The Port Adelaide Historical Archaeology (PAHA) project. The aim of this project is to investigate the concept of neighbourhood archaeology in relation to the working class of Port Adelaide. There has been limited previous research on the residents of Port Adelaide and what has been done has mainly been from a town planning and sociological perspective. The traditional history of Port Adelaide has marginalised the role of the residents in the development of Port Adelaide. Archaeological excavati ....The Port Adelaide Historical Archaeology (PAHA) project. The aim of this project is to investigate the concept of neighbourhood archaeology in relation to the working class of Port Adelaide. There has been limited previous research on the residents of Port Adelaide and what has been done has mainly been from a town planning and sociological perspective. The traditional history of Port Adelaide has marginalised the role of the residents in the development of Port Adelaide. Archaeological excavation, therefore, along with extant collections, can provide information not available from other sources. Comparison with previous work undertaken outside Port Adelaide will also provide useful insights into life in early Port Adelaide.Read moreRead less
Cultural change in its environmental context: exploring, interpreting, and managing archaeologically rich, large-scale cultural landscapes in the Mediterranean Basin. (1) Production of a Holocene climate history and evaluation of long-term human response to environmental change in Mediterranean to continental climate zones. (2) Development of relationships with international researchers, including leading scholars from Italy, Bulgaria, the United States, and the Netherlands. (3) Extension of Aus ....Cultural change in its environmental context: exploring, interpreting, and managing archaeologically rich, large-scale cultural landscapes in the Mediterranean Basin. (1) Production of a Holocene climate history and evaluation of long-term human response to environmental change in Mediterranean to continental climate zones. (2) Development of relationships with international researchers, including leading scholars from Italy, Bulgaria, the United States, and the Netherlands. (3) Extension of Australia's leadership in Mediterranean archaeology to the Balkans through building institutional relationships and initiating a presence in Bulgaria (arguably the most promising country in its region for archaeological research). (4) Development of innovative remote sensing methods for archaeological reconnaissance with wide applicability, including in Australian contexts and by other Australian research projects.Read moreRead less
Attitudes and Behaviours in Consumer Spaces: Quantifying the Benefits of a Sustainable Retail Environment. The project provides a new level of understanding of the impact of retail environments that are ecologically responsible. Almost one quarter of the ecological footprint of the built environment in Australia is associated with some form of consumer space. While there are more than 8,000,000m2 of lettable retail environments in major centres alone in Australia, the ecological footprint of thi ....Attitudes and Behaviours in Consumer Spaces: Quantifying the Benefits of a Sustainable Retail Environment. The project provides a new level of understanding of the impact of retail environments that are ecologically responsible. Almost one quarter of the ecological footprint of the built environment in Australia is associated with some form of consumer space. While there are more than 8,000,000m2 of lettable retail environments in major centres alone in Australia, the ecological footprint of this space is far higher. This footprint may be minimised if the right combination of design and behavioural solutions can be enabled. But before this can occur, a detailed understanding of these complex attitudinal and behavioural issues must be developed. Read moreRead less
Short-pulse laser cleaning for Australian heritage conservation. Conserving heritage objects is a demanding discipline, requiring a suite of techniques for different problems. Overseas, laser cleaning using long pulse techniques leaves microscopic damage as discrete chunks of material are removed, and is unsuitable for many materials. We have developed a short pulse laser process which can remove material molecule-by-molecule in a controlled fashion, and which can be readily halted once the fi ....Short-pulse laser cleaning for Australian heritage conservation. Conserving heritage objects is a demanding discipline, requiring a suite of techniques for different problems. Overseas, laser cleaning using long pulse techniques leaves microscopic damage as discrete chunks of material are removed, and is unsuitable for many materials. We have developed a short pulse laser process which can remove material molecule-by-molecule in a controlled fashion, and which can be readily halted once the final finish is achieved. We will research this technique for application to unique Australian heritage materials that are important to the specific conservation needs of the Australian War Memorial, the RAAF, Navy and Army Museums, Artlab Australia, and the Art Gallery of NSW.Read moreRead less
Mechanistic investigation of fluorinated coatings for stone preservation. We will investigate mechanisms governing the synthesis of a latex used for stone preservation. This latex is made from novel and unusual starting materials, and will be the most complex system for which mechanisms have been investigated. We will redesign the synthesis procedure to control particle size and composition of the functional species at the particle surface. This will enable both particle size and surface composi ....Mechanistic investigation of fluorinated coatings for stone preservation. We will investigate mechanisms governing the synthesis of a latex used for stone preservation. This latex is made from novel and unusual starting materials, and will be the most complex system for which mechanisms have been investigated. We will redesign the synthesis procedure to control particle size and composition of the functional species at the particle surface. This will enable both particle size and surface composition to be tailored as desired. The results will be used to investigate the influence of these quantities on interactions between particles and sandstone surfaces. The outcomes will be used by the industrial partner to devise improved protective coatings for stone surfaces in Australian conditions.Read moreRead less
Living with Heritage: Integrating time, place and culture for World Heritage conservation. World Heritage conservation in developing countries is challenged by conflicting demands of preservation, economic development and social equity. Managing these demands requires monitoring of the dynamic interaction between natural environment, cultural heritage and contemporary society. Angkor, the great World Heritage site in Cambodia, epitomises the challenge. A joint Cambodian and international team wi ....Living with Heritage: Integrating time, place and culture for World Heritage conservation. World Heritage conservation in developing countries is challenged by conflicting demands of preservation, economic development and social equity. Managing these demands requires monitoring of the dynamic interaction between natural environment, cultural heritage and contemporary society. Angkor, the great World Heritage site in Cambodia, epitomises the challenge. A joint Cambodian and international team will create a time-based, spatial information monitoring system for site management using Angkor as a test case. The new methodology integrates past and future research, community values, national policies and international heritage best-practice. Research, management and governance come together to reconcile the competing demands of living with heritage.Read moreRead less
Improved Management of Australian Port Infrastructure by Development of Predictive Ageing Simulation. Exposure of built infrastructure to corrosive marine conditions causes deterioration and reduced service life. Asset managers lack predictive models of in-service durability. Using data gathered from Australian ports, life-cycle predictions will be developed, simulating durability and incorporating geographical location, structure type, composition, and levels of maintenance. The modelling has ....Improved Management of Australian Port Infrastructure by Development of Predictive Ageing Simulation. Exposure of built infrastructure to corrosive marine conditions causes deterioration and reduced service life. Asset managers lack predictive models of in-service durability. Using data gathered from Australian ports, life-cycle predictions will be developed, simulating durability and incorporating geographical location, structure type, composition, and levels of maintenance. The modelling has not been undertaken on Australian port assets, whereas international models reflect very different infrastructure and exposures and are based on simpler 2D conditions that do not simulate actual deterioration. The three-dimensional (3D) modelling and graphics will be unique worldwide, providing decision support for construction and maintenance.Read moreRead less
Understanding Balinese paintings: collections, narrative, aesthetics and society. This project will use digital tools, fieldwork and formal analysis to link a major collection of Balinese paintings held in Australia to collections elsewhere in the world, and to the current practices of Balinese artists. The project increases the capacity of Australia to analyse the cultures of Indonesia and to contribute to regional heritage preservation. The outcomes will provide a basis for future public exhib ....Understanding Balinese paintings: collections, narrative, aesthetics and society. This project will use digital tools, fieldwork and formal analysis to link a major collection of Balinese paintings held in Australia to collections elsewhere in the world, and to the current practices of Balinese artists. The project increases the capacity of Australia to analyse the cultures of Indonesia and to contribute to regional heritage preservation. The outcomes will provide a basis for future public exhibitions of paintings and web-based resources linking Australian public institutions and Balinese communities.Read moreRead less
Cosmopolitan Heritage in a Multicultural Society: Ethnic Communities and the Built Environment in Australian Cities and Regional and Rural Areas. This project investigates the historical and contemporary contribution of minority ethnic communities to the built environment of Australian cities and towns. This is significant because this story of the impact of minority ethnic communities on the built environment has been ignored in the Australian immigration debate. The focus is on regional and ru ....Cosmopolitan Heritage in a Multicultural Society: Ethnic Communities and the Built Environment in Australian Cities and Regional and Rural Areas. This project investigates the historical and contemporary contribution of minority ethnic communities to the built environment of Australian cities and towns. This is significant because this story of the impact of minority ethnic communities on the built environment has been ignored in the Australian immigration debate. The focus is on regional and rural areas as well as cities. Expected outcomes include: a stocktake of ethnic heritage; an insight into social aspects of the built environment; an understanding of how ethnic heritage relates to community relations; and an investigation into ethnic precincts and the links between ethnic heritage and increased tourism.Read moreRead less
Intention and Serendipity: Investigating Improvisation, Symbolism and Memory in Creating Australian Contemporary Dance. Contemporary dance is one of the major vehicles through which Australian stories and cultural diversity are communicated. Little is known about the processes that underpin creation and performance of communicative dance works, and less still about processes and stylistic traditions unique to the Australian form. We will investigate cognitive and kinaesthetic processes involve ....Intention and Serendipity: Investigating Improvisation, Symbolism and Memory in Creating Australian Contemporary Dance. Contemporary dance is one of the major vehicles through which Australian stories and cultural diversity are communicated. Little is known about the processes that underpin creation and performance of communicative dance works, and less still about processes and stylistic traditions unique to the Australian form. We will investigate cognitive and kinaesthetic processes involved in creating, refining, performing significant works. Combining experimental and practice-based research we examine psychological mechanisms engaged by elite choreographers, and experienced and emerging dancers, and analyse the unique Australian heritage and embodied knowledge evident in leading dancers and choreographers influenced by Gertrud Bodenwieser.Read moreRead less