Alana L Bowden | The University of Sydney (original) (raw)
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Videos by Alana L Bowden
I discuss my interdisciplinary research across theatre and religion and my claim that secular art... more I discuss my interdisciplinary research across theatre and religion and my claim that secular art and performance could, for some, be understood as a sacred experience, using my thesis on MONA's winter arts festival, Dark Mofo, to outline my argument. I also talk about the need to develop a way of valuing and talking about creativity and education outside of economic terms and our fight to save the arts & humanities at the University of Sydney.
Description from the ABC Website:
"At Sydney University, there is talk of ditching two departments – Studies in Religion, and Theatre and Performance Studies.
That would be bad luck for Alana Bowden, who is wanting to do a PhD across both those departments.
Her story is a snapshot of what's happening across the university sector.
Guest:
Alana Bowden, multi-award winning prospective PhD student at the University of Sydney.
She also works as a research assistant in the Department of Studies of Religion."
18 views
Papers by Alana L Bowden
Literature & Aesthetics, Vol 29, No.1, 2019
In a secular world dominated by science, rationality and empirical evidence, the realm of the eso... more In a secular world dominated by science, rationality and empirical
evidence, the realm of the esoteric and occult is immediately classified as
being subaltern and irrational; relegated to the world of make believe along
with UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, and the fairies at the bottom of the
garden. An even more contemptuous suggestion to the logical Enlightened
mind is the claim that art itself is a form of magical praxis with the power
to affect, change, and shape the everyday world in which we live. This
conceptual union of art and magic is, however, the foundation of the work
of American filmmaker Kenneth Anger (b. 1927). In describing the
objective of his creative work, Anger states that “making a movie is casting
a spell”, claiming that he seeks to directly affect the realities of his
audience through magic. Lauded as one of the most influential filmmakers
of the New American Cinema, Anger’s work functions as an artistic
magical ritual, fusing esoteric spirituality with experimental cinema to
produce a new form of cinematic magical practice.
This article will examine Anger’s final film, Lucifer Rising (1972),
in an attempt to challenge traditional understandings of art and magic by
reunifying the supposedly disparate concepts in its claim that art, as a form
of magic, can and does affect real world change.
Talks by Alana L Bowden
The Religious Studies Project, 2021
In this roundtable from the Department of Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney, we get... more In this roundtable from the Department of Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney, we get a variety of religious studies approaches to subject of manifestos and their creators. Join Carole Cusack, Alana Louise Bowden, Ray Radford, Sophie Roe, and Anna Lutkajtis as they unpack the discourses surrounding manifestos and topics ranging from the consumerization of religion and Anders Breivik to the Unabomber manifesto and Artaud's theatre of cruelty. It's a fascinating conversation from a great group of scholars, so have a listen! Not convinced? Try a sneak peak!
Book Reviews by Alana L Bowden
Fieldwork in Religion , 2020
Westbrook, Donald A. 2019. Among the Scientologists: History, Theology, and Praxis. New York: Oxf... more Westbrook, Donald A. 2019. Among the Scientologists: History, Theology, and Praxis. New York: Oxford University Press. xi +332 pp. ISBN: 978-0 1906-6497-8 £29.99 (hbk).
Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 10:2, 2019
Peter Connolly, Understanding Religious Experience . Sheffield; Bristol: Equinox, 2019. vi + 223 ... more Peter Connolly, Understanding Religious Experience . Sheffield; Bristol: Equinox, 2019. vi + 223 pages. US $ 29.95. ISBN: 978-1-78179-733-4 (paperback).
I discuss my interdisciplinary research across theatre and religion and my claim that secular art... more I discuss my interdisciplinary research across theatre and religion and my claim that secular art and performance could, for some, be understood as a sacred experience, using my thesis on MONA's winter arts festival, Dark Mofo, to outline my argument. I also talk about the need to develop a way of valuing and talking about creativity and education outside of economic terms and our fight to save the arts & humanities at the University of Sydney.
Description from the ABC Website:
"At Sydney University, there is talk of ditching two departments – Studies in Religion, and Theatre and Performance Studies.
That would be bad luck for Alana Bowden, who is wanting to do a PhD across both those departments.
Her story is a snapshot of what's happening across the university sector.
Guest:
Alana Bowden, multi-award winning prospective PhD student at the University of Sydney.
She also works as a research assistant in the Department of Studies of Religion."
18 views
Literature & Aesthetics, Vol 29, No.1, 2019
In a secular world dominated by science, rationality and empirical evidence, the realm of the eso... more In a secular world dominated by science, rationality and empirical
evidence, the realm of the esoteric and occult is immediately classified as
being subaltern and irrational; relegated to the world of make believe along
with UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, and the fairies at the bottom of the
garden. An even more contemptuous suggestion to the logical Enlightened
mind is the claim that art itself is a form of magical praxis with the power
to affect, change, and shape the everyday world in which we live. This
conceptual union of art and magic is, however, the foundation of the work
of American filmmaker Kenneth Anger (b. 1927). In describing the
objective of his creative work, Anger states that “making a movie is casting
a spell”, claiming that he seeks to directly affect the realities of his
audience through magic. Lauded as one of the most influential filmmakers
of the New American Cinema, Anger’s work functions as an artistic
magical ritual, fusing esoteric spirituality with experimental cinema to
produce a new form of cinematic magical practice.
This article will examine Anger’s final film, Lucifer Rising (1972),
in an attempt to challenge traditional understandings of art and magic by
reunifying the supposedly disparate concepts in its claim that art, as a form
of magic, can and does affect real world change.
The Religious Studies Project, 2021
In this roundtable from the Department of Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney, we get... more In this roundtable from the Department of Studies in Religion at the University of Sydney, we get a variety of religious studies approaches to subject of manifestos and their creators. Join Carole Cusack, Alana Louise Bowden, Ray Radford, Sophie Roe, and Anna Lutkajtis as they unpack the discourses surrounding manifestos and topics ranging from the consumerization of religion and Anders Breivik to the Unabomber manifesto and Artaud's theatre of cruelty. It's a fascinating conversation from a great group of scholars, so have a listen! Not convinced? Try a sneak peak!
Fieldwork in Religion , 2020
Westbrook, Donald A. 2019. Among the Scientologists: History, Theology, and Praxis. New York: Oxf... more Westbrook, Donald A. 2019. Among the Scientologists: History, Theology, and Praxis. New York: Oxford University Press. xi +332 pp. ISBN: 978-0 1906-6497-8 £29.99 (hbk).
Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 10:2, 2019
Peter Connolly, Understanding Religious Experience . Sheffield; Bristol: Equinox, 2019. vi + 223 ... more Peter Connolly, Understanding Religious Experience . Sheffield; Bristol: Equinox, 2019. vi + 223 pages. US $ 29.95. ISBN: 978-1-78179-733-4 (paperback).