A new theory of Aboriginal art. The paradigms developed by scholars have a huge impact on the value of art. After the Australian artworld repositioned Aboriginal art from the frame of 'primitive art' to that of contemporary art, the price of and market for Aboriginal art increased enormously. However, Aboriginal art failed to penetrate the international contemporary artworld because the paradigms of contemporary art within which it was framed were outmoded. Through examining the production of Ab ....A new theory of Aboriginal art. The paradigms developed by scholars have a huge impact on the value of art. After the Australian artworld repositioned Aboriginal art from the frame of 'primitive art' to that of contemporary art, the price of and market for Aboriginal art increased enormously. However, Aboriginal art failed to penetrate the international contemporary artworld because the paradigms of contemporary art within which it was framed were outmoded. Through examining the production of Aboriginal art from the perspectives of its producers and recent globalised contemporary art practices, this project aims to develop a new theory of Aboriginal art that is more aligned with the thinking of current curators who set the agenda at the upper end of the market.Read moreRead less
Visual Research in Social Aesthetics. Despite a few pioneering efforts beginning in the 1930s, visual anthropology (like anthropology itself) has largely confined its interest in aesthetics to studies of indigenous art. It has focused instead on technology, religion, economics, social structure, politics and ideology as the dominant forces in society. I believe this has limited the potential of visual anthropology, which is in fact ideally suited to studying the broader role of aesthetics in h ....Visual Research in Social Aesthetics. Despite a few pioneering efforts beginning in the 1930s, visual anthropology (like anthropology itself) has largely confined its interest in aesthetics to studies of indigenous art. It has focused instead on technology, religion, economics, social structure, politics and ideology as the dominant forces in society. I believe this has limited the potential of visual anthropology, which is in fact ideally suited to studying the broader role of aesthetics in human societies. The aim of this research is to examine how a reconsideration of the aesthetics of everyday life might form the basis for a revitalised visual anthropology.
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Cloudiness over the Southern Ocean: reducing a key knowledge gap and source of climate model uncertainty. Southern Ocean clouds are key ingredients of the global climate system and yet are only poorly understood and poorly represented in climate models. Through the use of advanced observational analysis techniques this research will provide a deep understanding of key Southern Ocean cloud regimes and improve their representation in models.
WAKE FLOWS WITH UPSTREAM TURBULENCE IN MARINE, ATMOSPHERIC AND BUILT ENVIRONMENTS. Through improved understanding of turbulent wakes the project will have applications across aeronautics and hydrodynamics, leading to more efficient engineering designs to reduce flow drag. In marine environments our findings will improve coastal ocean models and the prediction of pollutant dispersal, nutrient fluxes and sediment transport, and contribute to the management of biological productivity (NRP 1.5). In ....WAKE FLOWS WITH UPSTREAM TURBULENCE IN MARINE, ATMOSPHERIC AND BUILT ENVIRONMENTS. Through improved understanding of turbulent wakes the project will have applications across aeronautics and hydrodynamics, leading to more efficient engineering designs to reduce flow drag. In marine environments our findings will improve coastal ocean models and the prediction of pollutant dispersal, nutrient fluxes and sediment transport, and contribute to the management of biological productivity (NRP 1.5). In the atmospheric boundary layer, the results will assist planners to improve wind environments near large buildings or clusters of buildings, benefiting the safety of aircraft at takeoff and landing. The project will develop collaboration and help maintain the strength of Australian research in environmental flows.Read moreRead less
Towards a climate theory of tropical cyclone formation. In Earth's current climate, about 80 to 90 tropical cyclones form every year around the globe, but the reasons why cyclones form at this rate are unknown. This project will use a combination of theoretical techniques and numerical simulation to elucidate the links between large-scale climate and the rate of tropical cyclone formation. A series of climate model experiments will be performed that also have the potential to improve confidence ....Towards a climate theory of tropical cyclone formation. In Earth's current climate, about 80 to 90 tropical cyclones form every year around the globe, but the reasons why cyclones form at this rate are unknown. This project will use a combination of theoretical techniques and numerical simulation to elucidate the links between large-scale climate and the rate of tropical cyclone formation. A series of climate model experiments will be performed that also have the potential to improve confidence in our predictions of tropical cyclone incidence in a future, changed climate.Read moreRead less
The Southern Ocean boundary layer: winds, turbulence, sea spray and clouds. Both satellite products and climate models have large biases in the energy and water budgets over the Southern Ocean (SO). This is a direct consequence of a poor understanding of the structure and dynamics of the SO atmospheric boundary layer, which has arisen from an inability to make the necessary observations in this harsh environment. Due to the availability of new Australian research infrastructure, large steps forw ....The Southern Ocean boundary layer: winds, turbulence, sea spray and clouds. Both satellite products and climate models have large biases in the energy and water budgets over the Southern Ocean (SO). This is a direct consequence of a poor understanding of the structure and dynamics of the SO atmospheric boundary layer, which has arisen from an inability to make the necessary observations in this harsh environment. Due to the availability of new Australian research infrastructure, large steps forward are now possible with modest investment. This project will conduct and combine observations from the recently acquired marine vessel, RV Investigator, and the collocated airborne and surface observations to understand the structure and evolution of the unique, pristine SO boundary layer and to evaluate satellites and climate models.Read moreRead less
Utilitarian Filmmaking in Australia 1945 - 1980. The project plans to discover, document, analyse and compile a lasting archive of utilitarian filmmaking in Australia. 'Utilitarian' describes client-sponsored, instructional and governmental filmmaking existing outside the conventional theatrical contexts by which cinema is usually defined. Focused on the post-World War Two decades before the proliferation of video in the late 1970s, the project aims to highlight previously-unstudied aspects of t ....Utilitarian Filmmaking in Australia 1945 - 1980. The project plans to discover, document, analyse and compile a lasting archive of utilitarian filmmaking in Australia. 'Utilitarian' describes client-sponsored, instructional and governmental filmmaking existing outside the conventional theatrical contexts by which cinema is usually defined. Focused on the post-World War Two decades before the proliferation of video in the late 1970s, the project aims to highlight previously-unstudied aspects of the media industries. This is designed to deliver new knowledge of the skills and subject matter that sustained filmmaking, communication and education in Australia during a time when conventional scholarship assumes there was almost no significant filmmaking.Read moreRead less
How topography brakes the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This project aims to observe and simulate the mechanisms that slow the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The Southern Ocean winds have increased over the last two decades while the transport of the world’s largest current remains steady or slightly decreasing. A possible explanation is negative feedback mechanisms between the winds and transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This project will observe how eddies carry momentum from the ....How topography brakes the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This project aims to observe and simulate the mechanisms that slow the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The Southern Ocean winds have increased over the last two decades while the transport of the world’s largest current remains steady or slightly decreasing. A possible explanation is negative feedback mechanisms between the winds and transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This project will observe how eddies carry momentum from the wind down to the sea floor and accelerate the deep currents that drag against the rough bottom to put the brakes on this current. Since this current affects Australian rainfall patterns and agricultural output, findings could inform public policy.Read moreRead less
Pattern Recognition and Scene Analysis via Machine Learning. We plan to use kernel methods, a novel machine learning technique, for computer vision problems, such as scene analysis and real time object recognition. Such capabilities are relevant for the design of intelligent and adaptive systems, suitable for complex real world environments. Expected outcomes are the design of efficient statistical tools which take the special nature of visual data into account (structure, decomposition, prior ....Pattern Recognition and Scene Analysis via Machine Learning. We plan to use kernel methods, a novel machine learning technique, for computer vision problems, such as scene analysis and real time object recognition. Such capabilities are relevant for the design of intelligent and adaptive systems, suitable for complex real world environments. Expected outcomes are the design of efficient statistical tools which take the special nature of visual data into account (structure, decomposition, prior knowledge of physical environments, etc.) and combine the advantages of feature based high-level vision methods with low-level machine learning techniques.
This proposal is part of a joint IST project with partners from the European Union.Read moreRead less
The meaning of home for children following parental separation. This project aims to identify the meaning of home for children in separated families by interviewing children and parents about children’s experiences of home and homemaking. Since most children now traverse two households, there needs to be an increasing emphasis in policy, law and professional practice on listening to children regarding their post-separation living arrangements. By describing and analysing home for children, the p ....The meaning of home for children following parental separation. This project aims to identify the meaning of home for children in separated families by interviewing children and parents about children’s experiences of home and homemaking. Since most children now traverse two households, there needs to be an increasing emphasis in policy, law and professional practice on listening to children regarding their post-separation living arrangements. By describing and analysing home for children, the project will provide a solid basis for shifting the prevailing focus on parents’ needs in application of the law toward more child-responsive parenting arrangements. This new knowledge will support parents and professionals to achieve child-responsive approaches to post-separation parenting arrangements, reducing potentially adverse impacts of parental separation on children, and benefitting children, families and the community.Read moreRead less