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Nonlinear Poetic Journeys Within Andrei Tarkovsky
No full textThis thesis intends to construct several nonlinear, poetic architectural journeys inspired by an examination and study of Andrei Tarkovsky's films Mirror and Stalker.
The project aims to integrate architecture with movies. A comprehensive body of literature exists about the link between these two creative genres. Numerous observers have remarked that the film camera traverses and records space architecturally or spatially. Architects started to use cinematic and animated visuals to depict spatial concepts, particularly from the 1990s onward. Furthermore, films provide opportunities for innovative architectural experimentation for visionary architecture. In cinema, architecture is unbound by technical limitations and doesn’t need to fulfil practical purposes. Fantasy and imagination are allowed.
The project idea derives inspiration and core components from two films by Tarkovsky: Mirror and Stalker. Stalker is a science-fiction story concerning a group of men who embark on a journey to a room where their deepest desires are realised. Mirror reflects Tarkovsky's childhood, utilising nonlinear, experimental, and dreamy narrative techniques to explore significant emotional themes, such as a child's relationship with his mother and the challenges of revisiting the past. In my project, I integrate these two films to propose a series of travels across envisioned landscapes—like Stalker—leading to cryptic architectures that reflect the unreachable or intangible elements central to Mirror. I convey these trips and structures through films and still images. The project is site-less; rather, the site exists within the virtual realm of imagination, aligning with the imaginative and speculative nature of the project.
Tarkovsky’s films were distinguished by their poetic eloquence. By “poetic”, he meant nonlinear, non-causal, associative structures: “I find poetic links, the logic of poetry in cinema, extraordinarily pleasing. Certainly, I am more at home with them than with traditional theatrical writing, which links images through the plot's linear, rigidly logical development. In contrast, film material can be combined in another way, which works above all to open the associative logic of a person's thought.” I propose something similarly poetic and nonlinear in my fusion of film and architecture. In this architecture, reason and logic are less evident and a more emotive style of expression is shown
Rethinking place in ethnic and migrant health outcomes: environmental racialisation in Auckland City Centre1 (CBD)
No full textThe healthy migrant effect scholarship makes limited, if any, connections between the impacts of the physical environments of the host country on the health outcomes of migrants. The aim of this paper is to understand environmental racism/racialisation in the context of migrant-concentrated neighbourhoods in urban settings. Focusing on interactions between built structural spaces and meaning-embodied places, this paper adapts international literature to map intentional and unintentional actions that have racialised outcomes on health determinants, and perceptions and experiences of physical health and wellbeing. Data are drawn from a mixed-method study comprising surveys, key informant and residents’ interviews, focus groups and observations carried out in Auckland’s City Centre (CBD), an urban area with high concentrations of ethnic and migrant populations. The analysis highlights two facets of environmental racialisation: first, it points to disproportionate urban investment that shapes the structural determinants impacting ethnic residents’ exposure to environmental harm and in turn, health outcomes. Secondly, it introduces the concept of the ‘migrant middle’, a specific group constituted and affected by intricate processes of racialised exclusion and the retention of places of living and consumption. Overall, the paper demonstrates how the distinctive racialisation of urban space constitutes a determinant of ethnic and migrant health
Biofunctional Pharmaceutical Additives for Targeted, Improved Bioavailability and Safety of Medicine
No full textThis Special Issue (SI), “Biofunctional Pharmaceutical Additives for Targeted, Improved Bioavailability and Safety of Medicine”, focuses on recent advancements in biofunctional additives and excipients. These developments are used to create pharmaceutical formulations and delivery systems (for topical or systemic routes) that may provide targeted drug delivery or modified drug release to improve efficacy and lessen irritation at the absorption site and beyond.
This SI encompasses nine original research papers and a review article and covers a wide range of creative and adaptable research topics. It highlights developments related to the discovery of excipients, e.g., amino acids, cyclodextrins, hydrocolloid polymers, and molecular targets and microneedle systems to create safer medications and more effective sustained release systems. The ten publications were contributed by 72 researchers across the globe (Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and Australasia), offering significant insights into the pharmaceutical additives used in a range of drug-delivery systems and potentially contributing to better clinical outcomes
Edge Inversions in (Pk)-closed Groups
No full textThis thesis aims to provide a short introduction to the local-to-global theory
of groups acting on trees (including the classic results which form its
backdrop) and present some results about the order of edge inversions in
(Pk)-closed groups. In Chapter II we give a short exposition of Bass-Serre
Theory and some contributions of Tits, motivate local action diagrams and
present some standard results about the permutation topology. In Chapter
III we explain the universal groups of Burger-Mozes and Simon Smith and
give a truncated exposition of the theory of local action diagrams. In Chapter
IV we construct a (P2)-closed group which contains only edge inversions
of infinite order, thereby providing a negative answer to a question posed by
Stephan Tornier. We also construct a family of (P2)-closed groups which act
on T3 that contain only inversions of arbitrarily large order. These serve as
a negative answer to a follow-up question posed by Florian Lehner
Un/settling Ethical Issues: Indigenisation on Colonial Terms
No full textThis paper explores a series of conundra that arose about koha, kaupapa whānau and wānanga in an ethics application for a study on trans and irawhiti takatāpui youth-led sexuality education. Thinking with policy documents, Indigenisation and decolonising approaches to tertiary education, the paper illustrates the issues that arise when Indigenous concepts are forced to operate on settler terms. Rather than rejecting Western approaches outright, accountability is sought where the university’s appropriation of Indigenous concepts proves disingenuous, and strategies for acknowledging the multiplicitous constituents of the university are explored. Integrally, the paper provides clear examples where the institution has facilitated its own decolonisation, demonstrating how the possibility of a more just university is already in our grasp
For Whom the Rule Changes? : The Justification Logic of English Language Requirements in New Zealand’s Immigration Policy
No full textIn April 2024, the New Zealand government announced that English language testing would be required to apply for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). This visa scheme, which was established in 2022 to fill the workforce shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, was under review because there were multiple reports of migrant exploitation. Therefore, this policy change was unfathomable, which imposed another burden on migrants (the potential victims of exploitation): to sit the language test. Why does this kind of policy change takes place? This article examines the driving forces and the government’s justification logic behind the introduction and transitions of such rules. Immigration and the English language were both impacted by globalization. Globalization increased human mobility and made the English language into a lingua franca for communication. However, in the nexus of these two global phenomena, English has also been used as a tool to restrict immigration in testing. New Zealand, a dominantly English-speaking country, has been accepting “skilled” migrants since the 1980s, which is in line with the neoliberal structural reforms, and English language testing was introduced in the 1990s for residency visas. This article examines the government’s policy announcements and statements to unearth the embedded power relations in immigration language policies. As a result, the individual responsibility doctrine, which has been one of the main principles of neoliberalism, was the main justification for the requirements. The findings of this global case study can be applicable to other countries that are facing common global phenomena
Making and Doing in Music Education: Looking Back to Go Forward
No full textThis chapter responds to the call to consider distributive, cultural, and emancipatory dimensions of social justice in music education by doing something that at first glance may be considered counterintuitive: by turning back in time to explore a pivotal moment in the awareness of the emancipatory power of music education in Aotearoa New Zealand’s history. We draw on archival work on an Emergency Education Scheme (EES) in Palmerston North and Feilding in 1942 and outline the importance of this scheme. Central to this approach is to bring past events and policies into present conversation about the importance of music education as a core tenet of schooling with the emancipatory power inherent to creative engagement with music.
When the military took over schools in the New Zealand towns of Palmerston North and Fielding in 1942, it provoked an educational experiment that had lasting effects on Aotearoa’s education system, even prompting an admiring report from the Australian Minister of Home Security (1943). According to Clarence Beeby (Director of Education in New Zealand in 1942), the “emergency gave us the chance to do more than just carry on with the bare school subjects” (Beeby to McQueen, 1942). Children took to the streets of Palmerston North and Fielding in an Emergency Education Scheme (EES), making the town their classroom, replacing a teacher-led educational experience with self-governance, and undertaking activities that foregrounded engagements with the community and with local sites. Central to these activities was music education, a move that was surprising given the patchy record of music education in the school curriculum in New Zealand to this point. This chapter explores the emergence of a form of music education in New Zealand that was collaborative, creative, and community-centric in the form of the EES. The chapter will show the way this scheme in 1942 was pivotal in establishing music education as a valid and vital curriculum discipline, and the resonances this time has on our contemporary music education 'landscape’.
The 1942 EES plays a part in an important conceptual shift in music education from the 1940s that has resonance for contemporary ideas about the field’s social democratic impetus. Precipitating wider curriculum change, throughout the EES music education was conceived and practised as an activity and discipline that moved away from an approach that focussed on appreciation, to one that emphasised active and embodied experience. The events and ideas of the 1942 EES were a precursor to a wider rethinking of music education along the lines of a more socially just, inclusive, distributed and democratic form of education, which was to be influential in the reshaping of the entire education system in Aotearoa New Zealand for the latter half of the twentieth century.
In responding to the purpose of this edited collection to address the ways in which music education can be envisaged as a democratic, inclusive, and emancipatory endeavour, we address the philosophical underpinnings of this conceptual shift in relation to social justice. We draw on the theoretical ideas of Tim Ingold and Henri Lefebvre to apply a philosophical framework that highlights the importance of embodied and active engagement in creative action. This theoretical work is then followed by offering two examples of music teachers who worked in the scheme and their attempts at reshaping music education to better engage and excite the young children in their care. This chapter, and the project as a whole, considers how the vibrant educational practices and ideas of the EES have echoed through time
Eruption dynamics and triggering of phreatic eruptions at the Rerewhakaaitu Fissures, New Zealand
No full textPhreatic eruptions are a form of steam-driven eruptions are violent explosions of steam, water, and rock caused by the decompression of superheated fluids and gasses. Often associated with volcanic edifices or geothermal fields, steam driven eruptions are significant hazards in New Zealand’s volcanic and geothermal landscapes. Uniquely the Rerewhakaaitu Fissures are a group of steam-driven eruptions that are not associated with geothermal activity or established volcanic centres. Erupted lithologies are unaltered fragments of underlying Rangitaiki and Matahina ignimbrites. The stratigraphic location of the Rerewhakaaitu breccia between the Waiohau and Rotoma Formations give an age range of 13.6 – 9.5 ka. The Rerewhakaaitu Fissures are composed of four individual segments which are formed of an overlapping series of closely spaced craters. The en-echelon arrangement of these vertical fissures suggests a tectonic control on the formation of these features. The orientation of tips of these fissures along a horizontal plane suggest that σ1 is oriented sub-horizontally, parallel with the fissure strike, with σ3 also oriented sub-horizontally, perpendicular to the fissure. These features result in the formation of fractures parallel to σ2, which in this setting, produces vertical damage zones. These vertical damage zones result in the en-echelon vertical fractures that control the shape and orientation of the Rerewhakaaitu Fissure eruptions. The sudden formation of an enhanced vertical permeability structure intersecting a primed phreatic reservoir tiggered the depressurisation of the reservoir at depth, causing the phreatic eruption along the length of the fissures. This mechanism is indicative of a temporary inversion of the extensional regime of the Taupo Volcanic Zone to one of strike-slip. Magmatic fluids from a shallow dike intrusion trapped against the base of the Rangitaiki ignimbrite is inferred to have been the mechanism for the priming of the groundwater reservoir. This tectonic triggering of the Rerewhakaaitu eruptions produced the distinctive eh-echelon arrangement of the eruption fissures. Compared to the other steam-driven eruptions in New Zealand, the Rerewhakaaitu fissures lie on the upper end of erupted volumes. The modelled erupted volume of 14 x 106 m3 is 1 – 2 orders of magnitude larger than other phreatic eruptions at other recently studied volcanoes
Common Ground, Collective Living. Maungatapu Cohousing
No full textThe city of Tauranga in Aotearoa, New Zealand, contains a rapidly growing population and a rising cost of living, and it is impacted by a diverse range of climatic and environmental factors.
These elements present a platform for architectural intervention that benefits the array of current societal issues. A direction highlighted by these issues could identify both a need and opportunity
for alternative housing models that value social connection, affordability, and environmental well
being. Historically, architecture has been no stranger to radical ideologies and design concepts,
some of which contain great value in informing current housing interventions. A housing movement
encompassing these principles is cohousing. At its essence, cohousing is a type of collaborative
housing model in which the residents actively participate in the operation and design of their own
neighbourhoods. Typically, the units within these dwelling systems are relatively small and in close
spatial proximity, and there is an agreed balance between shared and private spaces.
With cohousing as the catalyst for design, this thesis aims to produce a collective living development
within Tauranga's unique context with the aim of contributing to a more resilient, vibrant, and
socially cohesive city. While many cohousing schemes have flourished in various parts of the world,
their application and adaptation in New Zealand is limited. Existing housing models often do not
adequately address the specific challenges faced by Tauranga's diverse population, including
indigenous Māori communities and an increasingly multicultural society. Moreover, the
environmental and sustainability implications of shared living developments in Tauranga's distinct
climate and ecological contexts remain largely unexplored. To address these gaps, this research
aims to provide actionable insights into designing shared living developments in order to cater to
Tauranga's unique circumstances. The question centering this research is, "How can shared living
developments be optimised for inclusive, sustainable, and community-centric living in the context of
Tauranga, New Zealand?" To further this question, a second is asked, "How can these
developments be designed to accommodate diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds,
fostering inclusivity and social cohesion?"
The research vehicle to be traversed is a cohousing development for Tauranga, New Zealand,
focusing on sustainability design principles, social connection, and financial well-being. Various
precedents and shared living developments will be investigated in depth, from both the personal
sphere to those thoroughly established, locally and internationally. In addition to cohousing
precedents, similar shared living models will be explored such as ecovillages and coliving
developments. The structure of shared living facilities can be through many forms, whether it's
through unit amount, size, profile, management system, or user participation. With so many varying
factors, each housing system expresses a unique design, dynamic, and vision. This project aims to
curate that unique space and dynamic within the context of Aotearoa, New Zealand.
This study's significance lies in its potential to address pressing urban issues in Tauranga by
introducing innovative housing models that promote social inclusion, environmental sustainability,
and community well-being. Through reliance on shared resources, spaces, activities, and
knowledge, a platform is created where users can achieve more than they could in isolation. By
optimising shared living developments, this research aims to contribute to the broader discourse on
urban living and serve as a valuable resource for architects, policymakers, and urban planners
seeking innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive cities in the 21st century
Characterizing the trophic ecology of herbivorous coral reef fishes using stable isotope and fatty acid biomarkers
No full textUnderstanding the trophic ecology of herbivorous and detritivorous fishes is essential for evaluating their ecological roles in coral reef ecosystems. In this study, we combined bulk stable isotope (δ15N and δ13C) and fatty acid analyses to investigate trophic partitioning and dietary resource use among herbivorous and detritivorous fishes from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Isotopic niches and fatty acid profiles confirmed significant trophic partitioning among algivores, detritivorous surgeonfishes, and parrotfishes. We also applied mixing models based on these ecological tracers to quantify the contributions of basal dietary sources to the fish. Our findings further support previous dietary knowledge for several species, including algivorous acanthurids, kyphosid chubs, and the rabbitfish Siganus doliatus. However, they also highlight trophic niche specializations within these groups, particularly in Naso unicornis, which assimilates substantial dietary protein from epiphytic cyanobacteria despite a macroalgal diet, and in the detritivorous Ctenochaetus striatus, which exhibited isotopic similarities to parrotfishes but differed in fatty acid composition, likely due to a higher intake of diatoms. Additionally, our analyses reinforce the distinctive dietary composition of parrotfishes, emphasizing the complexity of their feeding biology, in which microscopic photoautotrophs such as cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates play a key dietary role that has often been overlooked in previous studies on their nutritional ecology. Furthermore, these findings underscore the usefulness of multi-tracer approaches in refining our understanding of coral reef fish trophic ecology