Ashley M Holmes | CQ University Australia (original) (raw)

Papers by Ashley M Holmes

Research paper thumbnail of Pacific Edge: Contemporary art from coastal Queensland

Holmes, AM ORCiD: 0000-0002-6649-8660Work of leading Queensland contemporary artists who live and... more Holmes, AM ORCiD: 0000-0002-6649-8660Work of leading Queensland contemporary artists who live and work in communities throughout Queensland and who find inspiration in their coastal environments . Artists include Scott Redford, Fiona Foley, Eddie Koumans, Glen Skein and the Lockhart River Art Gang. This exhibition will explore their work in painting, printmaking, installation, sculpture and multimedia. The exhibition will include a number of leading artists-in-residence who will be able to stay and work within the Mackay community. The exhibiton was part of the 5th Regional Arts Australia National Conference: The Pacific Edge, 14-17 Sept 2006, Mackay, Australia. Two of the exhibitors were: Holly Grech-Fitzgerald: Virtual woven (Alocasia I) Ashley Holmes: Inverse Blink Regional Arts Australia National Conference (5th : 2006 : Mackay, Queensland) Exhibiting artists: Bonemap ; Sammy Clarmont ; James Esseli ; Fiona Foley ; Holly Grech ; Samantha Hobson ; Silas Hobson ; Ashley Holmes ; J...

Research paper thumbnail of Syncretism in narrativity, visuality and tactility : a case study of information visualization concerning a news media event

This article re-examines the appropriateness of a conceptual framework based on the semiotic scho... more This article re-examines the appropriateness of a conceptual framework based on the semiotic scholarship of Greimas and Courtés which Margaret Morse championed as being suitable for analysis of television and new media. That framework is supplemented with the suggestion that narrative, visual and tactile modes of communication involve syncretism. In a case study of information visualization examples produced for Australian news media during a mine collapse tragedy and rescue at the Beaconsfield Gold Mine in Tasmania in 2006 this idea is used to identify communicative qualities potentially inherent in traditional print and television and emergent new media visualization techniques

Research paper thumbnail of Software leaves its mark memes and architectonics in Australian trademarks 1950-2000 /

A timeline juxtaposing examples of trademarks registered in Australia and milestones in the devel... more A timeline juxtaposing examples of trademarks registered in Australia and milestones in the development of computer graphics hardware and software during the years 1950-2000 is used to investigate two propositions about the relationship between software tools and visual culture. One proposition is that some capabilities that had not yet been realized in software tools were pre-empted by visualizations that, in retrospect, attest to the desire to realize those techniques, such as 3D computer-aided drawing, that eventually the software made easily feasible and in some cases automated. This idea is similar to and supportive of Geoffrey Batchen’s (1999) assertion that the desire for photography in Western culture is documented as preceding photography’s invention. The other proposition is that the capabilities offered by software tools have conditioned the architectonic form and therefore the stylistic outcome of the resultant artifacts. However, the cause and effect supposition embedde...

Research paper thumbnail of Immanence and its distortions: Metaphysics of an art/science collaboration

Holmes, AM ORCiD: 0000-0002-6649-8660Presented by an artist who is also a research academic speci... more Holmes, AM ORCiD: 0000-0002-6649-8660Presented by an artist who is also a research academic specialising in creative practice, this is a reflective account of the thinking behind an art-science collaborative digital media artwork about coral spawning on the Great Barrier Reef. With reference to process philosophers Alfred North Whitehead, Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari and Henri Bergson, it is speculated how axiology in art can counter the positivism of science and address the relativism of postmodern attitudes, without didacticism. Rather, through art practice that heightens pathos and sublimity, coming to understand the immanence of cosmic creativity is portrayed as a salve to apparently insurmountably foreboding environmental challenges

Research paper thumbnail of Digitising the collection evaluating photogrammetry as a means of producing a digital, three-dimensional model

Increased demand for access to museum collections is driving a trend toward specimen digitisation... more Increased demand for access to museum collections is driving a trend toward specimen digitisation. Three dimensional (3D) digital models provide researchers with rapid on-line access and augment publications.The availability of accurate 3D digital models reduces the need for museums to loan specimens, and thus reduces risk of loss and/or damage. A digital 3D model also enables multiple researchers to examine the same specimen simultaneously. This trend has direct implications for scientific illustrators, as specimen representation or reconstruction is evolving from traditional techniques to digital technologies, and from two-dimensional visualisations to three dimensionaldigital models. The following case study documents the production of 3D digital models of palæobotanical specimens at the Queensland museum using a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) and Agisoft PhotoScan photogrammetric software. The resulting models can be shared online, viewed using a commonly available format, and tactually manipulated using a touchscreen

Research paper thumbnail of Innovation and Development Reciprocal and complementary knowledge conversion in a work integrated learning collaboration

This is a reflective discussion paper that uses a well-known theory to analyse the processes of k... more This is a reflective discussion paper that uses a well-known theory to analyse the processes of knowledge conversion (Nonaka, & von Krogh 2009) in the case of a team-based work integrated learning project involving an educational institution (the contractor) and an industry partner (the client). Advanced level undergraduate student teams on behalf of the contractor were involved in the development of interactive multimedia plant maintenance training manuals for the client. A synthesis of media modalities afforded by the interactive multimedia artefacts helped overcome a knowledge conversion risk identified in the client's workplace. The opportunity for students to authentically apply skills that had hitherto been developed only in the context of learning outcomes and course assessment, helped overcome educational risks identified as gaps between graduate and employer expectations. The client and contractor scenarios are characterised as reciprocal and complementary examples of k...

Research paper thumbnail of 2006 Issue No. 13-Making Badlands Our place: in-between the primordial and the latter?

Artistic research and subjectivity This paper presents excerpts of documentation and theoretical ... more Artistic research and subjectivity This paper presents excerpts of documentation and theoretical reflection which account for my coming-to-terms with a specific place that became the objective of my artistic engagement for a period of approximately six months during 2005. The artwork production is itself somewhat schizophrenically situated as a hybrid of experimental creative-production and scholarship (it was Donald Schön who said that reflection-inaction is susceptible to a kind of rigour that is both like and unlike the rigour of scholarly work and controlled experimentation). From the outset it was intended that such an account as this should be presented in a research forum like the one in which we are currently situated. Indeed the intention to address the theme of the "Making Badlands" conference has influenced the predisposition of the artist and aspects of the content of the resulting artifact. The paper incorporates references to texts arising from archaeological, geological, sociological and cinematographic contexts into what is essentially a phenomenological account.

Research paper thumbnail of Social creativity at the coalface: a heuristic case study incorporating non-human agency

TEXT, 2012

The safe operation of an underground coal mine is coordinated in a control room where data from a... more The safe operation of an underground coal mine is coordinated in a control room where data from a range of sensory equipment, and indeed, all communication between underground personnel and the surface, is monitored. It is here that response to any emergency is initiated. Specific hazard management plans and emergency procedures will be triggered by any one of a number of automatic or manual alarms. The complex array of information to be processed has the potential to overwhelm the cognitive capacity of the control room operator, particularly in a potentially catastrophic emergency scenario. A proprietary computer software-based system (Nexsys™) uses a rules engine to assist with real time monitoring and response affording control via a single interface. This paper arises from the experience of a designer charged with proposing a user interface design at a specific site, enabling efficient monitoring of prevalent operational conditions and prioritised, context-relevant access to technical documents, procedures and communications. It is a reflective case study account that draws on trans-disciplinary literature in order to theorise the nature of the creativity involved in implementing a user centered design approach. The heuristic analysis, from the perspective of a creative industry practitioner working in an industrial situation not commonly associated with creativity, proposes that Csikszentmihalyi's (1999) "systems perspective for the study of creativity" be appended to include non-human agency before a convincing account of the sources of creativity involved may be proposed.

Research paper thumbnail of Labpunk: curiosity, intra-action and creativeness in a physics-art collaboration

In 2014, the professional society of physicists in Australia themed their national conference “Th... more In 2014, the professional society of physicists in Australia themed their national conference “The Art of Physics” (Canberra, 7-11 December, 2014). The aim was to “stimulate diverse and creative participation in the Congress” and delegates were encouraged to be “adventurous” (“Australian Institute of Physics”). Wegener, a physicist with a deep interest in the arts, invited Milroy, an artist with a deep interest in science, to collaborate to produce a body of artistic work addressing the Congress theme. Their shared experiences as metalsmiths led to the idea to transform physics relics into wearable art and small sculptural objects. Wegener’s respect for the artefacts of physics research had resulted in a collection of lab “junk.” Making use of this variety of oddments stretched the knowledge and skill of the metalsmiths, who were forced in some cases to handle unfamiliar materials and to try new processes. The term “Labpunk” was coined to describe the resulting works of art and science. In addition to an exhibition of approximately 50 works during the Congress, individual pieces were commissioned as gifts for each of the nine plenary speakers (Figure 1). Each gift was inspired by the research interests of the speaker. Throughout the collaboration the pair followed a fourfold aspiration: to create by making wearable works of art and small sculptural objects; to reflect on their practice with special attention to recording a dialogue between the science of physics and the art of metalsmithing and jewellery-making; to interact, by networking and engaging in discourse that spans cultural divides; and to address the finite through repurposing materials (Wegener & Milroy). For this article, Wegener and Milroy invited creative practice researcher, Holmes, to extend the collaboration. Initially Holmes was actively engaged “in conversation” with photographs and several physical Labpunk works, without any prior explanation by the duo. Once Holmes had made his observations, the artists added more information about each work, in terms of inspiration, technique, process, materials, recipient’s reactions and so on. Holmes took on the role of provocateur, subsequently extending the discussion to incorporate an in-depth critique of some of the assumptions behind their aspirations, and to speculate on those works that aim to interpret and be inspired by physics as wearable art. The conversations were recorded and subsequently transcribed, edited and built on over multiple drafts, circulated by email and collaboratively negotiated. Specifically, the intent was to tease out issues of process, practice and knowledge making.

Research paper thumbnail of The artifact as evidence of novel value in design education

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2015

Qualitative data obtained by this researcher to date suggests ambiguity and uncertainty in design... more Qualitative data obtained by this researcher to date suggests ambiguity and uncertainty in design research and education, and yet ‘innovation’, ‘novelty’, and ‘utility’ are all terms of reference for formal design registration and patent assessment. Notwithstanding that patent law is a socio-political institution, and understanding it is a somewhat interpretive art in itself, this mixed method research aims to provide insight into ways to improve the design evaluation process and to provide a new approach to design education curricular. In keeping with the aim, valid evidence as to how the axioms of value and law are compatible with design research is sought. The hybrid mixed research method includes practice-led approach, involving application for design registration of a human computer interface artifact. It is intended that analysis of this process will inform a solution for the elusive validation and measuring of design artifact outcomes, and a credible and scholarly assessment ...

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of Novelty for Intellectual Property with Implications for Design Education: A Case Study

The International Journal of Design Education, 2016

Broadly-speaking, the paradigm of knowledge-building in education involves training students to a... more Broadly-speaking, the paradigm of knowledge-building in education involves training students to attribute antecedent ideas, usually in the form of texts. Lack of appropriate attribution in the form of referencing is seen as academic misconduct—plagiarism. In most disciplines, there are levels of expectation with regard to novel contribution commensurate with the level of qualification. Whereas for most other disciplines original contributions are expected only at the highest bands, with design disciplines, the emphasis tends to be on creativity, novelty, and innovation from the outset. Design education tasks are commonly project-based problem solving, with the outcome often being represented in the form of an artefact. Working on the assumption that there are institutionalised processes that enable designs and patents to be registered on the basis of novelty, this paper documents a case study of just such an application to IP Australia. The outcome does not convince the authors that meaningful criteria, appropriate for evaluating novelty in design education, may be extrapolated from the current process for examining and determining novelty for the purpose of design registration in Australia. However, after subsequent analysis, it is proposed that, for the purpose of examining design artefacts in the educational context, rather than the typical originality disclaimer that highlights the issue of plagiarism, a "statement of novelty" with respect to the artefact should be submitted. The shift in focus would be subtle but significant because it would highlight for students the importance of recognition of the worth of their own creative originality, and prepare the way for a more pragmatic culture of innovation.

Research paper thumbnail of Reconciling Experimentum and Experientia: Reflective Practice Research Methodology for the Creative Industries”

Speculation & Innovation: Applying Practice-Led …, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Our place: in-between the primordial and the latter?

Transformations Journal, 2006

This paper presents excerpts of documentation and theoretical reflection which account for my com... more This paper presents excerpts of documentation and theoretical reflection which account for my coming-to-terms with a specific place that became the objective of my artistic engagement for a period of approximately six months during 2005. The artwork production ...

Research paper thumbnail of Prior Art: Disclosing a Risk for Design Education

Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal—Annual Review, 2015

ABSTRACT The research sets out to establish whether or not there is evidence of clear criteria be... more ABSTRACT The research sets out to establish whether or not there is evidence of clear criteria being applied to the institutionalized processes that are intended to validate designs as being novel and unique in the commercial arena. If so then design researchers, educators and students should be able to use these as a scaffold to provide evidence of the value of their outcomes. The process of design registration with IP Australia is used as a benchmark. Knowledge and understanding of the term prior art is investigated using a survey and interviews. Prior art is loosely defined as the process of determining/verifying the novelty and distinctiveness of a design artifact. Initial findings are that the term ‘prior art’ is little understood. This has significant implications for design education. Assignment submission forms collected from 39 Australian higher educational institutions all require students to agree that they understand what plagiarism is and warrant that they have not plagiarized the works of others. In the context of assessment of design, this should require understanding the concept of prior art. Yet the research data confirms that few in the field understand the significance of prior art.

Research paper thumbnail of Cohesion, Adhesion and Incoherence: Magazine Production with a Flickr Special Interest Group

M/C Journal, 2010

This paper provides embedded, reflective practice-based insight arising from my experience collab... more This paper provides embedded, reflective practice-based insight arising from my experience collaborating to produce online and print-on-demand editions of a magazine showcasing the photography of members of haphazart! Contemporary s group (hereafter referred to as haphazart!). The group’s online visual, textual and activity-based practices via the photo sharing social networking site Flickr are portrayed as achieving cohesive visual identity. Stylistic analysis of pictures in support of this claim is not attempted. Rather negotiation, that Elliot has previously described in M/C Journal as innate in collaboration, is identified as the unifying factor. However, the collaborators’ adherence to Flickr’s communication platform proves problematic in the editorial context. Some technical incoherence with possible broader cultural implications is encountered during the process of repurposing images from screen to print. A Scan of Relevant Literature The photographic gaze perceives and capt...

Research paper thumbnail of The artifact as evidence of novel value in design education

Qualitative data obtained by this researcher to date suggests ambiguity and uncertainty in design... more Qualitative data obtained by this researcher to date suggests ambiguity and uncertainty in design research and education, and yet ‘innovation’, ‘novelty’, and ‘utility’ are all terms of reference for formal design registration and patent assessment. Notwithstanding that patent law is a socio-political institution, and understanding it is a somewhat interpretive art in itself, this mixed method research aims to provide insight into ways to improve the design evaluation process and to provide a new approach to design education curricular. In keeping with the aim, valid evidence as to how the axioms of value and law are compatible with design research is sought. The hybrid mixed research method includes practice-led approach, involving application for design registration of a human computer interface artifact. It is intended that analysis of this process will inform a solution for the elusive validation and measuring of design artifact outcomes, and a credible and scholarly assessment ...

Research paper thumbnail of The artefact as evidence of novel value in design education

The artefact as evidence of novel value in design education. Abstract Qualitative data obtained b... more The artefact as evidence of novel value in design education. Abstract Qualitative data obtained by this researcher to date suggests ambiguity and uncertainty in design research and education, and yet 'innovation', 'novelty', and 'utility' are all terms of reference for formal design registration and patent assessment. Notwithstanding that patent law is a socio-political institution, and understanding it is a somewhat interpretive art in itself, this mixed method research aims to provide insight into ways to improve the design evaluation process and to provide a new approach to design education curricular. In keeping with the aim, valid evidence as to how the axioms of value and law are compatible with design research is sought. The hybrid mixed research method includes practice-led approach, involving application for design registration of a human computer interface artefact. It is intended that analysis of this process will inform a solution for the elusive validation and measuring of design artefact outcomes, and a credible and scholarly assessment model for design researchers. This paper specifically discusses the role of the artefact itself in establishing value, using as a starting point the Design Research conceptual framework of Bruce Archer and Phil Roberts.

Research paper thumbnail of Prior Art: Disclosing a Risk for Design Education

The research sets out to establish whether or not there is evidence of clear criteria being appli... more The research sets out to establish whether or not there is evidence of clear criteria being applied to the institutionalized processes that are intended to validate designs as being novel and unique in the commercial arena. If so then design researchers, educators and students should be able to use these as a scaffold to provide evidence of the value of their outcomes. The process of design registration with IP Australia is used as a benchmark. Knowledge and understanding of the term prior art is investigated using a survey and interviews. Prior art is loosely defined as the process of determining/verifying the novelty and distinctiveness of a design artifact. Initial findings are that the term " prior art " is little understood. This has significant implications for design education. Assignment submission forms collected from 39 Australian higher educational institutions all require students to agree that they understand what plagiarism is and warrant that they have not plagiarized the works of others. In the context of assessment of design, this should require understanding the concept of prior art. Yet the research data confirms that few in the field understand the significance of prior art.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of Novelty for Intellectual Property with implications for Design Education: Case Study

Broadly-speaking, the paradigm of knowledge-building in education involves training students to a... more Broadly-speaking, the paradigm of knowledge-building in education involves training students to attribute antecedent ideas, usually in the form of texts. Lack of appropriate attribution in the form of referencing is seen as academic misconduct—plagiarism. In most disciplines, there are levels of expectation with regard to novel contribution commensurate with the level of qualification. Whereas for most other disciplines original contributions are expected only at the highest bands, with design disciplines, the emphasis tends to be on creativity, novelty, and innovation from the outset. Design education tasks are commonly project-based problem solving, with the outcome often being represented in the form of an artefact. Working on the assumption that there are institutionalised processes that enable designs and patents to be registered on the basis of novelty, this paper documents a case study of just such an application to IP Australia. The outcome does not convince the author that meaningful criteria, appropriate for evaluating novelty in design education, may be extrapolated from the current process for examining and determining novelty for the purpose of design registration in Australia. However, after subsequent analysis, it is proposed that, for the purpose of examining design artefacts in the educational context, rather than the typical originality disclaimer that highlights the issue of plagiarism, a " statement of novelty " with respect to the artefact should be submitted. The shift in focus would be subtle but significant because it would highlight for students the importance of recognition of the worth of their own creative originality, and prepare the way for a more pragmatic culture of innovation.

Research paper thumbnail of Digitising the collection: Evaluating photogrammetry as a means of producing a digital, three dimensional model.

Increased demand for access to museum collections is driving a trend toward specimen digitisation... more Increased demand for access to museum collections is
driving a trend toward specimen digitisation. Three
dimensional (3D) digital models provide researchers
with rapid on-line access and augment publications.
The availability of accurate 3D digital models reduces
the need for museums to loan specimens, and thus
reduces risk of loss and/or damage. A digital 3D
model also enables multiple researchers to examine
the same specimen simultaneously. This trend has
direct implications for scientific illustrators, as
specimen representation or reconstruction is evolving
from traditional techniques to digital technologies,
and from two-dimensional visualisations to threedimensional
digital models. The following case study
documents the production of 3D digital models
of palæobotanical specimens at the Queensland
museum using a digital single lens reflex camera
(DSLR) and Agisoft PhotoScan photogrammetric
software. The resulting models can be shared online,
viewed using a commonly available format, and
tactually manipulated using a touchscreen.

Research paper thumbnail of Pacific Edge: Contemporary art from coastal Queensland

Holmes, AM ORCiD: 0000-0002-6649-8660Work of leading Queensland contemporary artists who live and... more Holmes, AM ORCiD: 0000-0002-6649-8660Work of leading Queensland contemporary artists who live and work in communities throughout Queensland and who find inspiration in their coastal environments . Artists include Scott Redford, Fiona Foley, Eddie Koumans, Glen Skein and the Lockhart River Art Gang. This exhibition will explore their work in painting, printmaking, installation, sculpture and multimedia. The exhibition will include a number of leading artists-in-residence who will be able to stay and work within the Mackay community. The exhibiton was part of the 5th Regional Arts Australia National Conference: The Pacific Edge, 14-17 Sept 2006, Mackay, Australia. Two of the exhibitors were: Holly Grech-Fitzgerald: Virtual woven (Alocasia I) Ashley Holmes: Inverse Blink Regional Arts Australia National Conference (5th : 2006 : Mackay, Queensland) Exhibiting artists: Bonemap ; Sammy Clarmont ; James Esseli ; Fiona Foley ; Holly Grech ; Samantha Hobson ; Silas Hobson ; Ashley Holmes ; J...

Research paper thumbnail of Syncretism in narrativity, visuality and tactility : a case study of information visualization concerning a news media event

This article re-examines the appropriateness of a conceptual framework based on the semiotic scho... more This article re-examines the appropriateness of a conceptual framework based on the semiotic scholarship of Greimas and Courtés which Margaret Morse championed as being suitable for analysis of television and new media. That framework is supplemented with the suggestion that narrative, visual and tactile modes of communication involve syncretism. In a case study of information visualization examples produced for Australian news media during a mine collapse tragedy and rescue at the Beaconsfield Gold Mine in Tasmania in 2006 this idea is used to identify communicative qualities potentially inherent in traditional print and television and emergent new media visualization techniques

Research paper thumbnail of Software leaves its mark memes and architectonics in Australian trademarks 1950-2000 /

A timeline juxtaposing examples of trademarks registered in Australia and milestones in the devel... more A timeline juxtaposing examples of trademarks registered in Australia and milestones in the development of computer graphics hardware and software during the years 1950-2000 is used to investigate two propositions about the relationship between software tools and visual culture. One proposition is that some capabilities that had not yet been realized in software tools were pre-empted by visualizations that, in retrospect, attest to the desire to realize those techniques, such as 3D computer-aided drawing, that eventually the software made easily feasible and in some cases automated. This idea is similar to and supportive of Geoffrey Batchen’s (1999) assertion that the desire for photography in Western culture is documented as preceding photography’s invention. The other proposition is that the capabilities offered by software tools have conditioned the architectonic form and therefore the stylistic outcome of the resultant artifacts. However, the cause and effect supposition embedde...

Research paper thumbnail of Immanence and its distortions: Metaphysics of an art/science collaboration

Holmes, AM ORCiD: 0000-0002-6649-8660Presented by an artist who is also a research academic speci... more Holmes, AM ORCiD: 0000-0002-6649-8660Presented by an artist who is also a research academic specialising in creative practice, this is a reflective account of the thinking behind an art-science collaborative digital media artwork about coral spawning on the Great Barrier Reef. With reference to process philosophers Alfred North Whitehead, Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari and Henri Bergson, it is speculated how axiology in art can counter the positivism of science and address the relativism of postmodern attitudes, without didacticism. Rather, through art practice that heightens pathos and sublimity, coming to understand the immanence of cosmic creativity is portrayed as a salve to apparently insurmountably foreboding environmental challenges

Research paper thumbnail of Digitising the collection evaluating photogrammetry as a means of producing a digital, three-dimensional model

Increased demand for access to museum collections is driving a trend toward specimen digitisation... more Increased demand for access to museum collections is driving a trend toward specimen digitisation. Three dimensional (3D) digital models provide researchers with rapid on-line access and augment publications.The availability of accurate 3D digital models reduces the need for museums to loan specimens, and thus reduces risk of loss and/or damage. A digital 3D model also enables multiple researchers to examine the same specimen simultaneously. This trend has direct implications for scientific illustrators, as specimen representation or reconstruction is evolving from traditional techniques to digital technologies, and from two-dimensional visualisations to three dimensionaldigital models. The following case study documents the production of 3D digital models of palæobotanical specimens at the Queensland museum using a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) and Agisoft PhotoScan photogrammetric software. The resulting models can be shared online, viewed using a commonly available format, and tactually manipulated using a touchscreen

Research paper thumbnail of Innovation and Development Reciprocal and complementary knowledge conversion in a work integrated learning collaboration

This is a reflective discussion paper that uses a well-known theory to analyse the processes of k... more This is a reflective discussion paper that uses a well-known theory to analyse the processes of knowledge conversion (Nonaka, & von Krogh 2009) in the case of a team-based work integrated learning project involving an educational institution (the contractor) and an industry partner (the client). Advanced level undergraduate student teams on behalf of the contractor were involved in the development of interactive multimedia plant maintenance training manuals for the client. A synthesis of media modalities afforded by the interactive multimedia artefacts helped overcome a knowledge conversion risk identified in the client's workplace. The opportunity for students to authentically apply skills that had hitherto been developed only in the context of learning outcomes and course assessment, helped overcome educational risks identified as gaps between graduate and employer expectations. The client and contractor scenarios are characterised as reciprocal and complementary examples of k...

Research paper thumbnail of 2006 Issue No. 13-Making Badlands Our place: in-between the primordial and the latter?

Artistic research and subjectivity This paper presents excerpts of documentation and theoretical ... more Artistic research and subjectivity This paper presents excerpts of documentation and theoretical reflection which account for my coming-to-terms with a specific place that became the objective of my artistic engagement for a period of approximately six months during 2005. The artwork production is itself somewhat schizophrenically situated as a hybrid of experimental creative-production and scholarship (it was Donald Schön who said that reflection-inaction is susceptible to a kind of rigour that is both like and unlike the rigour of scholarly work and controlled experimentation). From the outset it was intended that such an account as this should be presented in a research forum like the one in which we are currently situated. Indeed the intention to address the theme of the "Making Badlands" conference has influenced the predisposition of the artist and aspects of the content of the resulting artifact. The paper incorporates references to texts arising from archaeological, geological, sociological and cinematographic contexts into what is essentially a phenomenological account.

Research paper thumbnail of Social creativity at the coalface: a heuristic case study incorporating non-human agency

TEXT, 2012

The safe operation of an underground coal mine is coordinated in a control room where data from a... more The safe operation of an underground coal mine is coordinated in a control room where data from a range of sensory equipment, and indeed, all communication between underground personnel and the surface, is monitored. It is here that response to any emergency is initiated. Specific hazard management plans and emergency procedures will be triggered by any one of a number of automatic or manual alarms. The complex array of information to be processed has the potential to overwhelm the cognitive capacity of the control room operator, particularly in a potentially catastrophic emergency scenario. A proprietary computer software-based system (Nexsys™) uses a rules engine to assist with real time monitoring and response affording control via a single interface. This paper arises from the experience of a designer charged with proposing a user interface design at a specific site, enabling efficient monitoring of prevalent operational conditions and prioritised, context-relevant access to technical documents, procedures and communications. It is a reflective case study account that draws on trans-disciplinary literature in order to theorise the nature of the creativity involved in implementing a user centered design approach. The heuristic analysis, from the perspective of a creative industry practitioner working in an industrial situation not commonly associated with creativity, proposes that Csikszentmihalyi's (1999) "systems perspective for the study of creativity" be appended to include non-human agency before a convincing account of the sources of creativity involved may be proposed.

Research paper thumbnail of Labpunk: curiosity, intra-action and creativeness in a physics-art collaboration

In 2014, the professional society of physicists in Australia themed their national conference “Th... more In 2014, the professional society of physicists in Australia themed their national conference “The Art of Physics” (Canberra, 7-11 December, 2014). The aim was to “stimulate diverse and creative participation in the Congress” and delegates were encouraged to be “adventurous” (“Australian Institute of Physics”). Wegener, a physicist with a deep interest in the arts, invited Milroy, an artist with a deep interest in science, to collaborate to produce a body of artistic work addressing the Congress theme. Their shared experiences as metalsmiths led to the idea to transform physics relics into wearable art and small sculptural objects. Wegener’s respect for the artefacts of physics research had resulted in a collection of lab “junk.” Making use of this variety of oddments stretched the knowledge and skill of the metalsmiths, who were forced in some cases to handle unfamiliar materials and to try new processes. The term “Labpunk” was coined to describe the resulting works of art and science. In addition to an exhibition of approximately 50 works during the Congress, individual pieces were commissioned as gifts for each of the nine plenary speakers (Figure 1). Each gift was inspired by the research interests of the speaker. Throughout the collaboration the pair followed a fourfold aspiration: to create by making wearable works of art and small sculptural objects; to reflect on their practice with special attention to recording a dialogue between the science of physics and the art of metalsmithing and jewellery-making; to interact, by networking and engaging in discourse that spans cultural divides; and to address the finite through repurposing materials (Wegener & Milroy). For this article, Wegener and Milroy invited creative practice researcher, Holmes, to extend the collaboration. Initially Holmes was actively engaged “in conversation” with photographs and several physical Labpunk works, without any prior explanation by the duo. Once Holmes had made his observations, the artists added more information about each work, in terms of inspiration, technique, process, materials, recipient’s reactions and so on. Holmes took on the role of provocateur, subsequently extending the discussion to incorporate an in-depth critique of some of the assumptions behind their aspirations, and to speculate on those works that aim to interpret and be inspired by physics as wearable art. The conversations were recorded and subsequently transcribed, edited and built on over multiple drafts, circulated by email and collaboratively negotiated. Specifically, the intent was to tease out issues of process, practice and knowledge making.

Research paper thumbnail of The artifact as evidence of novel value in design education

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2015

Qualitative data obtained by this researcher to date suggests ambiguity and uncertainty in design... more Qualitative data obtained by this researcher to date suggests ambiguity and uncertainty in design research and education, and yet ‘innovation’, ‘novelty’, and ‘utility’ are all terms of reference for formal design registration and patent assessment. Notwithstanding that patent law is a socio-political institution, and understanding it is a somewhat interpretive art in itself, this mixed method research aims to provide insight into ways to improve the design evaluation process and to provide a new approach to design education curricular. In keeping with the aim, valid evidence as to how the axioms of value and law are compatible with design research is sought. The hybrid mixed research method includes practice-led approach, involving application for design registration of a human computer interface artifact. It is intended that analysis of this process will inform a solution for the elusive validation and measuring of design artifact outcomes, and a credible and scholarly assessment ...

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of Novelty for Intellectual Property with Implications for Design Education: A Case Study

The International Journal of Design Education, 2016

Broadly-speaking, the paradigm of knowledge-building in education involves training students to a... more Broadly-speaking, the paradigm of knowledge-building in education involves training students to attribute antecedent ideas, usually in the form of texts. Lack of appropriate attribution in the form of referencing is seen as academic misconduct—plagiarism. In most disciplines, there are levels of expectation with regard to novel contribution commensurate with the level of qualification. Whereas for most other disciplines original contributions are expected only at the highest bands, with design disciplines, the emphasis tends to be on creativity, novelty, and innovation from the outset. Design education tasks are commonly project-based problem solving, with the outcome often being represented in the form of an artefact. Working on the assumption that there are institutionalised processes that enable designs and patents to be registered on the basis of novelty, this paper documents a case study of just such an application to IP Australia. The outcome does not convince the authors that meaningful criteria, appropriate for evaluating novelty in design education, may be extrapolated from the current process for examining and determining novelty for the purpose of design registration in Australia. However, after subsequent analysis, it is proposed that, for the purpose of examining design artefacts in the educational context, rather than the typical originality disclaimer that highlights the issue of plagiarism, a "statement of novelty" with respect to the artefact should be submitted. The shift in focus would be subtle but significant because it would highlight for students the importance of recognition of the worth of their own creative originality, and prepare the way for a more pragmatic culture of innovation.

Research paper thumbnail of Reconciling Experimentum and Experientia: Reflective Practice Research Methodology for the Creative Industries”

Speculation & Innovation: Applying Practice-Led …, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Our place: in-between the primordial and the latter?

Transformations Journal, 2006

This paper presents excerpts of documentation and theoretical reflection which account for my com... more This paper presents excerpts of documentation and theoretical reflection which account for my coming-to-terms with a specific place that became the objective of my artistic engagement for a period of approximately six months during 2005. The artwork production ...

Research paper thumbnail of Prior Art: Disclosing a Risk for Design Education

Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal—Annual Review, 2015

ABSTRACT The research sets out to establish whether or not there is evidence of clear criteria be... more ABSTRACT The research sets out to establish whether or not there is evidence of clear criteria being applied to the institutionalized processes that are intended to validate designs as being novel and unique in the commercial arena. If so then design researchers, educators and students should be able to use these as a scaffold to provide evidence of the value of their outcomes. The process of design registration with IP Australia is used as a benchmark. Knowledge and understanding of the term prior art is investigated using a survey and interviews. Prior art is loosely defined as the process of determining/verifying the novelty and distinctiveness of a design artifact. Initial findings are that the term ‘prior art’ is little understood. This has significant implications for design education. Assignment submission forms collected from 39 Australian higher educational institutions all require students to agree that they understand what plagiarism is and warrant that they have not plagiarized the works of others. In the context of assessment of design, this should require understanding the concept of prior art. Yet the research data confirms that few in the field understand the significance of prior art.

Research paper thumbnail of Cohesion, Adhesion and Incoherence: Magazine Production with a Flickr Special Interest Group

M/C Journal, 2010

This paper provides embedded, reflective practice-based insight arising from my experience collab... more This paper provides embedded, reflective practice-based insight arising from my experience collaborating to produce online and print-on-demand editions of a magazine showcasing the photography of members of haphazart! Contemporary s group (hereafter referred to as haphazart!). The group’s online visual, textual and activity-based practices via the photo sharing social networking site Flickr are portrayed as achieving cohesive visual identity. Stylistic analysis of pictures in support of this claim is not attempted. Rather negotiation, that Elliot has previously described in M/C Journal as innate in collaboration, is identified as the unifying factor. However, the collaborators’ adherence to Flickr’s communication platform proves problematic in the editorial context. Some technical incoherence with possible broader cultural implications is encountered during the process of repurposing images from screen to print. A Scan of Relevant Literature The photographic gaze perceives and capt...

Research paper thumbnail of The artifact as evidence of novel value in design education

Qualitative data obtained by this researcher to date suggests ambiguity and uncertainty in design... more Qualitative data obtained by this researcher to date suggests ambiguity and uncertainty in design research and education, and yet ‘innovation’, ‘novelty’, and ‘utility’ are all terms of reference for formal design registration and patent assessment. Notwithstanding that patent law is a socio-political institution, and understanding it is a somewhat interpretive art in itself, this mixed method research aims to provide insight into ways to improve the design evaluation process and to provide a new approach to design education curricular. In keeping with the aim, valid evidence as to how the axioms of value and law are compatible with design research is sought. The hybrid mixed research method includes practice-led approach, involving application for design registration of a human computer interface artifact. It is intended that analysis of this process will inform a solution for the elusive validation and measuring of design artifact outcomes, and a credible and scholarly assessment ...

Research paper thumbnail of The artefact as evidence of novel value in design education

The artefact as evidence of novel value in design education. Abstract Qualitative data obtained b... more The artefact as evidence of novel value in design education. Abstract Qualitative data obtained by this researcher to date suggests ambiguity and uncertainty in design research and education, and yet 'innovation', 'novelty', and 'utility' are all terms of reference for formal design registration and patent assessment. Notwithstanding that patent law is a socio-political institution, and understanding it is a somewhat interpretive art in itself, this mixed method research aims to provide insight into ways to improve the design evaluation process and to provide a new approach to design education curricular. In keeping with the aim, valid evidence as to how the axioms of value and law are compatible with design research is sought. The hybrid mixed research method includes practice-led approach, involving application for design registration of a human computer interface artefact. It is intended that analysis of this process will inform a solution for the elusive validation and measuring of design artefact outcomes, and a credible and scholarly assessment model for design researchers. This paper specifically discusses the role of the artefact itself in establishing value, using as a starting point the Design Research conceptual framework of Bruce Archer and Phil Roberts.

Research paper thumbnail of Prior Art: Disclosing a Risk for Design Education

The research sets out to establish whether or not there is evidence of clear criteria being appli... more The research sets out to establish whether or not there is evidence of clear criteria being applied to the institutionalized processes that are intended to validate designs as being novel and unique in the commercial arena. If so then design researchers, educators and students should be able to use these as a scaffold to provide evidence of the value of their outcomes. The process of design registration with IP Australia is used as a benchmark. Knowledge and understanding of the term prior art is investigated using a survey and interviews. Prior art is loosely defined as the process of determining/verifying the novelty and distinctiveness of a design artifact. Initial findings are that the term " prior art " is little understood. This has significant implications for design education. Assignment submission forms collected from 39 Australian higher educational institutions all require students to agree that they understand what plagiarism is and warrant that they have not plagiarized the works of others. In the context of assessment of design, this should require understanding the concept of prior art. Yet the research data confirms that few in the field understand the significance of prior art.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of Novelty for Intellectual Property with implications for Design Education: Case Study

Broadly-speaking, the paradigm of knowledge-building in education involves training students to a... more Broadly-speaking, the paradigm of knowledge-building in education involves training students to attribute antecedent ideas, usually in the form of texts. Lack of appropriate attribution in the form of referencing is seen as academic misconduct—plagiarism. In most disciplines, there are levels of expectation with regard to novel contribution commensurate with the level of qualification. Whereas for most other disciplines original contributions are expected only at the highest bands, with design disciplines, the emphasis tends to be on creativity, novelty, and innovation from the outset. Design education tasks are commonly project-based problem solving, with the outcome often being represented in the form of an artefact. Working on the assumption that there are institutionalised processes that enable designs and patents to be registered on the basis of novelty, this paper documents a case study of just such an application to IP Australia. The outcome does not convince the author that meaningful criteria, appropriate for evaluating novelty in design education, may be extrapolated from the current process for examining and determining novelty for the purpose of design registration in Australia. However, after subsequent analysis, it is proposed that, for the purpose of examining design artefacts in the educational context, rather than the typical originality disclaimer that highlights the issue of plagiarism, a " statement of novelty " with respect to the artefact should be submitted. The shift in focus would be subtle but significant because it would highlight for students the importance of recognition of the worth of their own creative originality, and prepare the way for a more pragmatic culture of innovation.

Research paper thumbnail of Digitising the collection: Evaluating photogrammetry as a means of producing a digital, three dimensional model.

Increased demand for access to museum collections is driving a trend toward specimen digitisation... more Increased demand for access to museum collections is
driving a trend toward specimen digitisation. Three
dimensional (3D) digital models provide researchers
with rapid on-line access and augment publications.
The availability of accurate 3D digital models reduces
the need for museums to loan specimens, and thus
reduces risk of loss and/or damage. A digital 3D
model also enables multiple researchers to examine
the same specimen simultaneously. This trend has
direct implications for scientific illustrators, as
specimen representation or reconstruction is evolving
from traditional techniques to digital technologies,
and from two-dimensional visualisations to threedimensional
digital models. The following case study
documents the production of 3D digital models
of palæobotanical specimens at the Queensland
museum using a digital single lens reflex camera
(DSLR) and Agisoft PhotoScan photogrammetric
software. The resulting models can be shared online,
viewed using a commonly available format, and
tactually manipulated using a touchscreen.

Research paper thumbnail of Immanence and Its Distortions: Metaphysics of an Art/Science Collaboration

Continental philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari wrote about a cosmic kind of creativit... more Continental philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari wrote about a cosmic kind of creativity that exists in all things, the recognition of which demands of us a special kind of responsibility and action. Deleuze describes a pure existence founded in this truth as the plane or plan of immanence, and he thinks that immanence can be distorted in different, but related ways, by both religion and by science. He was influenced in part by Henri Bergson who proposed the term Élan Vital, which is often translated as " vital force. " Bergson thought that this force was behind biological and inorganic evolution. However, this line of thinking is criticised by some philosophers and scientific positivists as naive " panvitalism " or " hylozoism. " The meaning of these terms is: in the case of the former, that all things are part of a living universe; and, in the case of the latter, that material things may possess life, and life is inseparable from matter. In the face of the quandary caused by the discoveries of quantum physics, Alfred North Whitehead, an English metaphysician from early C20th is gaining renewed interest with his process theory that places emphasis on events, modes of becoming, and types of occurrences. Interestingly he is also claimed to have coined the term " creativity " with respect to cosmology, and, not necessarily attributed to human endeavour. Presented by an artist who is also a research academic specialising in creative practice, this is a reflective account of the thinking behind an art-science collaborative digital media artwork about coral spawning on the Great Barrier Reef. Referring to the aforementioned authors, it is speculated how axiology in art can counter the positivism of science and address the relativism of postmodern attitudes, without didacticism. Rather, through allusion, pathos and sublimity.

Research paper thumbnail of 'Emergence' exhibition - regional artists and scientists in collaboration: Case Study

During 2015, by combining the curiosity, inquiry and knowledge that exists in both disciplines, a... more During 2015, by combining the curiosity, inquiry and knowledge that exists in both disciplines, artists and scientists, together with school students, created new video artworks for an exhibition entitled 'Emergence'. The focus was on fostering emerging talent. This case study presentation documents the development and realisation of this workshop and touring exhibition concept by La Luna Youth Arts personnel. In 2016 it brought together participants and exhibition audiences from three regions of Central and Northern Queensland.

Research paper thumbnail of Visualising Evolution and Extinction through silicified fossil fruits from Queensland.

AOFSRR 2015 in conjunction with USER MEETING 2015

A recent successful trial using the Imaging and Medical (IMBL) at the Melbourne Synchrotron has r... more A recent successful trial using the Imaging and Medical (IMBL) at the Melbourne Synchrotron has revealed the internal anatomy and morphology of rare, three-dimensionally preserved, 30 million year old silicified fruits from Capella, in Central Queensland. These IMBL scans are the first application of this technique to the study of this kind of material. Previous medical CT scanning did not reveal any internal information. During the permineralisation process silicates have replaced the organic material of the fruit and thus biological information (such as DNA) is impossible to obtain. This in turn makes accurate taxonomic classification extremely difficult. Physical sectioning of these rare fossils for visualisation has many risks
as it invariably destroys the specimen and is not guaranteed to produce any additional information. However, the current IMBL scans have provided us with accurate, detailed images of the internal reproductive structures of these enigmatic fruits, enabling, for the first time, a direct physical comparison between internal morphologies of extinct and
extant rainforest fruits. This extra vital information effectively enables researchers to establish or confirm classifications to appropriate family, genus and species. Accurate species
identification will help to advance knowledge of past environments and climates in Australia.
Our collaboration specifically aims at combining art, science and technology to explore various approaches in the visualisation of this material, to drive content not only for scientific publication, but for exhibitions in galleries and museums and thereby attract entirely new
audiences to this research.

Research paper thumbnail of Immanence and its Distortions: Metaphysics of an Art/Science Collaboration

Presented by an artist who is also a research academic specialising in creative practice, this is... more Presented by an artist who is also a research academic specialising in creative practice, this is a reflective account of the thinking behind an art-science collaborative digital media artwork about coral spawning on the Great Barrier Reef. With reference to process philosophers Alfred North Whitehead, Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari and Henri Bergson, it is speculated how axiology in art can counter the positivism of science and address the relativism of postmodern attitudes, without didacticism. Rather, through art practice that heightens pathos and sublimity, coming to understand the immanence of cosmic creativity is portrayed as a salve to apparently insurmountably foreboding environmental challenges.