Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Australian landscape'
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1
Woodfield, Linda University of Ballarat. "The landscape of my life." University of Ballarat, 2007. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/12801.
Full textAbstract:
The investigations surrounding the topic ‘The Landscape of My Life’ questions whether it is possible for a landscape to delineate the way in which we live our lives. For a period of thirty-two years my home has been a historic rural property comprising a dwelling and outbuildings on twenty acres of undulating countryside at Carngham. The work conveys the story of my life at this locale and pursues the motives behind the purchase of the country property, the experiences and remembrances that exist from this period of time and reflects upon the implications of a way of life over the last three decades. While considering the impact that a landscape can have on individual lives, it became important to consolidate the insights that surfaced for me with respect to my own life and works and compare it with that of other selected landscape artists. This comparison took into account personal and family backgrounds, artistic techniques, relationships with the land and the motivations that resulted in the depiction of particular landscapes. The result of these observations led to a consideration that not only can a landscape define the way in which we live our lives but, also identifies an affinity between human beings and the environment.Master of Arts
2
Woodfield, Linda. "The landscape of my life." Thesis, University of Ballarat, 2007. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/32088.
Full textAbstract:
The investigations surrounding the topic ‘The Landscape of My Life’ questions whether it is possible for a landscape to delineate the way in which we live our lives. For a period of thirty-two years my home has been a historic rural property comprising a dwelling and outbuildings on twenty acres of undulating countryside at Carngham. The work conveys the story of my life at this locale and pursues the motives behind the purchase of the country property, the experiences and remembrances that exist from this period of time and reflects upon the implications of a way of life over the last three decades. While considering the impact that a landscape can have on individual lives, it became important to consolidate the insights that surfaced for me with respect to my own life and works and compare it with that of other selected landscape artists. This comparison took into account personal and family backgrounds, artistic techniques, relationships with the land and the motivations that resulted in the depiction of particular landscapes. The result of these observations led to a consideration that not only can a landscape define the way in which we live our lives but, also identifies an affinity between human beings and the environment.Master of Arts
3
Woodfield, Linda. "The landscape of my life." University of Ballarat, 2007. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/15613.
Full textAbstract:
The investigations surrounding the topic ‘The Landscape of My Life’ questions whether it is possible for a landscape to delineate the way in which we live our lives. For a period of thirty-two years my home has been a historic rural property comprising a dwelling and outbuildings on twenty acres of undulating countryside at Carngham. The work conveys the story of my life at this locale and pursues the motives behind the purchase of the country property, the experiences and remembrances that exist from this period of time and reflects upon the implications of a way of life over the last three decades. While considering the impact that a landscape can have on individual lives, it became important to consolidate the insights that surfaced for me with respect to my own life and works and compare it with that of other selected landscape artists. This comparison took into account personal and family backgrounds, artistic techniques, relationships with the land and the motivations that resulted in the depiction of particular landscapes. The result of these observations led to a consideration that not only can a landscape define the way in which we live our lives but, also identifies an affinity between human beings and the environment.Master of Arts
4
Mah, D. B., University of Western Sydney, and of Performance Fine Arts and Design Faculty. "Australian landscape : its relationship to culture and identity." THESIS_FPFAD_Mah_D.xml, 1997. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/257.
Full textAbstract:
This paper is an examination of the relationship of Australian landscape imagery to culture and identity. Visual and historical ideas in the Heidelberg School and more contemporary landscape work is assessed in relation to social history in the work of Ian Burn et al and the social history in the work of Anne Maree Willis. These two types of history are compared and conclusions are made about their similarities and differences in the articulation of identity and culture. It will be concluded that identity and culture are ideas and values which are recycled and relocated with the passage of time and that certain central themes reoccur in the construction of identity and cultureMaster of Visual Arts (Hons)
5
Parker, Margaret Ina. "Landscape painting : connection, perception and attention /." Access full text, 2006. http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/thesis/public/adt-LTU20080225.113947/index.html.
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Thesis (M.Visual Arts) -- La Trobe University, 2006.Research. "An exegesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Visual Arts by Research, School of Visual Arts and Design, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora". Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-92). Also available via the World Wide Web.
6
Satherley, Shannon D. "Reconnection : a contemporary development in cultural landscape theory contributing to rehabilitation strategies for Australian open-cut coal mining landscapes." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2005. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/59556/6/59556a.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
A value-shift began to influence global political thinking in the late 20th century, characterised by recognition of the need for environmentally, socially and culturally sustainable resource development. This shift entailed a move away from thinking of ‘nature’ and ‘culture’ as separate entities – the former existing to serve the latter – toward the possibility of embracing the intrinsic worth of the nonhuman world. Cultural landscape theory recognises ‘nature’ as at once both ‘natural’, and a ‘cultural’ construct. As such, it may offer a framework through which to progress in the quest for ‘sustainable development’.
This study makes a contribution to this quest by asking whether contemporary developments in cultural landscape theory can contribute to rehabilitation strategies for Australian open-cut coal mining landscapes. The answer is ‘yes’.
To answer the research question, a flexible, ‘emergent’ methodological approach has been used, resulting in the following outcomes. A thematic historical overview of landscape values and resource development in Australia post-1788, and a review of cultural landscape theory literature, contribute to the formation of a new theoretical framework: Reconnecting the Interrupted Landscape. This framework establishes a positive answer to the research question. It also suggests a method of application within the Australian open-cut coal mining landscape, a highly visible exemplar of the resource development landscape. This method is speculatively tested against the rehabilitation strategy of an operating open-cut coal mine, concluding with positive recommendations to the industry, and to government.
7
Whitson, Robert. "Sacred landscape : An unsettling." Thesis, Mt. Helen, Vic. :, 2002. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/36547.
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"This project is concerned with a visual exploration of the land of the Western Plains of Victoria and the nature of "the sacred" in that landscape. Specifically, I have explored these ideas through the medium of painting and works on paper. The studio practice has been informed both by my personal experiencs of this geographic region and by research into the histories associated with white settlement and the subsequent forms of erasue of aboriginal presence."Master of Arts- (Visual Arts)
8
Whitson, Robert. "Sacred landscape : an unsettling." Mt. Helen, Vic. :, 2002. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/15639.
Full textAbstract:
"This project is concerned with a visual exploration of the land of the Western Plains of Victoria and the nature of "the sacred" in that landscape. Specifically, I have explored these ideas through the medium of painting and works on paper. The studio practice has been informed both by my personal experiencs of this geographic region and by research into the histories associated with white settlement and the subsequent forms of erasue of aboriginal presence."Master of Arts- (Visual Arts)
9
Liddle, Lynette Elizabeth. "Traditional obligations to country : landscape governance, land conservation and ethics in Central Australia." Phd thesis, Canberra, ACT : The Australian National University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/151581.
Full text
10
Watson, David Rowan Scott. "Precious Little: Traces of Australian Place and Belonging." University of Sydney, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1098.
Full textAbstract:
Master of Visual ArtsThe Dissertation is a meditation on our relationship with this continent and its layered physical and psychological ‘landscapes’. It explores ways in which artists and writers have depicted our ‘thin’ but evolving presence here in the South, and references my own photographic work. The paper weaves together personal tales with fiction writing and cultural, settler and indigenous history. It identifies a uniquely Australian sense of 21st-century disquiet and argues for some modest aesthetic and social antidotes. It discusses in some detail the suppression of focus in photography, and suggests that the technique evokes not only memory, but a recognition of absence, which invites active participation (as the viewer attempts to ‘place’ and complete the picture). In seeking out special essences of place the paper considers the suburban poetics of painter Clarice Beckett, the rigorous focus-free oeuvre of photographer Uta Barth, and the hybrid vistas of artist/gardener Peter Hutchinson and painter Dale Frank. Interwoven are the insights of contemporary authors Gerald Murnane, W G Sebald and Paul Carter. A speculative chapter about the fluidity of landscape, the interconnectedness of land and sea, and Australia’s ‘deep’ geology fuses indigenous spirituality, oceanic imaginings of Australia, the sinuous bush-scapes of Patrick White, and the poetics of surfing. Full immersion is recommended.
11
Watson, David Rowan Scott. "Precious Little: Traces of Australian Place and Belonging." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/1098.
Full textAbstract:
The Dissertation is a meditation on our relationship with this continent and its layered physical and psychological ‘landscapes’. It explores ways in which artists and writers have depicted our ‘thin’ but evolving presence here in the South, and references my own photographic work. The paper weaves together personal tales with fiction writing and cultural, settler and indigenous history. It identifies a uniquely Australian sense of 21st-century disquiet and argues for some modest aesthetic and social antidotes. It discusses in some detail the suppression of focus in photography, and suggests that the technique evokes not only memory, but a recognition of absence, which invites active participation (as the viewer attempts to ‘place’ and complete the picture). In seeking out special essences of place the paper considers the suburban poetics of painter Clarice Beckett, the rigorous focus-free oeuvre of photographer Uta Barth, and the hybrid vistas of artist/gardener Peter Hutchinson and painter Dale Frank. Interwoven are the insights of contemporary authors Gerald Murnane, W G Sebald and Paul Carter. A speculative chapter about the fluidity of landscape, the interconnectedness of land and sea, and Australia’s ‘deep’ geology fuses indigenous spirituality, oceanic imaginings of Australia, the sinuous bush-scapes of Patrick White, and the poetics of surfing. Full immersion is recommended.
12
Sharp, Ben R. "Landscape-scale woody vegetation dynamics in an Australian tropical savanna." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.397462.
Full text
13
Boden, Susan, and n/a. "'an unsettled state': the real and the imainary in Australian cinematic and designed landscapes." University of Canberra. Design, 2002. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060426.161116.
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This thesis considers varied representations of landscape in
Australian narrative film and designed landscape. Landscape is
taken as an active concept that combines the associative meanings
of place and the dynamism of space. Sixteen film and designed
landscapes are examined to derive their landscape sources, forms
and ideas, using the methodology of 'contextual poetics', Each of
these landscapes is considered under a specific theme: landscape as
delight, absence, nation or hope.
In addition to detailing specific landscape responses by the
designers of the examined landscapes, this project aims to
contribute to an enhanced conversation about the effective, just
practice of landscape architecture.
The topic derives from a question central to landscape architectural
practice in a post-colonial context, such as Australia. In a cultural
setting where no single, agreed definition of landscape is allowed
by the conditions of its history, which versions do practitioners of
landscape architecture take up? What should be their limits, where
are their inspirations and whose landscape narratives are ignored in
these decisions?
14
Donald, Colin University of Ballarat. "Quoting landscape : an investigative journey across the landscape of the Westen district of Victoria." University of Ballarat, 2004. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/12759.
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"This research project aims to provide a contemporary visualisation of "specific sites." The visualisation of these selected landscapes will draw upon and add to existing traditions of representation of this region, embedding my experiences within this dialogue."Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
15
Donald, Colin. "Quoting landscape : an investigative journey across the landscape of the Westen district of Victoria." Thesis, University of Ballarat, 2004. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/37534.
Full textAbstract:
"This research project aims to provide a contemporary visualisation of "specific sites." The visualisation of these selected landscapes will draw upon and add to existing traditions of representation of this region, embedding my experiences within this dialogue."Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
16
Donald, Colin. "Quoting landscape : an investigative journey across the landscape of the Westen district of Victoria." University of Ballarat, 2004. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/14594.
Full textAbstract:
"This research project aims to provide a contemporary visualisation of "specific sites." The visualisation of these selected landscapes will draw upon and add to existing traditions of representation of this region, embedding my experiences within this dialogue."Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
17
Parker, Margaret Ina, and margaret_p@optusnet com au. "Landscape Painting: Connection, Perception and Attention." La Trobe University. Visual arts and design, 2006. http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au./thesis/public/adt-LTU20080225.113947.
Full textAbstract:
I investigate the lived experience, the actuality of responding to land as a painter. This thesis consists of intensive investigations in the field and further exploration in the studio, resulting in a body of paintings and drawings which form the exhibition. The exegesis explores theories and ideas surrounding the work. The psychological engagement between people, land and art is of major concern. The choice of place selected to paint and the subject matter of rocks is discussed. Painters who work outside or have painted at the same site are considered for comparison with my working methods or concerns. The selective view is intimate. The format of the image and the composition are discussed in terms of proximity and space.
Consideration of the psychology of engagement with land and landscape painting, either as an observer or painter, is a major component of the research. This examination of human psychological development illuminates the origin of our sense of self and how we relate to the land on which we live. The premise of this enquiry is the idea that art and culture could reflect human psychological development. Do art objects contribute to cultural understanding of the relationship of person to environment? A phenomenological perspective is incorporated in this exploration of the interrelation of vision, perception and attention. Can the reality of experience be transferred into the art work? The deep attention to the landscape of Australian Aboriginal people serves as a cultural reference for these investigations.
This study concludes that sentient consciousness involving responsibility for land is an open, effective way of perceiving and depicting landscape. Responsibility for land can be encouraged by the development of cultural ideas based around landscape and can be the result of feeling connected to land. Art can contribute to changes in attitudes to land.
18
Makeham, Paul B. ""Across the long, dry stage": Discourses of Landscape in Australian Drama." Thesis, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia, 1996. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/8980/1/c8980.pdf.
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This thesis is concerned with the representation of landscape in nine Australian plays. The introduction examines the functions and effects of landscape discourses within Australian culture generally, and on the stage in particular. The introduction is followed by three chapters, each of which examines three plays. In the sequence in which they are discussed, the plays are: 'At Dusk' (1937) by Millicent Armstrong; 'Pioneers' (1919) by Katharine Susannah Prichard; 'The Drovers' (1919) by Louis Esson; 'The Fields of Heaven' (1982) by Dorothy Hewett; 'Too Young For Ghosts' (1985) by Janis Balodis; 'Inside the Island' (1980) by Louis Nowra; 'Bran Nue Dae' (1990) by Jimmy Chi and Kuckles; 'The Kid' (1983) by Michael Gow; and 'Aftershocks' (1991) by Paul Brown and the Workers' Cultural Action Committee. The readings proposed here proceed on the understanding that landscapes are systems of representation rather than topographical entities. Landscapes are thus conceivable as textual formations, constituted of discourses and inscribed with a variety of ideologies. 'Discourse' here refers both to the spoken (dialogic) and the visual (scenic) modes of dramatic expression. A wide range of thematic concerns and dramaturgical forms is encompassed by these nine plays; accordingly, a variety of reading strategies is applied to them. In each of the plays examined, landscape and character are shown in a dynamic, mutually determining relationship, even in those realist works in which landscape is rendered as 'background' to the primary sites of interpersonal action. The thesis traces a movement from early realist one-act plays set in bush landscapes, to more recent, non-realist works of full-length set partially or wholly in cities. This structure might be characterised as a movement from the landscapes of 'nature' to the cityscapes of 'culture'.
19
Tsai, Yi-Hsin. "The meaning of gardens in aged care: Residents' landscape experience in Australian facilities." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2019. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/130635/1/Yi-Hsin_Tsai_Thesis.pdf.
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This research explores Australian Aged Care residents' landscape experience. The findings suggest that gardens within aged-care facilities foster critical activities associated with homemaking. Residents develop a sense of ownership and agency within the landscape and recall significant memories, especially after relocation in later life. The study concludes with recommendations to transform current understandings of therapeutic landscapes, broadening the medicalised understanding of health, in order to create more "healthful landscapes". This research argues for future design to provide a holistic landscape experience by integrating emotional, social and sensory landscape experiences for residents within aged-care facilities.
20
Donald, Colin University of Ballarat. "Reflective space: A personal journey towards a re-envisioning of the Australian landscape." University of Ballarat, 2008. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/12731.
Full textAbstract:
Whilst the notion of the ‘Reflective Space’ could arguably encompass many conceptual positions and propositions, for the purposes of this research investigation the ‘Reflective Space’ referred to in the title of this exegesis will focus upon what I consider as an emerging and growing consciousness of the natural world. As a theoretical and conceptual construct, the investigation considers how this growing consciousness can be seen to be expressed through the medium of representations of the Australian landscape. This work considers a number of contemporary theoretical positions and a number of relevant social and political questions; it also acknowledges that within such spheres of reflection, the issue of being sustainable in relation to our interactions and perceptions of this natural world looms as perhaps one of the most pressing of our time. While it will be acknowledged that the depiction of landscape enjoys a long-standing tradition within the Australian cultural mind, the suggestion will be made that certain aspects of these visualisations can be seen to be ‘reflective’ of a visual, cultural and physical degradation, and indeed even an apprehension of the physical ‘space’ that is represented as landscape. The investigation considers and reflects upon what can be observed as contentious and ambivalent attitudes expressed towards landscape perceived through works of art. Strategies for adopting a perceptual visual ethic grounded within the concepts and principles of sustainability will be presented for consideration. By applying such modes of interpretation to perceptions of land and landscape depiction, new appreciations for the cultural ‘space’ that is landscape will be developed. Such understandings will consider and reflect upon the temporal nature of our natural world. The thesis is this: that to be able to think and act in a sustainable fashion in relation to our environment, our perceptions and interpretations of visualisations of landscape must include a recognition that the land is a ‘temporal’ space, in which past and possible futures are immanent in the present.PhD (Visual Arts)
21
Donald, Colin. "Reflective space : A personal journey towards a re-envisioning of the Australian landscape." Thesis, University of Ballarat, 2008. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/69161.
Full textAbstract:
Whilst the notion of the ‘Reflective Space’ could arguably encompass many conceptual positions and propositions, for the purposes of this research investigation the ‘Reflective Space’ referred to in the title of this exegesis will focus upon what I consider as an emerging and growing consciousness of the natural world. As a theoretical and conceptual construct, the investigation considers how this growing consciousness can be seen to be expressed through the medium of representations of the Australian landscape. This work considers a number of contemporary theoretical positions and a number of relevant social and political questions; it also acknowledges that within such spheres of reflection, the issue of being sustainable in relation to our interactions and perceptions of this natural world looms as perhaps one of the most pressing of our time. While it will be acknowledged that the depiction of landscape enjoys a long-standing tradition within the Australian cultural mind, the suggestion will be made that certain aspects of these visualisations can be seen to be ‘reflective’ of a visual, cultural and physical degradation, and indeed even an apprehension of the physical ‘space’ that is represented as landscape. The investigation considers and reflects upon what can be observed as contentious and ambivalent attitudes expressed towards landscape perceived through works of art. Strategies for adopting a perceptual visual ethic grounded within the concepts and principles of sustainability will be presented for consideration. By applying such modes of interpretation to perceptions of land and landscape depiction, new appreciations for the cultural ‘space’ that is landscape will be developed. Such understandings will consider and reflect upon the temporal nature of our natural world. The thesis is this: that to be able to think and act in a sustainable fashion in relation to our environment, our perceptions and interpretations of visualisations of landscape must include a recognition that the land is a ‘temporal’ space, in which past and possible futures are immanent in the present.PhD (Visual Arts)
22
Donald, Colin. "Reflective space: A personal journey towards a re-envisioning of the Australian landscape." University of Ballarat, 2008. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/14623.
Full textAbstract:
Whilst the notion of the ‘Reflective Space’ could arguably encompass many conceptual positions and propositions, for the purposes of this research investigation the ‘Reflective Space’ referred to in the title of this exegesis will focus upon what I consider as an emerging and growing consciousness of the natural world. As a theoretical and conceptual construct, the investigation considers how this growing consciousness can be seen to be expressed through the medium of representations of the Australian landscape. This work considers a number of contemporary theoretical positions and a number of relevant social and political questions; it also acknowledges that within such spheres of reflection, the issue of being sustainable in relation to our interactions and perceptions of this natural world looms as perhaps one of the most pressing of our time. While it will be acknowledged that the depiction of landscape enjoys a long-standing tradition within the Australian cultural mind, the suggestion will be made that certain aspects of these visualisations can be seen to be ‘reflective’ of a visual, cultural and physical degradation, and indeed even an apprehension of the physical ‘space’ that is represented as landscape. The investigation considers and reflects upon what can be observed as contentious and ambivalent attitudes expressed towards landscape perceived through works of art. Strategies for adopting a perceptual visual ethic grounded within the concepts and principles of sustainability will be presented for consideration. By applying such modes of interpretation to perceptions of land and landscape depiction, new appreciations for the cultural ‘space’ that is landscape will be developed. Such understandings will consider and reflect upon the temporal nature of our natural world. The thesis is this: that to be able to think and act in a sustainable fashion in relation to our environment, our perceptions and interpretations of visualisations of landscape must include a recognition that the land is a ‘temporal’ space, in which past and possible futures are immanent in the present.PhD (Visual Arts)
23
Lu, Adrian C. (Adrian Chian). "Seeds of growth : the challenges of venture capital in the Australian landscape." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/72856.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis..
Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-90).
The Australian venture capital (VC) industry is young and relatively immature compared to the United States. Even though the first Australian VC firm appeared in 1970, the industry remained a niche with low levels of activity until the technology boom of the late 1990s saw many new entrants and larger funds being raised. Unfortunately for the industry, it experienced two major economic downturns just as it was beginning to take shape, hurting industry performance and deterring investors. Since the global financial crisis, investment activity has been on a continuous decline, raising concerns that the industry will continue to decline at worst, or remain on a stagnant path at best, never reaching the critical mass to flourish and achieve a meaningful role in Australia's economic growth. Although recent economic events have impacted venture capital investing around the world, Australia faces a number of local challenges that have left it struggling while countries like the United States and the United Kingdom now make their recovery. In this study, we investigate the idiosyncratic factors contributing to the challenged state of the Australian VC industry-by looking at its recent history, performance, and participants-in the context of government policies that have been implemented to support it. We identify industry immaturity, poor track record of performance, gaps between research and commercialization, and the structure of institutional investors as key issues facing the industry. An understanding of the local challenges facing the venture capital industry is vital to addressing them. Based on the challenges identified, we evaluate and recommend potential remedies by taking a holistic view of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the role of venture capital within it-from the perspective of entrepreneurs, investors, research institutions, and government.
by Adrian C. Lu.
S.M.
24
Nahrung, Jason. "Vampires in the sunburnt country : adapting vampire Gothic to the Australian landscape." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2007. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16668/1/Jason_Nahrung_-_Exegesis.pdf.
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I first became enamoured with vampire Gothic after reading Bram Stoker's Dracula in high school, but gradually became dissatisfied with the Australian adaptations of the sub-genre. In looking for examples of Australian vampire Gothic, a survey of more than 50 short stories, 23 novels and five movies made by Australians reveals fewer than half were set in an identifiably Australian setting. Even fewer make use of three key, landscape-related tropes of vampire Gothic - darkness, earth and ruins. Why are so few Australian vampire stories set in Australia? In what ways can the metaphorical elements of vampire Gothic be applied to the Sunburnt Country?
This paper seeks to answer these questions by examining examples of Australian vampire narratives, including film. Particular attention is given to Mudrooroo's Master of the Ghost Dreaming series which, more than any other Australian novel, succeeds in manipulating and subverting the tropes of vampire Gothic. The process of adaptation of vampire Gothic to the Australian environment, both natural and man-made, is also a core concern of my own novel, Vampires' Bane, which uses earth, darkness and a modern permutation of ruins to explore its metaphorical intentions.
Through examining previous works and through my own creative process, Vampires' Bane, I argue that Australia's growing urbanisation can be juxtaposed against the vampire-hostile natural environment to enhance the tropes of vampire Gothic, and make Australia a suitable home for narratives that explore the ongoing evolution of Count Dracula and his many-faceted descendants.
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Nahrung, Jason. "Vampires in the sunburnt country : adapting vampire Gothic to the Australian landscape." Queensland University of Technology, 2007. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16668/.
Full textAbstract:
I first became enamoured with vampire Gothic after reading Bram Stoker's Dracula in high school, but gradually became dissatisfied with the Australian adaptations of the sub-genre. In looking for examples of Australian vampire Gothic, a survey of more than 50 short stories, 23 novels and five movies made by Australians reveals fewer than half were set in an identifiably Australian setting. Even fewer make use of three key, landscape-related tropes of vampire Gothic - darkness, earth and ruins. Why are so few Australian vampire stories set in Australia? In what ways can the metaphorical elements of vampire Gothic be applied to the Sunburnt Country? This paper seeks to answer these questions by examining examples of Australian vampire narratives, including film. Particular attention is given to Mudrooroo's Master of the Ghost Dreaming series which, more than any other Australian novel, succeeds in manipulating and subverting the tropes of vampire Gothic. The process of adaptation of vampire Gothic to the Australian environment, both natural and man-made, is also a core concern of my own novel, Vampires' Bane, which uses earth, darkness and a modern permutation of ruins to explore its metaphorical intentions. Through examining previous works and through my own creative process, Vampires' Bane, I argue that Australia's growing urbanisation can be juxtaposed against the vampire-hostile natural environment to enhance the tropes of vampire Gothic, and make Australia a suitable home for narratives that explore the ongoing evolution of Count Dracula and his many-faceted descendants.
26
McMasters, Neil G., and neilgmcmasters@mac com. "Impressions from Virtual Landscapes." RMIT University. Art and Culture, 2003. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20090715.142840.
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The aim of this project was to build and render digital landscape models that reflect natural element characteristics and use the resulting data sets as source material for fine art investigation and production. The project utilized 3D computer modeling techniques, selected output technology and studio facilities. Computer-generated virtual landscapes material was incorporated into studio practice by providing observed environmental content for the development of works for exhibition. An accompanying exegesis explored the relationship and tensions between digital landscape data sets and the broader use of landscape as a motif within an Australian context.
27
Paull, James School of English UNSW. "An ambivalent ground: re-placing Australian literature." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of English, 2007. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/28330.
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Narratives of place have always been crucial to the construction of Australian identity. The obsession with identity in Australia betrays longstanding uncertainty. It is not difficult to interpret in this uncertainty a replaying of the deeper insecurities surrounding the settler community's legal and more broadly cultural claims to the land. Such insecurities are typically understood negatively. In contrast, this thesis accepts the uncertainty of identity as an activating principle, appropriate to any interpretation of the narratives and themes that inform what it means to be Australian. Fundamental to this uncertainty is a provisionality in the post-colonial experience of place that is papered over by misleadingly coherent spatial narratives that stem from the imperial inheritance of Australian mythology. Place is a model for the tension between the coherence of mythic narratives and the actual rhizomic formlessness of daily life. Place is the ???ground??? of that life, but an ambivalent ground. An Ambivalent Ground approaches postcolonial Australia as a densely woven text. In this text, stories that describe the founding of a nation are enveloped by other stories, not so well known, that work to transform those more familiar narratives. ???Re-placing Australian literature??? describes the process of this transformation. It signifies an interpretative practice which seeks to recuperate the open-ended experience of place that remains disguised by the coherent narratives of nationhood. The process of ???re-placing??? Australian literature shifts the understanding of nation towards a landscape that speaks not so much about identity as about the constitutive performances of everyday life. It also converges with the unhomely dimension that is the colonist's ambiguous sense of belonging. We can understand this process with an analogy used in this thesis, that of music ??? the colonising language, and noise ??? the ostensibly inchoate, unformed background disruptive to cultural order yet revealing the spatial realities of place. Traditionally, cultural narratives in Australia have disguised the much more complex way in which place noisily disrupts and diffracts those narratives, and in the process generates the ambivalence of Australian identity. Rather than a text or a narrative, place is a plenitude, a densely intertwined performance space, a performance that constantly renders experience ??? and its cultural function ??? transgressive. The purpose of this thesis is not to displace stereotypical narratives of nationhood with yet another narrative. Rather, it offers the more risky proposition that provisionality and uncertainty are constitutive features of Australian social being. The narrative in the thesis represents an aggregation of such an ambivalent ground, addressing the persistent tension between place and the larger drama of colonialist history and discourse.
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Jarvey, Ali Marie. "On the corner of north and nowhere. A novel ‐ and ‐ Going back to go forward: An invitation to get lost. A critical essay." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2016. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1931.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis comprises a young adult (YA) novel called On the Corner of North and Nowhere and an exegesis entitled ‘Going Back to Go Forward: An Invitation to Get Lost’.
On the Corner of North and Nowhere follows 18‐year‐old Nev Isles, who lives and works at Cleary’s, her grandmother’s art retreat in the Perth Hills. She dwells happily in an old cottage by herself, until her mother decides that she wants to move there too. Rather than live with her again, Nev runs away with her friend, Cole, set for the WA roads she travelled as a child and the mining town of Newman, where her father lives. The trip forces Nev to relive the slow fracturing of her relationship with her mother. Newman offers little reward. Her father has a girlfriend and wants to move from the town. As Nev grows homesick, she gravitates towards Cole. He encourages her to follow her instincts home, even though he cannot stay long himself: after they return to Perth, he has to leave for America to deal with his own family issues.
Nev and Cole’s journey back to the city is set against some of the most beautiful and isolated stretches of WA road. They find that they would rather stay lost in these landscapes, than return to chaos. It is only after a brief stay at a beach camp on the corner of north and nowhere, that they decide it is time to return home to face their troubles and inevitable separation.
While On the Corner of North and Nowhere is not autobiographical, it originates from my childhood, adolescent and adult experiences with WA places. ‘Going Back to Go Forward: An Invitation to Get Lost’ critically examines the composition of my manuscript, with distinct reference to these origins. It is written in two chapters, which are connected by the work and praxis of selected creative arts practitioners, whose experiences with place and literature in their youths also compel them to write as adults.
Chapter one investigates the prevalence of Edenic landscapes in WA literature, focusing on authors, such as Dorothy Hewett and Tim Winton, who aim to reconstruct lost paradise from their youth, in their fiction and nonfiction. Cleary’s, by comparison, is constructed as an unconventional Eden that subverts the trope, thus supporting Nev’s eventual return to paradise and her maturation. Finally, chapter two investigates the influence of Betsy Hearne and Roberta Trites’ narrative compass model, which encourages female scholars to reflect on a resonant story from their youth, towards an understanding of how it impacts their research. Recognising the narrative patterns in my compass was fundamental to the development of On the Corner of North and Nowhere, as it enabled me to craft second and subsequent drafts of the manuscript, with attention to rites of passage in Australian YA literature.
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McCarthy, Brigid. "Creative writing piece; Reaction time, and critical essay; Wide open roads, landscape, place and belonging in Australian outback narratives." Connect to thesis, 2009. http://repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/5757.
Full textAbstract:
The thesis contains two components, providing both a creative and critical exploration of the relationship between the subject and place. The creative work, Reaction Time explores how its characters seek particular settings that will affect their sense of place and belonging in certain ways. The critical essay, “Wide Open Roads: Landscape, Environment and Belonging in Twentieth Century Outback Narratives”, explores how the knowledge of the political and cultural conditions of place are produced as affecting the subject’s personal relationship to place in late twentieth century outback narratives.The creative piece, Reaction Time, tells the story of Joel who is returning to Australia after the death of her mother. Joel and her sister have never been able to reconcile their fierce, academic mother of the past with the trivial, domestic self she became in the years after her sudden retirement to her rural Tasmanian home. Throughout the story Joel finds she is trying to realise the grief of losing of a mother she never completely understood, while also dealing with her feelings of alienation both in her mother’s home in Tasmania, and in Melbourne, where the spectre of old relationships she left behind long ago maintains her sense of unease in a place she once thought of as home.
The essay, Wide Open Roads analyses three novels published toward the end of the twentieth century to examine the way the characters’ relationships to place and landscape are constructed. It argues that the outback, couched in its newfound cultural role as an untouched, pristine pilgrimage point for spiritual journeys, has come to be considered a ‘sacred’ space for all Australians. Using ecocriticism and postcolonial theory as a theoretical framework, the essay discusses how, while late twentieth century outback narratives constructed characters whose desire to traverse the outback, or sense of attachment to it, was deep, the convergent social influences of environmentalism and Indigenous land rights and a growing postcolonial consciousness have propelled writers to depict more problematic and complex relationships with place than were evident in past outback narratives.
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Ryan, John C. "Plants, people and place : cultural botany and the Southwest Australian flora." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2011. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/426.
Full textAbstract:
The Southwest corner of Western Australia has a distinctive culture of flora. In particular, the region is an internationally lauded destination for wildflower tourism. Aesthetic values inform the Southwest’s contemporary culture of flora and its products: photographs of flowers, botanical illustrations, taxonomic schemata and visually based landscape writings. In dynamic combination with sight, however, multi-sensoriality enhances cultures of flora through sensation. Hence, this thesis argues that it is vital to consider how bodily experiences deepen the appreciation of floristic appearances. Through readings of cultural, literary and historical sources, I propose floraesthesis as an embodied aesthetics of plants. The ancient concept of aesthesis, the root of the modern term aesthetics, comprises sensations—induced by the many senses—as gestures of curiosity. Whereas floraesthesis theorises corporeal appreciation, a visual aesthetic tends to distance plants from human appreciators. The latter may posit plants hierarchically as objects of visual art or constructs of quantitative science. This project puts into practice a critical humanities-based model that I call cultural botany. Following a progression of readings from colonial to contemporary times, I trace a continuum from floral aesthetics to floraesthesis through the cultural botany context. Using an integrative Thoreauvian-Heideggerean theoretical framework, I describe floral aesthetics as constituted by culture and language. As Thoreau and Heidegger suggest, embodied appreciation is predicated on language. I then theorise floraesthesis through readings of written and spoken materials: historic and contemporary literatures; colonialera botanical documents; transcriptions of ethnographic interviews; and my poetic enquiries as interludes throughout the text. A qualitative methodology, which I term botanic field aesthetics, comprises poetic practice, ethnographic interviewing and field walking set within an extensive historical context and organised around three places: Lesueur National Park, Fitzgerald River National Park and Anstey-Keane Damplands.
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Simpson, Catherine. "Imagined geographies: women's negotiation of space in contemporary Australian cinema, 1988-98." Thesis, Simpson, Catherine (2000) Imagined geographies: women's negotiation of space in contemporary Australian cinema, 1988-98. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2000. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/312/.
Full textAbstract:
Imagined Geographies: Women's Negotiation of Space in Contemporary Australian Cinema is an exploration of the nexus between gender and locale in films from the last decade, 1988-98. This thesis examines the way meaning is made through the negotiation of diverse geographies by central female protagonists in a selection of recent Australian feature films. The films I analyse were predominantly produced by female writers and/or directors.
In the context of Australian Cinema, locale is an area much talked about but little theorised. It is an issue which remains in the background of much scholarship and is often tangential to many arguments but rarely constructed as a central concern. Where it is foregrounded, as in Ross Gibson's work, it is reduced to the significance of landscape or 'natural locations' rather than examining the diversity of its manifestations.
Two notable but related spatial shifts have occurred in Australian cinema of the 1990s. The first is a change in industrial practice. Female artists are now creating spaces for themselves in mainstream feature filmmaking - spaces traditionally occupied by men. This trend is away from constructions of a distinctly feminist cinema or counter-cinema which was identifiable in the 1970s. Second, there is a shift in the character of on-screen space. The presence of growing numbers of women writers, directors and producers in the Australian film industry is shifting the cinema's focus away from traditional 'masculine' topographies - the pub, the prison and the outback - thus allowing explorations of other spaces and visions to develop. I am arguing therefore that there is a feminization ofspace occurring in Australian cinema.
In this thesis I investigate representations of so-called traditional 'feminine' or domestic domains. The place of the gendered body and embodiment in films is a central concern and is theorised in the first chapter. As we move through the thesis chapters, sexed bodies enacting gender in a variety of ways and in different zones - the car, the house, the suburb and the country town - will be explored. Through these analyses I examine the methods some film directors employ to problematize space in such a way that their work overcomes the limitations of its previously dominant representations. This thesis is primarily an attempt to open up the field of criticism to acknowledge the diversity of locales which exist within the rich tapestry of Australian Cinema.
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Simpson, Catherine. "Imagined geographies : women's negotiation of space in contemporary Australian cinema, 1988-98 /." Simpson, Catherine (2000) Imagined geographies: women's negotiation of space in contemporary Australian cinema, 1988-98. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2000. http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/312/.
Full textAbstract:
Imagined Geographies: Women's Negotiation of Space in Contemporary Australian Cinema is an exploration of the nexus between gender and locale in films from the last decade, 1988-98. This thesis examines the way meaning is made through the negotiation of diverse geographies by central female protagonists in a selection of recent Australian feature films. The films I analyse were predominantly produced by female writers and/or directors.
In the context of Australian Cinema, locale is an area much talked about but little theorised. It is an issue which remains in the background of much scholarship and is often tangential to many arguments but rarely constructed as a central concern. Where it is foregrounded, as in Ross Gibson's work, it is reduced to the significance of landscape or 'natural locations' rather than examining the diversity of its manifestations.
Two notable but related spatial shifts have occurred in Australian cinema of the 1990s. The first is a change in industrial practice. Female artists are now creating spaces for themselves in mainstream feature filmmaking - spaces traditionally occupied by men. This trend is away from constructions of a distinctly feminist cinema or counter-cinema which was identifiable in the 1970s. Second, there is a shift in the character of on-screen space. The presence of growing numbers of women writers, directors and producers in the Australian film industry is shifting the cinema's focus away from traditional 'masculine' topographies - the pub, the prison and the outback - thus allowing explorations of other spaces and visions to develop. I am arguing therefore that there is a feminization ofspace occurring in Australian cinema.
In this thesis I investigate representations of so-called traditional 'feminine' or domestic domains. The place of the gendered body and embodiment in films is a central concern and is theorised in the first chapter. As we move through the thesis chapters, sexed bodies enacting gender in a variety of ways and in different zones - the car, the house, the suburb and the country town - will be explored. Through these analyses I examine the methods some film directors employ to problematize space in such a way that their work overcomes the limitations of its previously dominant representations. This thesis is primarily an attempt to open up the field of criticism to acknowledge the diversity of locales which exist within the rich tapestry of Australian Cinema.
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Young, Amanda M., University of Western Sydney, of Performance Fine Arts and Design Faculty, and School of Design. "Several interpretations of the Blue Mountains : a juxtaposition of ideas over two hundred years." THESIS_FPFAD_SD_Young_A.xml, 1997. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/607.
Full textAbstract:
In 1815 the Blue Mountains were first identified as a unique landscape when Governor Macquarie took a tour over them and located the nineteenth century principles of the Sublime and Picturesque within its' landscape. Until this time the Blue Mountains were considered to be a hostile impenetrable barrier to the West. This paper examines some of the ways the Blue Mountains has been represented in the past, and has been identified as a tourist destination through interpretations imposed on the landscape by the tourist industry since that time. The areas covered deal with the heritage of British Colonialism as a way of forming opinions about the Australian landscape. Then, the theories of the Picturesque and Sublime are examined when applied to the Blue Mountains landscape. The final chapters in this paper deal with contemporary issues that have shaped the way the tourist industry is encouraged to encounter the Blue Mountains landscapeMaster of Arts (Hons)
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Ward, David Jefford. "People, fire, forest and water in Wungong: the landscape ecology of a West Australian water catchment." Thesis, Curtin University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2006.
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Bushfire is, in terms of human lives lost, property destroyed, and damage to natural systems, by far the most urgent environmental problem in Australia. This thesis tries to answer a number of questions about bushfire behaviour, history, effects, and management, in the Wungong Catchment of Western Australia. It does so by an overtly cross-disciplinary approach, involving a mixture of the three main streams of human knowledge, namely the humanities, natural science, and social science.First, I offer a literature review of several hundred books and papers drawn from the three main streams of knowledge mentioned above. The review includes some discussion of ‘bushfire epistemology’, a currently vague and neglected matter.The concept of ‘place’ is important to humans, so I then give a straightforward geographical description of Wungong Catchment, with some mention of the history of bushfire. To describe the vegetation, I use inductive statistics, and a method developed by me from the ideas of Delaunay (1929) and Dirichlet (1850). Given that there are hundreds of plant species within the catchment, I use a landscape approach, and only sketch the main tree species, and two iconic plants, the balga and the djiridji, both of which are important to the original custodians of the catchment, the Nyoongar people. There is discussion of other people’s research into the effect of bushfire on seed banks, and the flowering intervals of some plants of the jarrah forest.To see if Western Australia is anomalous, or fits into the worldwide pattern of humans using fire as a landscape management tool, I then examine some records of bushfire in other lands, including Africa, Madagascar, India, and Europe. The thesis then looks at the history of fire in the jarrah forest of Western Australia, based on observations by early European explorers and settlers from 1826 onward, the views of various foresters, and some opinions of current Nyoongar Elders.Using a mixture of natural science, applied mathematics, and archaeology, I give the results of cleaning the stems of those ancient plants called grasstrees, or balga (Xanthorrhoea spp.). These carry the marks of former bushfires, stretching back to 1750. They confirm historical reports of frequent fire in the jarrah forest, at 2-4 year intervals, and a recent decline in fire frequency. This contradicts the view, held by some, that European arrival increased the frequency of fire.As support for the balga findings, I present a simple mathematical model of self-organization in bushfire mosaics. It shows how lengthy bushfire exclusion can lead to disastrous situations, in which large areas of landscape become flammable and unstable. It shows how frequent, patchy burning can maintain a stable bushfire mosaic, with mild, beneficial fires. In the next chapter, I offer mathematical suggestions on how current unstable mosaics can be restabilized, by careful reintroduction of such burning.In dry, south-western Australia, water supply is an important topic, and a better understanding of the hydrological effects of bushfire may help with both bushfire and water management. I draw upon the natural science of forest hydrology, and the effects of fire in catchments. The evidence comes not only from Australia, but also from the United States, and South Africa.Turning to social science, I introduce Professor Peter Checkland’s ‘Soft Systems Methodology’, and suggest how it could be applied in resolving complicated conflict about bushfire management. I finish in legal style, with a summing up, and a verdict on the use of bushfire as a land management tool in Wungong Catchment, and possibly in other flammable landscapes.
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George, Kathleen W. "Beware the house: Australian Gothic Literature the house and the protagonist: A practice-led project." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2016. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/98898/12/Kathleen_George_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
This was a practice-led project investigating the house and its surroundings in Australian Gothic Literature. It explored whether these could impact upon the protagonists, causing tension or even madness. Using my own creative fiction as well as various Australian Gothic writers the house was explored as a catalyst of trauma in the protagonist, and for its outcome on the narrative. Additionally, the landscape was considered in relation to the house, and the long established belief that it is the Australian outback alone that causes derangement was challenged by my findings.
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Woodger, Jeff Robert University of Ballarat. "An inquiry into Suiboku and Kano School influences on Rococo and Romantic landscape painting through Claude Lorraine (1600-1682) and Salvator Rosa (1615-1673)." University of Ballarat, 2006. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/12791.
Full textAbstract:
"This research project examines the impact and influence of Chinese and Japanese ink landscape painting on the genre of Grand Manner Classical and Romantic landscape painting in Europe, from its beginnings as an independent genre in the 17th century. Specifically, the grand theme of woods and rivers will be investigated and its stylistic and philosophical relationship to Chinese and Japanese aesthetics demonstrated. The work examines how Far Eastern landscape painting conventions and techniques can be effectively acquired, and practically applied to painting in the manner of Classical and Romantic landscapes. [...]The aim of the investigation is to contribute to our deeper understanding of the genesis of this important style of artistic representation, and give fuller credit to the initiators of the technique and to those who realised its potential in the field of Western art."Doctor of Philosophy
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Woodger, Jeff Robert. "An inquiry into Suiboku and Kano School influences on Rococo and Romantic landscape painting through Claude Lorraine (1600-1682) and Salvator Rosa (1615-1673)." Thesis, University of Ballarat, 2006. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/38512.
Full textAbstract:
"This research project examines the impact and influence of Chinese and Japanese ink landscape painting on the genre of Grand Manner Classical and Romantic landscape painting in Europe, from its beginnings as an independent genre in the 17th century. Specifically, the grand theme of woods and rivers will be investigated and its stylistic and philosophical relationship to Chinese and Japanese aesthetics demonstrated. The work examines how Far Eastern landscape painting conventions and techniques can be effectively acquired, and practically applied to painting in the manner of Classical and Romantic landscapes. [...]The aim of the investigation is to contribute to our deeper understanding of the genesis of this important style of artistic representation, and give fuller credit to the initiators of the technique and to those who realised its potential in the field of Western art."Doctor of Philosophy
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Woodger, Jeff Robert. "An inquiry into Suiboku and Kano School influences on Rococo and Romantic landscape painting through Claude Lorraine (1600-1682) and Salvator Rosa (1615-1673)." University of Ballarat, 2006. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/15614.
Full textAbstract:
"This research project examines the impact and influence of Chinese and Japanese ink landscape painting on the genre of Grand Manner Classical and Romantic landscape painting in Europe, from its beginnings as an independent genre in the 17th century. Specifically, the grand theme of woods and rivers will be investigated and its stylistic and philosophical relationship to Chinese and Japanese aesthetics demonstrated. The work examines how Far Eastern landscape painting conventions and techniques can be effectively acquired, and practically applied to painting in the manner of Classical and Romantic landscapes. [...]The aim of the investigation is to contribute to our deeper understanding of the genesis of this important style of artistic representation, and give fuller credit to the initiators of the technique and to those who realised its potential in the field of Western art."Doctor of Philosophy
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Davis, Robert A. "Metapopulation structure of the Western Spotted Frog (Heleioporus albopunctatus) in the fragmented landscape of the Western Australian wheatbelt." University of Western Australia. School of Animal Biology, 2004. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2005.0026.
Full textAbstract:
[Truncated abstract] Amidst concern over the global phenomenon of declining amphibians, there is an increasing appreciation of the importance of understanding population dynamics at both local and regional scales. Data on the viability and persistence of species in landscapes altered by humans are scarce but an understanding of these dynamics is essential for enabling long-term species conservation in a modified world. Habitat loss, fragmentation and ensuing salinisation are of particular concern for species in Australia’s temperate agricultural regions where the rapid conversion of continuously vegetated landscapes to small fragments has occurred in less than 200 years. This thesis investigated the local and metapopulation structure of Heleioporus albopunctatus to determine the current population structure and likely future of this species in a highly degraded landscape: the wheat and sheep growing areas of southwestern Australia ... The life-history attributes of H. albopunctatus, including high fecundity, high adult longevity and low to moderate dispersal contribute to a robust regional metapopulation, responsive to changes, but with a strong chance of persistence over the long-term. H. albopunctatus appears to have adjusted to a radically modified landscape but its long-term persistence may be dependent on the existence of a small number of source populations that recruit in most years.
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Heim, Michael. "Rational man and lords of creation : aspects of the European experience of the South Australian landscape, 1836-8 /." Title page, contents and introduction only, 1995. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09AR/09arh467.pdf.
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Rowlings-Jensen, Emma. "Nuts, mountains and islands : a cultural landscapes approach to managing the Bunya Mountains /." [St. Lucia, Qld], 2004. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe18222.pdf.
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JONES, Hugh Arthur. "Distribution of freshwater mussels (unionida: hyriidae) in coastal southeastern Australian rivers and impacts of landscape modification on conservation status." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/10110.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis clarified the geographic distributions of freshwater mussels in southeastern Australia, identified macroecological factors influencing distributions, and examined evidence for species declines. Fish-host preferences were determined for mussels, whose larvae are obligate parasites of fishes. IUCN Red List criteria was used to assess the conservation status of nine species. Museum records supplemented with survey data, revealed patchy distributions within and among river basins for some species. These spatial patterns could only be partially explained by habitat suitability modelling using bioclimatic, hydrologic and geomorphic variables. The northern range limits of Cucumerunio novaehollandiae and Hyridella spp. corresponded to a sharp transition in climate and an increase in hydrological variability. The distribution of Velesunio ambiguus matched the availability of lentic habitats in low-relief landscapes. Logistic regression modelling provided evidence of regional declines in freshwater mussel populations linked to human alteration of the landscape. An intensive survey of the Hunter River basin revealed a loss of species from reaches that have undergone catastrophic channel change. The host-parasite relationship for three hyriid species was not highly species specific, a feature that would facilitate mussel dispersal in disturbed landscapes. Glochidiosis was detected in 10 of 13 species of wild-caught fish and confirmed by artificial infections.
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Gray, Sarah Willard. "Abstracting from the landscape a sense of place /." Access electronically, 2008. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/147.
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Garkaklis, Mark Jurids. "Digging by the woylie Bettongia penicillata (Marsupialia) and its effects upon soil and landscape characteristics in a Western Australian woodland." Thesis, Garkaklis, Mark Jurids (2001) Digging by the woylie Bettongia penicillata (Marsupialia) and its effects upon soil and landscape characteristics in a Western Australian woodland. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2001. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/52132/.
Full textAbstract:
Until recently the potoroid rat kangaroo Bettongia penicillata (the woylie), once common and abundant across the southern third of Australia, was threatened with extinction, and restricted to three small populations in the southwest of Western Australia. Feral predator control and habitat management have seen a recovery in the populations of the woylie. This has provided an opportunity to study some of the functional relationships between this mycophageous marsupial and the environment it inhabits. The woylie feeds predominantly on the hypogeous faiiting bodies of ectomycorrhizal fungi, making diggings that disturb the soil surface. This study was the first to examine the impact of this digging activity (biopedturbation), on the edaphic and floristic structure of the ecosystems inhabited by woylies.
An open population of 20 - 49 woylies was studied in a 70 ha area of the Dryandra Woodland, approximately 200 km to the southeast of Perth. The total number of woylie diggings estimated in the study site ranged from 5 000 ha^-1 year^-1 in April 1995 to 16 000 ha^-1 year^-1 in April 1996. This corresponds to a digging rate of between 38 to 115 diggings woylie^-1 night^-1, and an average soil turnover of approximately 6 tonnes woylie^-1 year^-1. No seasonal pattern in woylie digging activity was apparent.
The decay process in woylie diggings was examined using simulated diggings. The average period of decay for diggings less than 60 mm in depth (mean depth = 45.0 ± 1.5 mm) was 29.5 ± 3.1 weeks. The average period of decay for diggings equal to or greater than 60 mm (mean depth 75.9 ± 3.1 mm) was 79 ± 10 weeks. There was a significant relationship between the initial depth of the digging and the period of decay (r^2 = 0.534, p < 0.001). Loose coarse organic material was found in all diggings before they were completely filled-in.
Soils in the study site were found to be water repellent, usually in the top 1 cm of the soil, and as woylies forage for hypogeous fungi they disturb this surface layer. In situ measurements showed the undisturbed woodland soil surface was severely water repellent, whereas diggings had low water repellency and acted as preferential water infiltration paths after autumn rainfall events. In simulated diggings the low water repellence of the soil disappeared after approximately 2 years and organic material accumulated in the diggings, resulting in the formation of sub-surface water repellency at the base of the filled-in digging. In 25% of simulated diggings this buried organic material was invaded by masses of fungal hyphae which contributed significantly to the sub-surface water repellence. Thus, soil water repellency in the southwest of Western Australia is spatially and temporally heterogeneous and this heterogeneity is caused by digging animals.
The distribution of soil nutrients, soil bulk density and soil particle size were also affected by woylie digging. In simulated diggings, available nitrate, ammonium and sulphur were significantly lower in decayed diggings than in undisturbed soils. Nitrate is susceptible to leaching in preferential water infiltration areas, whilst equilibrium reactions between ammonium and nitrate, and between sulphur and the mobile sulphate, can potentially result in decreases in both of these soil nutrients in water infiltration zones over time.
Soil bulk density decreased significantly in both decayed simulated diggings and also at the larger quadrat scale. Areas excluded from woylie digging had a significantly higher soil bulk density than those subjected to digging, and excluded areas had soil bulk densities similar to woodlands where woylies did not occur. Remnant woodlands where digging animals are extinct may have soil physical properties that are less amenable to plant growth and productivity than where they are present.
Soils in decayed diggings had a lower mean particle size, especially in soils with a high gravel content. The decay process favours the mobilisation of finer particles from the digging spoil which appear to wash back into the digging itself. The result is a surface soil with a heterogeneous particle size distribution. Digging by woylies results in patches of fine soil interspersed with coarse gravel piles on the surface.
Woylie exclusion did not change plant recruitment or plant growth. Established woody perennials are unlikely to be grazed by woylies, which are predominantly mycophageous. Other studies have shown that a reduction in the productivity due to herbivory of plants that have symbiotic relationships with ectomycorrhizae results in a reduction in the productivity of mycorrhizal fungi. However, although this study showed no direct herbivory by woylies upon woody perennials, they were observed digging for the bulbs of hemicryptophytes (family Haemondoraceae) and also caching fruits of Santalum trees. Thus, direct interactions between the woylie and certain woodland species do occur.
The soils of the southwest of Western Australia reflect deep in situ weathering of the laterite profile, indicative of a geologically stable environment. However, this study concludes that, at a smaller scale, southwestern Australian soils are subject to dynamic processes that create heterogenous soils, both spatially and temporally. The driving force behind these processes is the digging fauna. Digging is a significant perturbation in the environment and the changes that occur as a result of biopedturbation affect a number of important soil properties. The management of woodland and forest ecosystems where these fauna are now extinct may not reflect the true nature of these ecosystems and suggests that the maintenance of a diverse vertebrate fauna may be important to them.
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McComas, Magers Robyn. "Interactions in the space of one tree." Thesis, View thesis View thesis, 2002. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/25847.
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This exegesis forms part of a cycle in the author's ongoing journey into the space of one tree, Eucalyptus gummifera. Many previously unchartered zones of experience give rise to experiences which are perceived slowly, with an open mind, in order to communicate an assemblage of experiences, objects and data which have come together to represent a reading of elements of the landscape of the Sydney Basin, one place where Eucalyptus gummifera grows. Each element has a niche within a specific grid of interaction that takes place in this lived environment. The work surveys fields of physical objects and relationships, inspiring new readings and translations of the landscape of one's own discoveries. Here the world acquires perspective and significance which enables fresh understandings and the deeper accquisition of knowledge. Thus the interactions in this sequence of the author's journeys into the space of one tree reveal further elements of the spatial landscape of Eucalyptus gummifera.
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Griffin, Tony. "Between the winter and the dog trap." Thesis, University of Ballarat, 2009. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/38243.
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This research is concerned with a visual exploration and recording of that small area of the Golden Plains Shire on the outskirts of the Western Victorian city of Ballarat. Specifically I have investigated aspects of change as witnessed in the landscape within walking distance of my home between the Winter Creek and the Dog Trap Creek. The nature of change is significant as it shapes the physical, social and spiritual narratives played out before the frequent visitor.Master of Arts
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McWilliams, Amber. "Our lands, our selves : the postcolonial literary landscape of Maurice Gee and David Malouf /." e-Thesis University of Auckland, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/5617.
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Thesis (PhD--English)--University of Auckland, 2009."Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy in English, the University of Auckland, 2009." Includes bibliographical references.
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Carroll, Rachel Art College of Fine Arts UNSW. "What kind of relationship with nature does art provide?" Awarded by:University of New South Wales. Art, 2007. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/43308.
Full textAbstract:
The relationship with nature through art has been explored as a two fold bond. The first considers a relationship with nature via art and science, where the history and contemporary application of scientific illustration in art is explored; while the second explores past and present connections with nature via art and the landscape, particularly the panoramic tradition. Historically these relationships have predominately been about dominating nature, mans dominion over the land. Science was seen as the only authority, while our relationships with the land in art, positioned the viewer at a commanding distance above and over the land, as seen in the post colonial panoramic tradition. In contrast, -The Coorong Series- explores a lived history with nature rather than the historical role of dominance. -The Coorong Series" explores a relationship of knowledge, understanding, and the experience of nature; through two parts. The first combines art and science in -The Coorong Specimen Series', to explore the facts and knowledge that science has provided about certain plants, birds and marine life from the Coorong. Inspiration has been derived from 19thC scientific illustrations and the lyrical prints of the Coorong by Australian Artist John Olsen. Part two explores the immersive experience of the iconic landscape in ???The Coorong Landscape Series" providing a relationship that seeks to understand the functionality of the location and to celebrate the unique beauty of this diverse region. Inspiration has been gained from the landscapes by l8th and 19th C artists John Constable and Claude Monet, along with landscapes by contemporary artists, John Walker and Mandy Martin. Through aesthetic notions such as scientific illustration, panoramic landscape, immersive scale, the collection of work, an expressionistic use of paint, and labeling of each piece like a museum display. -The Coorong landscape series" provides an exploration of a region that immerses the viewer in an experience of the location. The series portrays a relationship with nature through art that educates the viewer about The Coorong region. Connections are made between the land, birds, plants, fish, and human interaction; which results in an ecological consideration of the Coorong. Ultimately it is the educational experience that art provides allowing the viewer to explore a plethora of relationships within nature, and to explore how these relationships have changed or continue to exist within this era.
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Gray, John Edmund, and n/a. "T. C. G. Weston (1886-1935), horticulturalist and arboriculturalist : a critical review of his contribution to the establishment of the landscape foundations of Australia's National Capital." University of Canberra. Applied Science, 1999. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060712.154510.
Full textAbstract:
My thesis research concerns Thomas Charles George Weston (1866-1935). Its principal
focus is his landscape vision for Australia's national capital in its founding days and his
innovative horticultural and arboricultural work in that vision's execution. Between 1913
and 1926 his work involved reversing, by afforestation planting and conservation measures,
the existing process of degradation of the site's landscape. He also achieved for the
new city a densely planted landscape using indigenous and exotic trees and shrubs.
Weston's pioneering work made a significant contribution to Canberra's contemporary
'city in the landscape' image.
Part of my research is about understanding the context of Weston's earlier professional
experiences in Britain and New South Wales in the period 1878 to 1912. A brief
insight into his personal life and career shows how the people he worked for, the skills he
acquired, and the type of landscapes he worked in shaped his approach to his landscape
activity at Canberra. Of particular note are the valuable influences of David Thomson
and Joseph Maiden, respected figures in botany and horticulture in Britain and Australia
respectively.
My research on Weston's achievements in Canberra demonstrates his technical and
professional thoroughness. I have documented all his work on a project-by-project basis
to provide accurate reference material for on-going professional practice and research.
His afforestation and conservation work from 1913 onwards and his urban planting in
the crucial 1921 to 1926 period reflects the depth of his training and skills and understanding
of landscape. Analyses of disputes between Weston and others including Walter
Burley Griffin demonstrate the soundness of his professional judgment.
I have concluded that Charles Weston had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve,
the necessary skills and experience to achieve that vision and a thorough understanding
of the national capital site. He also possessed the necessary personal qualities to achieve
his vision which responded sensitively to the aspirations of Australians for their national
capital. Largely because of Weston Canberra will remain a highly significant step in the
development of Australian landscape architecture.
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Angel, Antonia Sara. "Landscape genetics and the effects of climate change on the population viability of declining avifauna in fragmented eucalypt woodlands of the West Australian wheatbelt." Thesis, Angel, Antonia Sara (2015) Landscape genetics and the effects of climate change on the population viability of declining avifauna in fragmented eucalypt woodlands of the West Australian wheatbelt. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2015. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/26420/.
Full textAbstract:
The Rufous Treecreeper (Climacteris rufa), Yellow-plumed honeyeater (Lichenostomus ornatus) and the Western Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria griseogularis) are focal species and were investigated to assess the impacts of climate change and severe habitat fragmentation on the genetics and viability of remaining populations. This study was located within the west Australian wheatbelt where 93% of the native vegetation, including 97% of the York gum, wandoo and salmon gum woodlands have been cleared for agriculture (Saunders, et al., 1989) and where climate modelling predicts hotter and dryer weather conditions (CSIRO, 2005, IOCI, 2002). The Dryandra woodlands contains the largest native vegetation remnants in the central wheatbelt with a combined area of 28 066 ha and provides habitat for a diverse assemblage of flora and fauna many of which are in Decline, Threatened or Specially Protected (NWC, 1991).
The effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on the gene flow and population structure on the Rufous Treecreeper, was assessed within the Dryandra woodlands and across a range of fragmented habitat spanning approximately 100 km. Microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA data was applied to a spatial genetic and phylogeographic analysis. AMOVA shows genetic variation to be higher within populations (78%) than among populations (22%) and populations did not conform to Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium. This infers gene flow exceeds genetic drift across the region and the presence of migration between remnant habitats. Isolation by Distance was not found within Dryandra or across the region and infers the effective dispersal distance of the Rufous Treecreeper exceeds the geographical distance of sampling sites. However a Mantel’s Test found a correlation (r=0.316, p=0.004) with a distance of 28kms, within the Dryandra woodlands. A Spatial Autocorrelation of microsatellite DNA found a genetic structure of up to approximately 25kms (V=0.55) and beyond the Dryandra woodlands, shows genetic discontinuities where dispersal is more likely to occur. Landscape interpolation of genetic distance shows high genetic differentiation within the Dryandra woodlands and decreasing in an easterly direction where habitat size decreases and the distance between habitat increases. The Maximum Difference Delaunay Triangulation shows population boundaries of 12 populations within the woodlands including 3 central populations that are 1.3 km apart. A Bayesian Computation of microsatellites found a Continent-Island pattern of population structure across a distance of 85 km. Ritland’s Kinship Coefficient found dispersal patterns amongst populations within the Dryandra woodlands and a genetic neighbourhood size of about 1.7 km. Loiselle’s Kinship Coefficient found a unidirectional pattern of migration from the woodlands to smaller, isolated habitats with a maximum dispersal distance of 48 km. A Landscape Interpolation of male and female Rufous Treecreepers show a female bias in dispersal from Dryandra, with higher genetic divergence patterns in isolated remnants where habitat and nesting hollows are limiting.
Rufous Treecreeper mitochondrial DNA (partial cytochrome b gene) data was applied to the Mantel’s Test and found no correlation in Dryandra or the surrounding area but did show a positive correlation at a distance of 500kms and infers at least 2 different bioregions within this distance for this species. Results from the Interpolation and Principal Component Analysis show genetic variation decreasing with increasing distance from Dryandra in an easterly and southerly direction. The highest divergence patterns were found in Dryandra, North Yilliminning, Wickepin and Commondine Reserve. Genetic patterns with high similarity were found in Dongolocking and Highbury sites south- east of Dryandra and are most likely remnant populations that once belonged to a larger, continuous population or gene pool. A geographical distribution of shared mitochondrial haplotypes found a historical range prior to land clearing of approximately 85kms. A genealogy study based on coalescence found the earliest ancestral haplotypes belonged to Dryandra, North Yilliminning and Wickepin populations and should be prioritised for long term conservation purposes. Also, novel sequences of partial cytochrome b gene for the Yellow-plumed Honeyeater and Control Region for the Western Yellow Robin was resolved for further research.
The ecological niche and distribution of the Rufous Treecreeper was assessed using a distance based Redundancy Analysis (db-RDA) and a Habitat Suitability study. The db-RA found slope and aspect explained 29.16% (p= 0.04) of the genetic variation (phi) of mitochondrial DNA, which infers a relationship between landscape features and historical divergence patterns. Since old growth Eucalyptus wandoo trees are a critical habitat requirement for nesting hollows (Rose, 1993) a georeferenced (GIS) habitat suitability map was constructed from a vegetation survey (Coates, 1995) to show the distribution of E.wandoo and Rufous Treecreepers within Dryandra. Also using demographic information of the Rufous Treecreeper from a previous study (Luck, 2001) and RAMAS GIS (Akcakaya, 2002), it was estimated that the Dryandra contained enough suitable habitat for a maximum of 158 populations or 1 106 individuals.
The impact of climate change on the Dryandra woodlands and the Rufous Treecreeper was measured by annual rainfall measurements (BOM, 2011), satellite imagery of tree foliage cover of each sampling site and mist net capture recapture data. This study found a declining trend in rainfall patterns and in 2010, the annual rainfall (277.4mm) fell below the minimum climatic range (350mm) of E.wandoo forests. Based on climate modelling (CSIRO, 2005) the predicted reduction rainfall will eventually will negatively impact these forests by inducing a permanent state of drought. A critical threshold of 7.73% foliage cover was found, where foliage cover does not appear to recover foliage cover beyond 11.53% after a reduction to 7.73% in 2003. This indicates a critical threshold of percentage tree canopy cover for the E. wandoo in Dryandra. A linear regression found a significant relationship (p = 0.036) between previous year’s rainfall and percentage foliage cover. This delayed response to rainfall is explained by the defence mechanisms of E.wandoo that provide this species with drought tolerance (Veneklaas & Manning, 2007). A logistic regression (GLM) found foliage cover within the same year to be a significant predictor (p = 0.039) of Rufous Treecreeper captures. Therefore declining rainfall patterns and tree canopy cover have a direct impact on the abundance of Rufous Treecreepers.
The apparent survival rate estimate for the Rufous Treecreeper was 0.65 (SE 0.13) and 0.303 (SE 0.08) for the Yellow-plumed Honeyeater. Alternate modelling is required for the Yellow-plumed honeyeaters to account for their varied seasonal dispersal patterns and the Western Yellow Robin data could not be used for this demographic study because of small sample size. During 1997 and 1999 adult survival rates for Rufous Treecreepers within Dryandra was 0.76 (Luck (2001) and show the Rufous Treecreepers within the Dryandra woodlands are continuing to decline. A comparison of the two survival rates shows there is a reduction of 0.11 within an 8 year period (a single generation), which coincided with a 5.16% decrease in mean foliage cover during sampling times. This study concludes that climate change is negatively impacting E.wandoo forests and that tree foliage cover is not only a significant predictor in determining the presence of Rufous Treecreepers within the Dryandra woodlands, but also effects the short term survival and long term viability of this focal species.