences. Where and why seniors choose to ‘hang out’ in shopping centres has implications for research into the social landscapes of ageing, along with public policy and shopping centre procedures. There is a need to consider both the social and physical well-being of older people in the shopping centre locus, and to take positive steps towards improving and enhancing their experience in an environment that is often used to provide a range of experiences that go beyond mere ‘retail therapy’.

Distance learners’ study-related interactions with other people in their life-contexts: investigating an unexplored phenomenon

Distance learners are typically embedded within rich and complex life-contexts that comprise family, friends, work colleagues, and community connections. However, relatively few studies explore the interplay between distance learners’ life-contexts and their studies and none examine the study-related interactions distance learners engage in with other people in their life-contexts. Changes currently occurring in the higher education sector, including the emergence of postgraduate lifelong learners, mean this position is becoming untenable. This research note provides an overview of a study currently under development that is intended to shed light on this unexplored phenomena.

Tentatively exploring the learning potentialities of postgraduate distance learners’ interactions with other people in their life contexts

Despite much discussion about the various modes of interaction that are possible within distance education, little attention has been paid to the interactions that occur between distance learners and other people in their life contexts about the academic content of their studies. This paper presents some preliminary findings from a study exploring this topic through the eyes of distance learners enrolled in Australian postgraduate coursework programs. It includes a categorisation of these interactions and the forms of learning they produce as well as a discussion of the potential implications for distance education theory and design.

Theoretical contexts of managing people in emerging Chinese multinational enterprises

 This article aims at reviewing existing theories relevant to human resource management (HRM) and providing theoretical contexts to explain the importance of managing people across borders for emerging Chinese multinational enterprises (MNEs).

A study protocol to investigate the management of depression and challenging behaviors associated with dementia in aged care settings

Background: