Issue 06 | December 2018
Art.
Contemporary Art | Jewellery | Photography | Digital Poetry | Architecture | + More
The Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program is the flagship foreign exchange scholarship program of the United States of America, aimed at increasing binational collaboration, cultural understanding, and the exchange of ideas. Born in the aftermath of WWII, the program was established by Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946 with the ethos of turning ‘swords into ploughshares’, whereby credits from the sale of surplus U.S. war materials were used to fund academic exchanges between host countries and the U.S. Since its establishment, the Fulbright Program has grown to become the largest educational exchange program in the world, operating in over 160 countries. In its seventy-year history, more than 370,000 students, academics, and professionals have received Fulbright Scholarships to study, teach, or conduct research, and promote bilateral collaboration and cultural empathy. Since its inception in Australia in 1949, the Fulbright Commission has awarded over 5,000 scholarships, creating a vibrant, dynamic, and interconnected network of Alumni.
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Our future is not in the stars but in our own minds and hearts.
Creative leadership and liberal education, which in fact go together, are the first requirements for a hopeful future for humankind. Fostering these—leadership, learning, and empathy between cultures—was and remains the purpose of the international scholarship program that I was privileged to sponsor in the U.S. Senate over forty years ago. " Senator J. William Fulbright The Price of Empire
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Contents 8
Fake News and True Love - Robert Baines
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Imagine Futures - Kaleigh Rusgrove
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Paintings by Mum - Miranda Samuels
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Organic Architect - Peter Muller
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BLAKWORK - Alison Whittaker
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Alumni Profiles
-- Krysten Keches, Harpist
-- Roberto Gomez, Illustrator
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Digital Poetry - Jason Nelson
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Cover Image: 'World's Worst Dog Owner' courtesy Robert Baines
Fulbright Alumni Updates
September - December 2018
Carolyn Evans (2010, University of Melbourne to American University / Emory University) was appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of Griffith University.
Ranjana Srivastava (2004, Monash University to University of Chicago) published a new book, What it Takes to be a Doctor, an insider's advice on what it takes to purue a high-stakes career in medicine. It was shortlisted for the 2018 Australian Career Book Award. Ranjana was also named a finalist in the 63rd annual Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
Christopher Lawrence (2008, Australian National University to Howard University) launched a new app, #ThisIsMyMob, dedicated to connecting Indigenous people, their families, and their communities.
Robert Mason (2013, University of Queensland to the University of Hawaii at Manoa) published an article on the decline in 'symbiont densities' of tropical and subtropical corals under ocean acidification in the September issue of Coral Reefs.
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Hamish Graham (2012, Alice Springs Hospital to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health) was the winner of the inaugural CSL Florey Next Generation Award for top PhD candidate in health and biomedical sciences, for his research into the use of targeted oxygen therapy to save children’s lives.
Jessa Thurman (2017 Washington State University, Pullman to James Cook University, Cairns) published an article on the effects of seed dispersal in Osage Orange by squirrels, in the October issue of The American Midland Naturalist.
Stephan Frühling (2017, Australian National University to Georgetown University) published a journal article, Is ANZUS Really an Alliance? Aligning the US and Australia, in the October– November issue of Survival: Global Politics and Strategy.
William Feeney (2015, University of Queensland to University of Delaware and University of California, Berkeley) published an article on the symbiotic relationship between sea anemones and clown fish in the November issue of Ecology Letters.
Kim Rubenstein (1991, Murdoch University to Harvard University) visited Israel’s Hebrew University in October as a Lady Davis Visiting Professor where she is now teaching her comparative citizenship law course, and establishing a local version of her Trailblazing Women Lawyers oral history project.
Eileen Doyle (1993, University of Newcastle to Columbia University) published a new book, Call a Business Angel, that summarises the key business tools start-ups need to understand and implement to give them the best chance of building a successful business..
Khalilullah Mayar (2014, University of New South Wales to Purdue University) recieved an appreciation award from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction for contributions to the cause of transparency, and fight against corruption in the construction and infrastructure sector of Afghanistan.
Shraddha Kashyap (2016, University of Western Australia to New York University and Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture) published an article discussing the importance of postmigration factors on wellbeing among torture survivors in the December/January issue of Psychiatry Research.
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Fulbright Events Recap
September - December 2018
TEDxFulbrightPerth - Fulbright alumni from across Western Australia gathered at the University of Western Australia to discuss their research through the TEDx theme, inspired by Senator Fulbright's words on “Freedom, Education and Peace�.
Fulbright Florida Polytechnic Scholarship - a new scholarship opportunity for Australians to conduct research in science, technology, engineering, and math at Florida Polytechnic University was announced in October. The university will begin accepting graduate students and professors beginning in the fall of 2019.
International Innovative Education Program of the Year Award - The Australian-American Fulbright Commission received the 2018 International Innovative Education Program of the Year Award for the Kansas State University-based Oz to Oz program, recognising a successful collaborative partnership that has existed between the two organisations since the program began in 2012.
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Indigenous Entrepreneurship Panel - Three prominent panellists, including Fulbright alumni Dean Jarrett and Christopher Lawrence presented and discussed Australian Indigenous Entrepreneurship at the University of Technology Sydney in October.
What is the future of the U.S.-Australia alliance? Fulbright Scholars and alumni discussed the future of the U.S.-Australia alliance, followed by audience Q&A with panelists. The event was hosted by the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.
2018 Australian Fulbright Alumni Association (AFAA) Salon the 2018 AFAA Salon, hosted by the Victoria chapter of AFAA, addressed the topic of finding a voice in a post-truth world at the University of Melbourne. Speakers included US Consul General to Victoria, Michael F. Kleine; author / publisher Phillipa McGuinness; and Fulbright alumni Prof Diane Kirkby and Prof Dennis Altman.
4th Annual Texas Symposium on Women, Peace, and Security Fulbright alum Valerie Hudson and current Fulbright Scholar Sarah Boyd presented at the 4th Annual Texas Symposium on Women, Peace, and Security at Texas A&M University. The Symposium brought together academics, practitioners, and policymakers interested in advancing the goals of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which advocates for the increased participation of women in matters of national security.
The Need to Foster Business Ethics in Australia - Fulbright Coral Sea Scholar Amy Salapak discussed the role culture, leadership, organizational behavior, legal and regulatory frameworks have in promoting ethical conduct at the Kansas State University College of Business. Her presentation was part of a broader visit facilitated via the collaborative Oz to Oz program.
Tuyuryaq: a model for decolonizing learning on college campuses Fulbright Scholar Maggie Walter was a guest speaker at Bates College's Workshop on Decolonising Learning. The workshop targeted topics of decolonizing and combatting Indigenous marginalizationand structural inequalities in higher education.
Fulbright EAP/EUR Conference, Washington DC The U.S. Government's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Institute of International Education, organised a week-long conference for Fulbright Commission staffers from across the Europe and East Asia Pacific regions. The conference facilitated discussions on best-practice program management, outreach, and financial policy.
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FAKE NEWS TRUE LOVE Five Stories by Robert Baines (1997 Fulbright Scholar)
The Coronation Crown FOLLOWING his overwhelming victory in the 2018 presidential election, Vladimir Putin has made the ultimate power grab, capitalising on his cult of personality.
The goldsmith commissioned by the President seems to have gone rogue, however, and has since disappeared. When unveiled, the crown was found to be encrusted with modern symbols of terror. Decorated with guns and poison tablets, the crown is the ultimate emblem of a despot: it serves as a reminder of the way Putin rose to power, and indicates the way he intends to keep it.
The rising Tsar chose the Cap of Monomakh (c. 1200-1300), the oldest Russian crown and highest symbol of ancient Russian autocracy, as inspiration for a new crown, unveiled prior to his inauguration.
Obviously this is not the crown Putin imagined he would receive. Is this political emblem an unexpected statement of truth, illuminating nefarious activities? If the cap fits, wear it! --- via Newswired
of Rising Tsar Vladimir Putin
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'A Crown for Vladimir Putin, 2018', 2018 Silver-gilt, oxidized silver, synthetic fur, tablets, and warning reflector Image: Jenna Bascom; courtesy the Museum of Arts and Design
WORLD'S WORST DOG OWNER, PARIS HILTON IT'S OFFICIAL: an online poll by New York Dog and Hollywood Dog magazines has designated Paris Hilton "the world's worst dog owner". Hilton was the overwhelming choice for the title based on her fickle treatment of her Chihuahua, Tinkerbell. "Our readers felt Ms. Hilton's dog-parenting skills left a lot to be desired," said Leslie Padgett, editor of both magazines. "First, she loses Tinkerbell, then she ditches her for a cuter dog, then replaces that dog with a ferret, then a Kinkajou monkey and then, I gather, a goat. "Recently Tinkerbell was spotted back in Paris' arms. But how long will she be in favor this time?" So far, Paris has neglected to pick up her trophy. --- with Unreality Magazine
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'Trophy, World's Worst Dog Owner, 2005', 2005 Silver, chrome, found object, and flock Image: Robert Baines
MARILYN & JFK: TOGETHER AGAIN! A MYSTERIOUS RING has been found with a note that reads. "Jack, with Love as always, from Marilyn". The ring is crowned with an image of Marilyn in a heart. When moved, an image of President Kennedy coyly joins her in the mirror at her side. Though not much is known about the ring, the date on the note (May 29, 1962) suggests that it could have been a birthday gift to President Kennedy. --- via FakeNews.org
"Jack, with Love as always, from Marilyn"
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'Ring, Together Again, c. 1964 (?)', c. 2010) Gold, paper, mirror Image: Jenna Bascom; courtesy the Museum of Arts and Design
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and the Family Jewels
"SOUVENIRS" from the Apollo 11 moon landing surfaced as the European Space Agency Gears up for the latest space hoax. Five rings in a custom case dedicated to Buzz Aldrin's "little darlins" and outfitted with an image of the astronaut on the Moon have caused a "buzz" in the lunar conspiracy community. The rings have been set with mysterious stones, which if found to be moon rocks will constitute the first evidence of a lunar landing that has not come from a government facility.
"THE ROCKS MUST HAVE COME FROM THE MOON"
- Science
The veracity of the moon landing has been in question since Fox Television aired Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?" in 2001.
The documentary argued that NASA technology in the 1960s wasn't up to the task of a real moon landing. Instead, anxious to win the Space Race in any way it could, NASA staged the Apollo program in movie studios - it was all a fake. Dr Marc Norman, a lunar geologist at the University of Tasmania, observed that the lunar samples have amost no water trapped in their crystal structure, and common substances such as clay minerals that are ubiquitous on Earth are totally absent. According to Dr Norman, scientists found particles of fresh glass, produced by explosive volcanic activity and meteorite impacts over three billion years ago, but the presence of water on Earth rapidly breaks down such volcanic glass in only a few million years. "The rocks must have come from the Moon." Are these rings proof that Apollo 11 landed on the Moon? The timing is convenient as volunteers are being recruited for a new "trip" to space - this time to Mars. --- via Foxy News
'Five Rings, California (?), 1969 (?)', Chrome plated silver, stone (?), case, print, pen on paper, image: Robert Baines
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"THE KANGAROOS SIGNAL THAT IT ORIGINATED IN AUSTRALIA." - Science
BREAKING NEWS:
Bracelet Proves Portuguese First to Discover Australia's Eastern Coast ART HISTORIANS have determined that a bracelet rediscovered in Portugal constitutes material evidence of the sixteenth-century discovery of the eastern and southern coasts of Australia by the Portuguese. Gifted by an anonymous donor, the substantial bracelet appears to be gold, but is silver gilt, with a large top and strap connected by a three-knuckle hinge and barrel catch. It features a steel Portuguese key and Sphinx-like red kangaroos, as well as wood thought to be from the Mahogany Ship, a wreck discovered in 1836 and since consumed by Australian sand dunes. Though the bracelet was found in Portugal, the kangaroos signal that it originated in Australia. The key is thought to be one of the Geelong Keys, said to have been lost on Australian soil by Portuguese sailors in 1522 and now lost, indicating that the first European landing on Australia could predate Captain Cook by 250 years. --- via BBBC
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'Bracelet "Java-la-Grande," India, Goa (Indo-Portuguese) (?), c. 1550 (?)', c. 2010 Silver-gilt, found key, plastic, wood, and paint Image: Jenna Bascom; courtesy the Museum of Arts and Design
"IT WAS ALL A HOAX"
OFFICIALLY
FAKE NEWS, discussions of which currently dominate the American media, is not a new phenomenon. False claims and revisionism of history have occurred as far back as ancient Egypt, where new political agendas dictated that names of polemic rulers like Akhenaten and Nefertiti be obliterated from the record.
By using jewellery to substantiate his stories, Baines demonstrates the pull of sensational headlines and the possibility that news on any subject, from BCE to the present day, could be fake. Robert Baines
In response to this slippery treatment of truth, there is a tradition in modern and contemporary art of recreations and fakes that expressly question our understanding of events. In the full Fake News and True Love exhibition, currently on display at the Museum of Arts and Design, NYC, jewellery artist Robert Baines (Australia, b. 1949) presents fourteen stories that build on half-truths or well-known conspiracy theories, alongside supporting "evidence" in the form of jewellery.
He cautions that truth claims can be confused with myth, riddle, puzzle, and manipulation of the historical record and should never be taken purely at face value.
Baines was named a living treasure: Master of Australian Craft in 2010, for shaping the fields of contemporary jewellery and jewellery history for over forty years. Through studying ancient jewellery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (via a 1997 Fulbright Scholarship), and masterworks in other international institutions, he has learned to brilliantly copy jewellery—from ancient to modern—making him uniquely suited to an exhibition of such caprice. The preceding pages were curated and edited with permission from Baines, and the Museum of Arts and Design, NYC, where Baines' work is currently exhibited. All images used in this article were taken by Robert Baines and Jenna Bascom; courtesy the Museum of Arts and Design.
His use of precious materials and exquisite metalsmithing make plausible that the works on display could have survived several civilizations. FAKE NEWS AND TRUE LOVE FOURTEEN STORIES BY ROBERT BAINES is curated by NYC Museum of Arts and Design Assistant Curator Barbara Paris Gifford and Windgate Curatorial Intern Sasha Nixon. The exhibition runs from 16 October, 2018 to 3 March, 2019.
'Courtly Love, West Germany (?), c. 950-1050 (?)', c. 2010 Gold, silver, plastic Image: Robert Baines
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Kaleigh Rusgrove, 2019 Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar
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'the one in which I learn to say goodbye'
Canon EOS 6D | 35mm f/2
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'After Asters'
Canon EOS 6D | 35mm f/2
Made while working with the New England Wild Flower Society
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'divide'
Canon EOS 6D | 35mm f/2
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'what is left'
Canon EOS 6D | 35mm f/2
Made while working with the New England Wild Flower Society
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'elizabeth'
Canon EOS 6D | 35mm f/2
Made while working with the New England Wild Flower Society Kaleigh Rusgrove | Fulbright Scholar (WSU) | Photography University of Connecticut
Western Sydney University
Kaleigh is a photographer whose current work focuses on climate change. Her Fulbright project in 2019 explores environmental issues as inspiration for storytelling. In addition to her time at WSU, Kaleigh will work within the Australian Plant Bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, documenting the facilities’ seed bank and research.
All of the images made throughout the duration of her Fulbright project will ultimately become one cohesive body, reflecting the importance of assessing current environmental practices and personal ethics for the future. You can follow her visual Fulbright journey at www.imaginedfuturesblog.com
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Narrative photography exists between fact and fiction. I use my camera to create false moments of importance and to record artifacts of questionable authenticity. I interlace the seen with the contrived. Together these elements build a convincing story; one leaving the viewer unable to find their footing in either reality or fantasy. This body of work, this story, focuses on current environmental issues. Climate change falls into the same strange in-between where my work exists. The reality of the situation is distressing, the political response both alarming and laughable, and information presented is often contorted. Through research I find inspiration for image-making, combining what I have witnessed with what I have imagined. In my practice, I have come to learn that the most frightening moments are not always born from the wildness of the mind, but exist in real life. -Kaleigh.
Paintings by Mum An exhibition of paintings by Brenda Samuels, curated by Fulbright Scholar Miranda Samuels
'Anchovies', Brenda Samuels c. 2015 30x30cm, oil on canvas
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Image: Simon Hewson
'Carnation Milk', Brenda Samuels c. 2015 30x30cm, oil on canvas Image: Simon Hewson
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'Aesop', Brenda Samuels c. 2015 30x30cm, oil on canvas
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Image: Simon Hewson
'Dill Cucumbers (Polski Ogorki)', Brenda Samuels c. 2015 30x30cm, oil on canvas Image: Simon Hewson
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'Tuna', Brenda Samuels c. 2015 30x30cm, oil on canvas
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Image: Simon Hewson
'Paintings by Mum' (2015) was an exhibition of still-life paintings by artist Brenda Samuels, curated by her daughter Miranda. It utilised domestic and affective labour as a curatorial strategy to ascribe value to unpaid work in the form of artistic production within a contemporary art context, and to explore family dynamics. Miranda Samuels is an artist, art educator and 2019 Fulbright New South Wales Scholar. As co-editor of the Countess Report, Miranda publishes data on gender representation in the Australian contemporary art world and regularly speaks in public forums about gender inequity in the arts. She has established a number of responsive art education programs for young people without access to mainstream art education, and has built education programs for organisations within the public, private and community spheres including Youth Off The Streets and Hermes Australia.
(Above) Installation images of 'Paintings by Mum', exhibition by Brenda Samuels. Curated by Miranda Samuels at Airspace Projects, 2015 Image: Simon Hewson
Miranda will use her 2019 Fulbright Scholarship to pursue interdisciplinary studies in the philosophy and politics of art education, feminist pedagogy, cultural policy and contemporary art practice to understand how the interplay of such disciplines work to uphold or challenge the status quo. Through the application of this research she hopes to improve access to and access within art education through inventive cultural policy making and radical education programming that actively addresses social inequities and is more responsive to social, political and environmental complexities within Australian society.
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Peter Muller
Organic Architect Peter Neil Muller AO was truly an architect ahead of his time. From the beginning of his career (following a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania in 1950; part of the very first Australian cohort), Peter's innovative, forward-thinking approaches to harmonising living space with the natural landscape created some of the most remarkable examples of organic architecture in the pan-pacific region. Peter's alternative style drew influence from Adrian Snodgrass, Albert Read, and Frank Lloyd Wright, combining natural materials with bold, free-flowing interior spaces. This was a radical departure from the boxy, compartmented plans and sterile, synthetic finishes popularised diring the '50s and '60s. After early success with domestic projects, Peter took his work global, exploring opportunities in the Middle East and Asia. His career would span five decades, numerous accolades, and over a hundred major commercial, government, and private construction and restoration projects. The following pages showcase three of Peter's remarkable designs.
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'Audette' (Castlecrag, 1952)
The Audette House was Peter's first domestic design after returning from his Fulbright Scholarship to the U.S. This was the first example of the style of organic architecture would come to define the Muller aesthetic: low, understated lines designed to blend with the surrounding environment; spatious, free-flowing interiors created to maximise or emphasise space. Interior walls were abolished or minimised to create or accentuate the 'interior vista', and utilitarian features were intergrated to reduce obstruction of living space.
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(Top left/right) The Audette House after construction in 1952, and in 2014. The original design remains intact today, with minor restorations including painting and coating of the previously untreated Australian hardwood. (Above) the rear upper axis of the house containing the sleeping spaces protrudes over a covered BBQ terrace, adjacent to the dining room. Images: Peter Muller and Michael Wee.
The three distinct spaces of the ground-floor were locked together by the first-floor sleeping space, with the living room nesting around a U-shaped courtyard. The purpose and function of each of the living spaces was designed to be distinct without the use of any dividing walls or partitions.
The form of the dwelling was thus defined by three axes; a longitudinal spine, intersected by two transverse axes, one beside the groundlevel entrance, the other on the opposite side of the first floor.
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According to Peter, the concept of the 3-bedroom home began with an idea for the living room as 'a section constucted as a truss'. This truss, arranged lengthwise, incorporated the timber roof supports and window seat, and the form of the structure was defined by these intersecting lines.
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"There is no predetermined geometry in this house; it was simply a sectional idea which demanded the use of sloping forms, and became basically an exercise in resolving these forms."
Peter Muller on 'Audette' and the Fulbright connection: "In 1950, the directors of Fulbright were Paul Sturm and W.R.Hauslaib. There were 27 first Australian scholars headed for the U.S. and I remember that 6 of us travelled from Sydney in an Ocean Liner first class. "Mr. Hauslaib, an American, in 1935 came to Sydney as the Managing Director of Ira L. and A.C. Berk Ltd, and in 1937 married Vivian Audette, the daughter of A.C. Berk, a widow with 4 children, one named Bob Audette. "I returned to Sydney early in 1952 and worked in the architectural firm, Fowell Mansfield until I was contacted by Bob Audette, who had had just acquired land in Castlecrag and was looking for an architect who would be familiar with traditional American colonial style architecture. His stepfather Mr Hauslaib suggested he contact the young Sydney architect just returned from the University of Pennsylvania on a Fulbright scholarship.
The front door opens into a large central living area with a column-and-beam ceiling created via the truss, with panoramic views of Middle Harbour as the backdrop. This was a dramatic departure from the traditional entrance hall that was ubiquitous in homes of the era.
"I rejected Bob Audette’s request for a colonial style house but instead presented him with my design and a model, which after much quiet contemplation, they accepted. This house, when finished had quite an impact on many people, some who then came to me to design a house for them. "So in a sense Hauslaib was responsible for me starting my own practice."
This house was originally planned to be built with sandstone, but the client had sourced a supply of red, wire-cut bricks at an economical price, and insisted that they be used. This was anathema to Peter, who despised the bricks. Out of desperation he devised a technique of squeezing out the cement mortar along the horizontal joints to detract from the bricks. The mortar technique became known as 'snotted' brickwork. Certain bricks were also raised and sections of terrazzo introduced to give a rustic, textured feel to the walls. While it was a clever solution, it never satisfied Muller and he still wishes he had tried harder to talk Audette into using sandstone as planned.
(Top left) External timbers and integrated garden beds. (Left) Open stairs and floating balustrades. (Above) Exposed timber beams (Right) Muller's novel 'snotted' brickwork. Images: Peter Muller and Michael Wee.
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'Kumale' (Palm Beach, 1955-57)
Kumale refined several concepts introduced in Peter's previous projects, playing on geometric shapes and blurring the lines of interior and exterior spaces. As with Peter's previous projects, the design began with the site, which in this instance was a steep, rocky patch of bushland on New South Wales' Palm Beach peninsula. Boasting extensive views of the inlet from northwest to southwest, the site was a prime opportunity for Peter to showcase his organic architecture, harnessing the dramatic lines of the landscape to create an elegant structure and flexible, ergonomic living space. A large round concrete water tank had been built on the site and rather than discard it, Peter decided to incorporate it as a support for the carport. This led him to adopt the circular geometry as the primary motif for Kumale.
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(Top) Original design concept, 1955. (Above) View of Pittwater over the central dome, the lounge/ foyer beneath the dome, the pool area also adjoins the dome, on the north side. (Right) View from the north side, 1958. Images: Peter Muller
The axial design enabled interior spaces to flow freely into one-another, while harmonising the exterior shape with the natural curves of the cliff face.
A twenty-five foot diameter translucent dome caps the dais of the living area, framed by natural grey brick columns that form the main support system, and partition the sweeping views along the foyer and corridoor.
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The modular living spaces could be further opened up to sunny terraces and cooling sea breezes through clever use of retractable bronze-clad glass panels. The central dome was actually designed with light-filtration in mind: the solid molded translucent fibreglass was cast with accents of light and colour. It was primarily a copper green with radial circular patterns of opaque white, separated by transparent red dots. This unique palette was inspired by Peter's image of the dome as "the inside of a sea urchin, held to the eye and into the sun".
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Peter's 'big picture' plan for the client was to connect Kumale to his other two widely-separated properties by air. The seaport at the base of the house was originally designed to accomodate a seaplane hangar, connected directly via vertical elevator shaft to the main living area. The owner could theoretically fly an amphibian aircraft directly to his company's headquarters (designed by Peter) near Bankstown airport approximately 60km south. It would then also be possible to transfer to a Cessna and fly to their ski lodge in Jindabyne (also designed by Peter), around 500km south.
Peter Muller on 'Kumale': "This house was designed specifically for Mr and Mrs Victa Richardson (of Victa Lawnmowers) and son Garry on a long steep narrow block of land with a water frontage to Pittwater. On seeing the 'Audette' house, the Richardson family immediately gave me their house 'Kumale' to design in Palm Beach, as well as their new Head Office building in Milperra and their ski lodge in Thredbo. "There existed on site a circular concrete water tank which I thought to keep and incorporate in my design and is the motivation for the whole of the design based on circles. I had to eventually abandon that tank, its location cut in half, right of the carport."
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Hoyts Cinema Centre (Melbourne, 1966-68)
The Hoyts Cinema Centre was the flagship development of a modernisation and replacement program which Hoyts began in 1964. Peter was tasked with designing it as a stand-alone structure requiring no reference to its immediate surroundings. The complex included three cinemas (which was the largest multiplex at that time), a restaurant, and 10-storey office tower. The lobby featured an Aztec-style cascading chandelier, clad in native Jarrah wood.
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(Left) Cinema two foyer, with its exquisite timber panelling and natural brick; the 'cascading' Aztec timber chandelier; timber detail on level 1 (Below) 1966 design sketch based upon engineering concept. Images: Peter Muller.
Peter's initial design employed an innovative 'post and bracket' structural system, typically seen in timber buidings in Asia. This was misconstrued as a Frank Lloyd Wright infuence, when Peter actually designed it specifically for the practical benefits of enhanced stress resistance, shading and energy efficiency from the overhang, and ease of access for window cleaning via the small balconies.
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Peter Muller on the Cinema Centre: "The CEO of Hoyts Theatres wife had a sister married to Pat Gunning for whom I had designed a house in Castlecrag (1958). He loved that house and made me the architect for Hoyts and the Cinema Centre in Bourke St. Melbourne.This was just one of many projects I designed for that company."
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Within the cinema complex a number of Peter's novel engineering concepts were implemented to improve operational efficiency. The unprecedented number of movie tickets required at any given time (approx. 900,000) required a new storage solution. Peter devised a compactor system of vertical pull-out racks. To manage the flow of patrons, the three cinemas were colour-coded with distinct palettes: Cinema 1 was given natural finish slatted woodwork, partially covering natural brick walls that were zig-zagged for acoustic affect. The decor was finished in purple, with a wallto-wall cerise curtain that swept back to reveal a giant screen. Cinema 2 was orange, with a chrome-yellow curtain and natural brick walls, and Cinema 3 was built across two levels and had blue decor, with a turquoise curtain and carpeted walls. The cinemas were also positioned internally in such a way that the three projection rooms were interconnected, thus reducing the number of projectionists required. Architecturally, the Cinema Centre was created as 'a conscious representation of a gradually-surfacing social awareness that our values and beliefs are in need of an urgent and dramatic reassessment', hence the design of the building as a structural concept achieving the appearance of floors 'stepping up on each other' (The Age, 5/6/69).
(Left) Street level, 1969; the stand-alone structure. (Right) Tickets stored in compactor style pull-down units; Cinema 2 foyer, with its orangecoded decor; ticket counter from mezzanine restaurant. Images: Peter Wille.
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For a complete and comprehensive overview of Peter Muller's portfolio of houses, national and international commercial projects, and restorations from 1952 to 2004, see Peter Muller by Jacqueline C. Urford (Walsh Bay Press, 2017), and Peter's website, www.petermuller.org
Many Girls White Linen Allison Whittaker no mist no mystery no hanging rock only
many girls white linen men with guns and harsher things white women amongst gums white linen starch’er things later plaques will mark this war nails peeling back floor scrubbing back blak chores white luxe hangnails hanging more than nails while no palm glowing paler
later plaques will mark this sick linen’s rotten cotton genes later plaques will track the try to bleed lineage dry
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its banks now flood a new ancestor, Ordeal,
plaits this our blood if evil is banal how more boring is suffering evil two bloodlines from it how more raw rousing horrifying is the plaque that marks something else rolling on from this place a roll of white linen dropped on slight incline amongst gums collecting grit where blak girls hang nails hang out picking them hangnails
MANY GIRLS WHITE LINEN was first published in BLAKWORK (Magabala Books, 2018). It was the 2017 winner of the Judith Wright Poetry Prize.
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Alison Whittaker | 2017 Fulbright Scholar | Law University of Technology Sydney
Harvard University
Alison Whittaker is a Gomeroi poet and legal researcher from the floodplains of Gunnedah in NSW. Between 2017-2018, she was a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard Law School, where she was named the Dean’s Scholar in Race, Gender and Criminal Law. Her second book, BLAKWORK, was released with Magabala Books in September 2018. Prior to this, Alison worked at UTS:CAIK, UTS:Law, the Gendered Violence Research Network, and received a black&write! fellowship from the State Library of Queensland.
Krysten Keches, Harpist
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FULBRIGHT ALUMNI PROFILES
Krysten Keches | 2010 Fulbright Scholar | Music (Harp) Harvard University
Australian National University (ANU)
Krysten studied the harp at the Canberra School of Music at the ANU in 2011, pursuing a Graduate Diploma in Music Performance via a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship. At Harvard she was Principal Harpist of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra and the Bach Society Orchestra. She also played with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project at a Harvard event marking the 60th anniversary of the Human Rights Accord in March 2009. In addition to her musical pursuits she has worked for Harvard Magazine as an Editorial Intern, with Let’s Go Europe as an Associate Editor, and published a book, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras.
Why did you apply for a Fulbright Scholarship? First, as a little bit of background - I'd been very serious about music since I began playing harp at age 4. However at 17 I developed a performance-related injury in my left arm, which derailed my career plans to go to a conservatory and focus on performance. My harp teacher had been suggesting that I visit Australia to study with Alice Giles, one of the world's leading harp soloists, who was on the ANU faculty at the time. I was convinced that Alice was one of the few people who could help me regain some of the depth I'd lost due to my injury, so I began considering exchange opportunities. At the same time, a close friend had returned from a Fulbright Scholarship in Egypt. It had been a transformative experience for him, and led to some really positive career outcomes. I was inspired to look into it, and it all kind of fell into place from there. What was your experience of living and studying in Australia? I had a huge variety of opportunities to play with diverse musicians outside of my sphere, and also had a lot of time to dedicate to my own craft, including regular lessons with Alice, which I recorded and listened to religiously (in fact, I still have all of the tapes!). The experience was certainly transformative for me, professionally, but also personally - I spent a lot of time with the other Fulbright Scholars, learning about their various interests and fields of research.
I was also able to travel a lot and try many things that I'd never done before, including snorkelling, and Thai laksa! What have you been doing since you returned to the U.S.? I found myself at a crossroads. Being a harpist has some unique challenges - it's an orchestral instrument, but there is only one spot in every orchestra so if that's the career path you choose, it can be very hard to win a job. I really wanted to do a Master's in Harp Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music, which is highly competitive, so I thought I'd just apply to the school and let fate decide (I'd also applied for a communications job as a safety, because I'd had some experience with freelance writing). I was lucky enough to get in, and spent the next two years under the tutelage of Jessica Zhou, the principal harpist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Now my 'job' consists of two things I absolutely love: orchestral performance and teaching. I have a studio of around 12 people (ranging in age from 6 to 60), and I substitute regularly into the Boston Symphony and others around the country.
Listen to Krysten's music, enquire about teaching, and find out about upcoming performances on her website, www.krystenkeches.com. Image: Kate L Photography
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Roberto Gรณmez, Animator Why did you apply for a Fulbright Scholarship?
What was your experience of living and studying in LA?
A (very brilliant) friend of mine made me aware of Fulbright, but I didn't think it was aimed at artists or creatives, so I wasn't confident I'd succeed. I thought it was important to give it a try, so I went through the process and was lucky enough to be chosen.
"From the beginning, the experience was really welcoming. IIE and ECA are with you every step of the way, explaining how things work and making sure you're prepared. Right away there were invitations to meet with other Fulbright Scholars and alumni for networking, social events, lectures etc. so I was really made to feel at home.
Why did you want to study in the United States?
I didn't quite know what to expect with the university -back then the internet was still in its infancy, so there wasn't much you could do to research the place besides looking at catalogues. When I arrived and saw the facilities, I knew I'd made the right decision. It was a small program; very studio atelier kind of thing, with only around 15 students. It was an ideal setting for us all to work and thrive.
What I always wanted to do was film, and the place to go for film is the U.S. In fact, specifically California --I'd been accepted to Columbia and NYU, but the film industry lead from LA, particularly animation, so I was convinced that LA was where I needed to be. I had a choice of CalArts, USC and UCLA, and I thought the better program was at USC, so that's what I aimed for. How did you feel when you found out that you'd been awarded a Fulbright?
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It was very humbling for me. In Mexico, all of the Fulbright awardees are invited to a reception at the Department of International Relations in Mexico City. I walked into a big boardroom filled with very impressive people, who introduced themselves as research scientists and scholars of mathematics, engineering, aerospace -- all of these amazing things that could change the world... And then there was me, saying 'I want to study animation, because I want to draw cartoons...' I guess I started to wonder why they chose me, and there was a distinct sense of 'imposter syndrome' I think. Some of Roberto's concept illustrations - 'Checkov sketches'
FULBRIGHT ALUMNI PROFILES
We each had a workspace and computer (which was rare at the time), and all of the technology was cuttingedge. Digital animation was starting to take off, so having access to these resources was a crucial advantage.
The diversity of students and faculty was also impressive -- my class wasn't just film students; we had psychologists, anthropologists, and a variety of other disciplines, so it was interesting to have so many diverse perspectives.
We had students from Colombia, Korea, India... it became like a small family, and we all realised and appreciated the value of enriching each others' worldviews.
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How did the experience impact your career? Getting the Fulbright just changed my entire life. I did a Communications degree in Mexico, studying film, television, radio, print etc, so I had a broad background of knowledge about all media. That knowledge, combined with my ability to draw was enough to get me noticed here as a designer, and that was how I was first offered a position here as a designer at the university. It's now been 20 years since I arrived here, and I can honestly say that none of this would've happened if I didn't get the Fulbright.
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What advice would you give to aspiring animators who are interested in studying abroad? I'd tell them to apply for the Fulbright Scholarship, and don't be intimidated by name, prestige, or misconceptions that it's just for mathematicians and engineers. I've met many Fulbrighters who are artists of all kinds. Just recently, I was invited to be on a Selection Panel for new Fulbright Scholars, and it gave some insight into how candidates are assessed. I understand now that Fulbright looks for people who have a voice, and I think that's really important for a creative. Many people want to be artists or filmmakers, but to stand out you must have something to say. I would advise creatives to find their voice; find what it is they want to say, and what they want to contribute to the field, and make sure that comes through in their Fulbright application.
More concept work: (above) 'Gangster lineup'; (left) 'Vikings storyboard'; (right) 'Petersen Museum'
Roberto Gómez | 2001 Fulbright Scholar | Animation Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey University of Southern California Roberto Antonio Gómez Nájera is a visual artist living in Pasadena, California. Born and raised in México City, México, he was drawing and making movies since his early years while on a steady diet of Mickey Mouse, Top Cat and He-Man cartoons. Currently, Roberto holds the main creative position as Graphic Arts Manager for the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. He created the new branding for the 2006 renaming of the School and has been in charge since of the graphic identity, print media, collateral materials, photography as well as special projects for major donors like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis and Hugh Hefner, among others.
For his work as a designer he has three international Premier Print Awards by the Printing Industries of America, Inc. In 2001 Roberto received a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts. During his time at USC, he worked under the mentoring of internationally renowned artists Ishu Patel and Kathy Smith, as well as animation journeyman Tom Sito. His years at USC were possible through the prestigious Fulbright-Garcia Robles, Hollywood Foreign Press and Rodolfo Montes scholarships. Before graduating from USC, Roberto completed an internship at the Walt Disney Studios Feature Animation’s Development Department. His student film La Leyenda about Aztec mythology was selected to screen in Brazil’s AnimaMundi Animation Festival.
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DIGITAL POETRY
JASON NELSON
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Art and digital poetry games of Fulbright Scholar Jason Nelson, including the works 'game, game, game and again game', 'I made this. You play this. We are enemies', 'Nothing You Have Done Deserves Such Praise', 'The Bafflement Fires' and 'Scrape Sraperteeth'.
What do you aim to accomplish with your work? Calling myself a 'digital poet' is always a bit strange. Few people have any sense of what such a title implies, or how digital poetry looks/reads/interacts/functions. In essence, I create odd stories and poetry from technology of all sorts, by combining code, words, sounds, animation, images, interface, interactivity, robotics, projection, and creative computing. Imagine a video game mashed with strange hand-drawn images, experimental poetry, an ambient soundtrack and heaps of unexpected moments and macabre humour. Or envision an artist hefting large projectors to a Norwegian mountaintop in the snow, dragging power cords almost a kilometre to a cliff’s edge and then projecting giant poetic text for people in the city below to ponder. So I suppose what I hope to accomplish is to forever be exploring and experimenting with the intersections of digital technology and creative play, to transform any new electronic gizmo into something compelling or baffling, to create unexpected beauty and experience.
How did your Fulbright experience influence or change you as an artist? Having lived in the sub-tropical wilds of SE Queensland for the past decade, I searched for opposite worlds for my Fulbright Scholarship. And as the University of Bergen in Norway had an innovative program in Digital Creative Writing and Art, moving to the land of fjords, glaciers and long dark winters was the perfect antithesis to the humid tropics.
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Within weeks, my wife (well-known digital artist Alinta Krauth) and I noticed our creative research and inspiration moved from indoors on a laptop to long hikes and explorations in the mountains surrounding Bergen. My artistic process was transformed by the landscape and I began thinking less about screens and more about projecting artwork on cliffs or inside libraries or within a snowy forest. Additionally, I found inspiration from my Norwegian students and colleagues who encouraged experimentation and applauded wondrous and far-reaching failures. There was an easy openness to taking risks and expecting to fail and fail before one succeeds. And as an artist it energized my creative process and opened my creative work to the world.
What are your main inspirations? I could list artists like Basquiat, the surrealist writer James Joyce, the physicist/chemist Marie Curie, the mad scientist Nikola Tesla or the video game pioneer Shigeru Miyamoto. However, really, I am most inspired by landscape and culture, by walking through unknown neighbourhoods and discovering expected wonders, seeing evidence of story in mailboxes or back yard shrines. While I was both a Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Professor at the University of Bergen, we spent most of our time exploring, walking as far as we could each day, in different directions. And it was these small adventures that inspired me the most, the joy of finding beauty in small and unexpected discoveries. The trick is then to translate those discoveries into something compelling through digital poetry and art.
"It was these small adventures that inspired me the most, the joy of finding beauty in small and unexpected discoveries."
Jason Nelson | 2016 Fulbright Scholar | Visual Arts Griffith University
University of Bergen
Born in Oklahoma, Jason Nelson is a creator of digital poems and fictions of odd lives, builder of confounding art games and all manner of curious creatures. He professes Net Art and Electronic Literature at Queensland’s Griffith University in subtropical metropolis of Brisbane. He applied to the Fulbright Program as a U.S. citizen, enabling him to choose Norway as the destination for his Fulbright research. Aside from coaxing his students into breaking, playing and morphing their creativity with all manner of technologies, he exhibits widely in galleries and journals, with work featured around the globe at FILE, ACM, LEA, ISEA, SIGGRAPH, ELO, MIX and dozens of other acronyms. There are awards to list (Paris Biennale Media Poetry Prize, Digital Writing Prize, Webby Award), organizational boards he frequents (Australia Council Literature Board and the Electronic Literature Organization), and Fellowships he’s adventured into (Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Bergen, Moore Fellowship at the National University of Ireland), but in the web based realm where his work resides, Jason is most proud of the millions of visitors his artwork/digital poetry portal www.secrettechnology.com attracts each year.
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Ziggurats to Scale is an expansive projection artwork on the William Jolly Bridge in Brisbane. It was created as part of Jason’s Artist Residency at the Queensland State Archives, where he spent several months exploring the collection to identify papers, photographs, videos, sounds and objects to create a series of fictional narratives in new artworks. Jason explains “What is a ziggurat? While it refers to a type of structure in Mesopotamia, it is also a synonym for large publicly used structure, which both references the bridge and the content of the artwork.”
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Cities of Cloud and Wire is a projection artwork sponsored by the Queensland College of Art and the South Bank Corporation. Similar to “Ziggurats to Scale”, this artwork extends directly from Jason’s creative digital arts research during his Fulbright Scholarship. That research explores developing new methods for creating and experiencing unexpected artworks in unusual places and animated the landscapes around us. “Cities of Cloud and Wire” expanded how we understand the combinations of technology, art, poetry and the built environment. Moss Art - When creating digital art for unusual structures and environments there is need to continually test and experiment. Norway in particular has a diverse range of natural surfaces that experience dramatic shifts as the seasons change. Therefore Jason spent a considerable time testing projection on ice or stone, tree bark or old rock walls, attempting to create digital creatures swimming from the cracks in the frozen rock.
Nomencluster and Cryptext was created for the world’s largest touch screen space and was supported by grants from the Australia Council of the Arts and the Queensland University of Technology. Nomencluster (pictured) is an 8 meter high and 16 meter wide interactive digital poem. Visitors swipe along the screens, generating textual and artistic elements which then form patterns at the top. Each of the 5 levels are inspired by science, from food chemistry to 19th century engineering. The Bindings artworks were part of a trilogy created by Jason Nelson and Alinta Krauth during Jason’s Fulbright Fellowship in Bergen, Norway. They adventured down hidden alleyways and explored moss drenched mountains during the cold and dark months of the Norwegian winter. Using powerful portable projectors, Jason created and projected digital poetry for places in Bergen that resonated with unexpected beauty and curious narratives. For more of Jason's work, check out his online artwork/digital poetry portal at www.secrettechnology.com
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Down 1......A sprawling Californian city; the epicentre of the U.S. film and television industry. 2......According to 'art historians', explorers from this country were the first to discover Australia. 4......A type of structure associated with Mesopotamia. 5......A a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world. 6......A stringed musical instrument. Also, to talk persistently, endlessly and tediously on a particular topic.
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3......A Greek fabulist and storyteller. Also a brand of luxuriant skin care products. 7......According to a leading spurious pet publication, this public figure is not an ideal animal caretaker. 8......A unique method of laying concrete mortar on bricks to create texture. Also, nasal congestion brought on by eg. a particularly bad cold.
August Solutions: Down: 1. Dingo 3. Scarabaeinean 4. Rhizophyza 5. Extinct 6. Settlement 7. Wainwright 9. Coorain Across: 2. Quintessence 8. Melanodactylus 10. Anastatus
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