Experiencing Cultural Institutions as National Artefacts: Exploring the use of Black in New Zealand Museum Architecture to Convey National Identity

<p>The demand in New Zealand for cultural institutions to promote artefacts of national significance was identified by the Wellington City Council as part of an initiative to further acknowledge cultural identities within the capital. This thesis investigates opportunities for New Zealand’s cultural institutions, particularly its museums, to be experienced themselves as national artefacts, promoting national identity not just through the display of New Zealand’s national collections, but also through the identity and experience of the architecture that contains those collections. This research aims to develop a museum that integrates the theories of new museology and narrative based design as an experiential understanding of national collections with sociologist Dr Prudence Stone’s theory regarding the significance of black to New Zealand. Stone’s theory highlights the significance of black through four central themes - creation, death transgression and race. Each of these themes will therefore be applied to New Zealand artists Ralph Hotere, Bill Culbert and Colin McCahon to test how black as an expression of cultural identity within New Zealand can be applied to New Zealand architecture. These three New Zealand artists were selected as they all relate to Stone’s analysis of the significance of black to New Zealand, analysing how black has been applied to express a national identity within New Zealand. Black as an expression of cultural identity within New Zealand was chosen to develop as research highlighted the significant number of artefacts representing black as an expression of cultural identity within the archives of the National Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa. This design case study proposes a museum within the alleyway Farmers Lane, Wellington. This site provides a spatial investigation from darkness up to the light while further thematically creating constraints to extend the outcome of the design. The museum therefore creates a vertical gallery that spatially explores themes from artists Ralph Hotere, Bill Culbert and Colin McCahon, three distinct New Zealand artists who symbolically employ black to convey a national identity. The design is therefore divided into three datums, each representing a distinct characteristic of the thematic understanding of black within New Zealand as identified by each of the three artists. Overall this research suggests the architectural experience of a discrete collection of acclaimed national artists working within a common national theme can be exhibited so that there is no longer the need for an anonymous, context free white walled approach within museum design. Instead the architectural experience has the opportunity to become one of the exhibitions of black’s symbolic national identity.</p>

Experiencing Cultural Institutions as National Artefacts: Exploring the use of Black in New Zealand Museum Architecture to Convey National Identity

<p>The demand in New Zealand for cultural institutions to promote artefacts of national significance was identified by the Wellington City Council as part of an initiative to further acknowledge cultural identities within the capital. This thesis investigates opportunities for New Zealand’s cultural institutions, particularly its museums, to be experienced themselves as national artefacts, promoting national identity not just through the display of New Zealand’s national collections, but also through the identity and experience of the architecture that contains those collections. This research aims to develop a museum that integrates the theories of new museology and narrative based design as an experiential understanding of national collections with sociologist Dr Prudence Stone’s theory regarding the significance of black to New Zealand. Stone’s theory highlights the significance of black through four central themes - creation, death transgression and race. Each of these themes will therefore be applied to New Zealand artists Ralph Hotere, Bill Culbert and Colin McCahon to test how black as an expression of cultural identity within New Zealand can be applied to New Zealand architecture. These three New Zealand artists were selected as they all relate to Stone’s analysis of the significance of black to New Zealand, analysing how black has been applied to express a national identity within New Zealand. Black as an expression of cultural identity within New Zealand was chosen to develop as research highlighted the significant number of artefacts representing black as an expression of cultural identity within the archives of the National Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa. This design case study proposes a museum within the alleyway Farmers Lane, Wellington. This site provides a spatial investigation from darkness up to the light while further thematically creating constraints to extend the outcome of the design. The museum therefore creates a vertical gallery that spatially explores themes from artists Ralph Hotere, Bill Culbert and Colin McCahon, three distinct New Zealand artists who symbolically employ black to convey a national identity. The design is therefore divided into three datums, each representing a distinct characteristic of the thematic understanding of black within New Zealand as identified by each of the three artists. Overall this research suggests the architectural experience of a discrete collection of acclaimed national artists working within a common national theme can be exhibited so that there is no longer the need for an anonymous, context free white walled approach within museum design. Instead the architectural experience has the opportunity to become one of the exhibitions of black’s symbolic national identity.</p>

Spatial investigation of soil penetration resistance and its impacts on cultivation of ‘BRS Princesa’ banana

The present study aimed to investigate the spatial variability of soil penetration resistance (SPR) in cultivation areas of ‘BRS Princesa’ banana, to evaluate its effects on the chemical and physical attributes of the soil and to indicate localized management. The experiment was carried out in an area of cultivation ‘BRS Princesa’ banana, in which 60 georeferenced points were recorded. SPR was measured from the cone index to 0.40 m depth using an impact penetrometer. Disturbed samples were collected at depths of 0-0.05, 0.05-0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.40 m and the soil attributes pH, Ca, Mg, Al, Na, K, P, H + Al, SB, T Value, V%, total sand, total clay, silt, TOC, POC, MAOC and gravimetric moisture were determined. The data were subjected to descriptive statistics, Pearson’s linear correlation and geostatistical analysis. SPR values in subsurface suggest greater compaction in subsurface and the significant correlations with soil attributes indicate losses for banana plants, so localized management should be carried out. It was found that 46.7% of the total area of the banana plantation does not need to be decompacted, and localized subsoiling at a varying depth is indicated in the other regions.

Spatio -Temporal Assessments of Rainfall Variability and Trends in the Highlands to Coastal Regions of Papua New Guinea

The present study assesses spatio-temporal rainfall variability of the most highlands to the coastal zones, comprising of eight provinces, of PNG. The variability investigation was carried out over for a period of 50 years starting from the year 1968 to 2018. After testing and checking for serial autocorrelation in the data series, Mann-Kendal non-parametric statistical evaluation was carried out to investigate rainfall trends and variability. Sen’s method was also used to investigate the magnitude of change in millimeters (mm) per year. Furthermore, the ArcGIS spatial analysis tools were used for the calculation of mean rainfall and to carry out spatial investigation. The assessments were carried out on an annual and seasonal basis within each designated study zone. CRU TS 4.03 gridded rainfall data on a 0.50 x 0.50 spatial resolution was used as an input data for trend as well as variability investigation. The CRU gridded station wise analysis was carried out to understand the variability at each specific location. From the assessments, it was found out that a higher rainfall is observed in the Eastern parts of Morobe, Southern Highlands region and central to northern part of Madang Province, while a low rainfall was observed in Goroka, the Western part of Morobe, Simbu, Western Highlands, Jiwaka and Enga province. From the trend investigation, it was observed that more grid stations show an increasing trend than a decreasing trend. On annual assessments, the significant decreasing trend is observed in the Enga and SH province, while significantly increasing trend is observed in the whole parts of Madang, and to the northern part of EH and Simbu Province. From overall assessments, it was found out that, there has been an increasing trend since 1968 up to the present.

Southeast Asia after the Caliphate: Identifying Spatial Trends in Terrorism and Radicalization in Malaysia

Recent scholarship on militant Islamist radicalization in Southeast Asia highlights the significance of local context in understanding support and recruitment into militancy. While research on terrorism in Southeast Asia engenders a dynamism of epistemic inquiry in diverse areas of research, an empirical mapping of radicalization is generally absent. Research on militant Islamic radicalization in Southeast Asia needs more robust consideration of geospatial relations and data to fill this lacuna. A geospatial analysis is, above all else, synthesis. It bridges spatial statistical analytics and qualitative socio-spatial investigation. We argue that a geospatial analytical approach to understanding radicalization offers a way in which to begin empirically mapping radicalization in the region. Correspondingly, our work considers militant Islamic radicalization in Malaysia by employing geospatial analysis to build a more nuanced layering and comprehensive understanding of the spatial arrangements of radicalization. Viewed from this perspective, radicalization can be understood through spatial logics and practices aimed at facilitating better understandings of socio-political relations of political violence and terrorism more broadly.