How did the import of Western graphic design concepts change design in mainland China after 1979?

Divided into three chapters, this dissertation traces the trajectory of graphic design changes due in large part to the influence of Western design concepts in China. The analysis will include the historical, political and social changes affecting the industry, as well as how audiences have shifted with the ideological demands on graphic design to align with the diverse social and political contexts in communist China. Finally, it will explore how Chinese graphic designers have reached out to a bicultural audience in the context of globalisation

Monsters in children’s picture books and childhood fears

Fears are typically heightened when people are faced with the unknown entities of the future. Nowadays, media coverage of terrorism and environmental change has increased children's fear of death and the future, and Australian researchers have found that 25% of children fear the world will be destroyed in their lifetime (Rousell & Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles, 2020, p. 192). Fear is an innate part of the human condition, and,it is a survival mechanism from a standpoint of evolution, as children's fear may help them to prevent physical harm (Muris & Field, 2010, as cited in Maynes, 2020). Fear can also cause negative emotions such as anxiety in children. As people mature, the focus of fear is constantly changing. For example, six-month-old babies fear loud noises, sudden movements, and the inability to get timely demand fulfillment, and three- to four-year-old children are afraid of monsters, dark surroundings, and separation from their parents (Mercurio & McNamee, 2008, p. 30). Children usually display their emotions in different ways to adults and may not be able to express their feelings clearly in words, so adults may not notice children's fears or may underestimate the level of their feeling (Mercurio & McNamee, 2008, p. 30). If children's fears are ignored, they may produce more fear and anxiety (Nicholson & Pearson, 2003, p. 16). Therefore, in addition to the attention from parents, it is important for children to learn how to deal with anxiety and fear themselves

Picture book conventions play significant influences for raising young children’s environmental awareness.

Social development and technological progress have not only brought people a comfortable life but have also caused damage to the environment. Human exploitation and using natural resources have led to the exhaustion of these resources, throwing off the ecological balance and creating more problems that will eventually come back to haunt humanity (Tamrin, 2018, p. 2). Despite this, healthy food, clean air, and good water are human necessities; therefore, it is necessary to maintain a sustainable relationship with the environment. According to Brennan (2008, p. 5), the future of children is the future of humankind; if this is the case, it is essential to cultivate children's environmental awareness. But how are we to do this? This essay argues that children's picture books can serve as valuable educational tools to introduce and promote learning about environmental destruction. Through engaging storytelling, visual learning, emotional connections, and positive role models, these books can empower young readers to become more aware, knowledgeable, and active in protecting the environment

Exploring a strategy for managing on-farm surplus nutrients: aiming for mutual benefits to dairy farmers and the environment

In this thesis, the problem of surplus nutrients from dairy farming and food waste was investigated and the potential of an enterprise based around using black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to process dairy manure and food waste was considered as a means of mitigating part of this problem whilst promoting additional environmental improvements and benefiting other stakeholders, particularly dairy farmers. A transdisciplinary approach with a pragmatic action research methodology was employed due to the wicked nature of this problem. This approach provided the flexibility to follow up insights and explore the problem and potential innovation in depth and width

The value of graphic novels in conveying historical events: how do graphic novels represent history?

This dissertation investigates how the graphic novel has been used to represent major historical events. Through the analysis of graphic novels such as: Li Kunwu’s (2012) A Chinese Life, Liu Jing’s (2011, 2016) Understanding China through Comics, Art Spiegelman’s (1980) Maus and Marjane Satrapi’s (2003, 2004) Persepolis, this dissertation explores the format and conventions of graphic novels and shows how the combination of text, panels, and images powerfully represent major historical events. The research reveals that graphic novels provide an accessible way for readers to understand complex and conflict-ridden events in history

Sampling and the performance of knowledge - one bird at a time

Our submission includes documentation of a multimedia artwork with an accompanying commentary that explores overlaps between bird calls and human music genres. A characteristic of our current relation to birds is their growing unavailability due to the degradation of ecosystems and threats from predators. Taking our cue from birds inhabiting the coast of Aotearoa/New Zealand, musician Matthew Bannister and I ask how we might communicate and cooperate with these precious taonga. Bird vocalisation is a performed negotiation that effectively says “Come here” or “Go away”, which arguably can be true of music – marking a social space and time to invite or repel. Rather than limiting bird calls to functionalist categories of explanation, we use the technique of granular time-stretching, to analyse/experience the inner timbre of bird vocalisation and the rhythmic patterns of their calls. As a result sound samples are composed through the voice of the bird, becoming a human response to the ‘other’ in jointly formed compositions, reflecting an evolving relationship between composer and the bird. We also apply an electroacoustic composition technique (granular synthesis), to a video portrait of performer/composer and bird. Granular synthesis is a sampling method by which sounds are broken into tiny grains, redistributed and reorganised to form other sounds. Normally applied only to audio signals, this technique can be used to reshape video signals into video grains – repositioning time and space within the video sequence. As tiny units of image and sound, performer and bird are stretched, pushed, pulled and held, articulating the limits of space/territory, while finding a way to be heard within it

That Bloody Woman

That Bloody Woman, dir. Kyle Chuen and Courteney Mayall, music dir. Nick Braae The Meteor Theatre 26 Aug - 3 Sep 202

Literature review

Recognising that every PhD is different, the authors discuss three ways to find one’s voice when constructing a literature review. Ryan adopted an interdisciplinary stance, where he compared and contrasted the meanings of key concepts across a range of academic disciplines before arriving at his own definitions. By contrast, Wang began by reading deeply within the specific topic of her thesis, and attempting to find her own critical voice. Lin suggests a reflexive approach in which the candidate and their supervisors share and enrich each other’s cultural capital; this should lead to the candidate finding their own voice and eventually becoming a legitimate participant in the academic community of practice

Integrating an electronic compass for position tracking on a wheeled tricycle mobile robot

Dead-reckoning via encoders on wheeled-mobile robots is a simple but inaccurate method to estimate position. The major drawback of encoders is wheel slippage errors that accumulate over time. This problem is often addressed by using additional sensors such as compass, gyroscope, or GPS. This paper details the integration and effectiveness of a relatively low-cost solution using an electronic compass to reduce positioning error on a wheeled tricycle mobile robot. A customised Visual Studio program has been developed to adjust the settings of the electronic compass and integrate it with the Visual Studio based robot control system. The electronic compass heading data is fused with the encoder odometry heading data in three different ways: simple fusion, linear weighted fusion, and Kalman filter fusion. Simple fusion and linear weighted fusion rely on parameters determined from angular acceleration and angular velocity, respectively. The Kalman filter uses variance data for the encoders and electronic compass to determine an optimal heading. Experiments have been conducted in an indoor corridor environment to evaluate and compare the various fusion methods. Position error is successfully reduced and is sufficient to locate the robot within the corridor

Te Pūkenga libraries: A transdisciplinary design of the library of the future - an insider approach

This TDR inquiry examines the future of ITP libraries in Aotearoa as it joins the national network known as Te Pūkenga. The questions were asked ‘What will ITP libraries look like in ten years with the introduction of 4.0 technologies’ and ‘what makes a distinctly Aotearoa-based library service’? The inquiry was conducted over the first two years of Te Pūkenga creation. It evolved and moved with the disruptive and unpredictable waves that creating a new network produces. It was also conducted during the two years of the pandemic, COVID-19. It examines the possibility of a new and innovative library system that fits seamlessly into the structure developed by Te Pūkenga, incorporating Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles, decolonisation practices and equity of service models into the very makeup of the structure. It examines the complex nature of academic library service within its parent institution. Incorporating evidence from secondary information, surveys, interviews, and personal professional reflections. This inquiry demonstrates a TDR framework by incorporating as many voices as possible from many different stakeholder groups. The surveys and interviews asked questions of the library kaimahi within and external to Te Pūkenga to see what was important in academic library services and what is needed in the next ten years. It also asked the ākonga and general Te Pūkenga kaimahi their thoughts on library services and what they would like to see. The inquiry proposes a national library structure and service that will keep up to date with changing trends, 4.0 technology and disruptions that will arise over the next ten years and how an academic library service can remain relevant in the life of ākonga. It also discusses the need to have a foundation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and a focus on equity of service to support ākonga success