The monadic environment : evoking emotion and memory in participatory performance

This practice-led research project examined the audience experience of immersive environments in participatory performance. Drawing upon the work of artist Ilya Kabakov, Gaston Bachelard's Poetics of Space (1964) and Leibniz's theory of the monad, the study investigated how an immersive space can be constructed to evoke emotion and memory recall in participants. The research consisted of two cycles of creative experimentation resulting in the presentation of a final piece entitled Dulcet. The research contributes new terminology to the discourse surrounding the participant experience in immersive environments, specifically space-as-memory, the role of ambiguity in spatial design and the construct of the monadic environment.

The extracurriculum in an input-poor environment

This paper reports on the experiences of an extracurricular program in English language learning (ELL) that was implemented in an institute of technology in the hinterland of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Following the guidelines set out in an impact study of the reform of curriculum change in Hong Kong (Adamson & Morris, 2000), this study takes account of the context of the particular socio-cultural and political environment in which the research program takes place. Three distinct phases emerged in the career of the extracurricular program - the establishment of the program; successful implementation; and the decline. The study identifies three key factors that shaped these phases: teacher motivation; student motivation and its various influences; and available resources (including collegial and administrative support). The findings suggest that of the key factors impacting on the ELL extracurriculum, student motivation was the most influential.