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OPERASI CASSAVA 6.0: WHEN UB(A)I DREAMS
No full textOperasi Cassava 6.0 extends my decade-long participatory archive project exploring ubi kayu (cassava) as a migratory, culturally symbolic root reframed through digital and ecological imaginaries. Situated within media art, speculative ethnobotany, and posthuman studies, the work examines how ancestral memory, plant intelligence, and artificial dreaming converge across human–machine–vegetal interfaces. Grounded in Michael Marder’s concept of plant-thinking—a mode of vegetal existence that compels human thought to “become plant-like” (Marder 2013) and Jane Bennett’s vibrant matter, which decentralises agency across human and non-human forces (Bennett 2010), the work challenges anthropocentric separations between nature, culture, and technology. Research Contribution In collaboration with Giang Nguyen Hoang, this new iteration links cassava’s bio-electrical signals to AI-generated imagery prompted by a lexicon of human memory, creating a live “cyber-organic dreaming” system. This interface enacts Marder’s notion of vegetal subjectivity and Bennett’s “thing-power” by granting plants creative agency within a generative media assemblage. The project contributes to artistic research by operationalising non-human co-authorship and establishing a Southeast Asian framework for bio-digital aesthetics and posthuman expression. Research Significance Exhibited at the INVENTX Creative Exhibition 2025: Sustainaissance (Emotion. Expression. Identity), Operasi Cassava 6.0 received the Gold Award in the Installation Category selected by an international jury panel. Within this peer-reviewed exhibition featuring 72 artists from six countries, the work advances sustainability as ontological continuity between memory, matter, and machine. It demonstrates how technological mediation can foster empathy, cultural remembrance, and more-than-human creative practice in Southeast Asia’s evolving art-and-technology ecology. Scholarly, this work contributes to trans-cultural dialogues on affect, heritage, and more-than-human creative futures. By activating a cyber-organic interface, Operasi Cassava 6.0 transforms sustainability into a field of relational being—where ancestral root, memory, and machine dream together toward new forms of expression and identity.</p
Socio‐demographic correlates of nature connection: An Australia‐wide study
No full textA large body of literature illustrates that nature connection is associated with both higher wellbeing and a greater likelihood of displaying more pro‐environmental behaviours. This indicates that higher nature connection is an important leverage point for sustainability. It is important to understand correlates of nature connection to improve both individual well‐being, and the health of the planet. This study is the first survey to explore nature connection and its variation across diverse geographies and environments at a national‐level in Australia. We aim to understand the overall level of nature connection in Australia, the socio‐demographic correlates of nature connection and the barriers to connecting with nature. The distributions of nature connection according to two different instruments: the CN‐12 and the INS indicate that nature connection is relatively high in Australia. Nature connection is higher for older Australians, individuals who identify as female, individuals who grew up in rural or regional area, those who work part‐time or are self‐employed, Indigenous Australians and those who speak a language other than English. Being time poor is the most common barrier to engaging with nature, with individuals on higher incomes being more likely to identify this barrier. Other barriers, such as lack of access, cost of access and safety concerns, were more likely to be raised by people on lower incomes. Our research identifies numerous structural barriers to engaging with nature that have global relevance and indicate the need for socio‐ecological policy reforms. Policy implications. Our research points to valuable policy levers such as increasing green space in urban areas, enhancing opportunities for meaningful interactions in nature and addressing structural inequalities to enhance access to nature for certain groups. Doing so will help create positive change for both people and planet. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.</p
Slopocene Icons
No full textResearch background: AI slop is disseminating throughout the internet including low quality anatomy images that further right wing objectives. Research significance: Slopocene icons is a work about the right wing connections to generative AI, drawing on neoclassical aesthetics favored by fascists to create slop using a specially trained AI slop generative AI. These are then converted to 3D models and broken down in various ways for video, projection and 3D printing Research Contribution: this work was exhibited in three exhibitions throughout greater Melbourne at federation square, bunjil place and Collingwood yards. It has been the subject of a paper, conference talks and panels. The discussion of the work and the work itself helped to foster discussion about the agenda behind generative art.</p
DIY DJ
No full textBackground Historically, DJ performance involved collecting and sequencing commercial records made by music producers; the practice of DJ performance was separate to that of music production (Butler 2006). While the utilisation of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) and digital DJ technologies since 2001 has catalysed an amalgamation of these pursuits for some DJs (Callander 2022), others remain committed to analogue formats and playback devices (record and turntables), meaning that DJ performance relies not only on music production, but also the mastering and manufacture of records. For practitioners wanting to retain the feel and sound of performing with records, how can these distinct practices be drawn closer together, and how can traditional techniques for handling analogue audio be preserved in the digital age? Contribution “DIY DJ” is a fifteen-minute DJ performance work comprised of nine lathe-cut records made by the DJ exclusively for the performance. The audio was produced, arranged, and mastered using the DAW Ableton Live, then etched into 12-inch discs made from PETG (a recyclable plastic) using a Swedish-made record cutting lathe—there are only two of these lathes in Australia—and then performed using a three-turntable DJ configuration. This “farm to table” approach to production, programming, and performance by the same practitioner rejects the assertion that amalgamating production and performance practices can happen only in the digital domain. Further to this, it functions as proof of concept for a new multi-disciplinary approach to the realisation of analogue DJ performance. Significance “DIY DJ” was commissioned for Sono Tactile, a concert also featuring Dr Anthony Lyons, Dr Sophie Rose, Dr Monica Lim, and Dr Cayn Borthwick. Sono Tactile was presented on July 29, 2025, as part of the New Music Concert Series at Hanson Dyer Hall, Ian Potter Southbank Centre, and funded by the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Music.</p
Hai An 3WOD Design Competition
No full textResearch Background This research is an example of creative practice as research, where engaging with the local design ecosystem serves as the foundation for a design inquiry. The "Hải An" sculptural hook embodies a research process that privileges material exploration and emotional depth. The project investigates how a functional object can transcend its utility to become a narrative artifact, a "living artwork" that holds memories and personal histories. The use of ash wood and meticulous craftsmanship are not merely aesthetic choices, but a means of generating new knowledge about the relationship between form, function, and emotional resonance in design. The work's development from different coasts to a common tide echoes the collaborative nature of the research process itself. Research Contribution During the development of "Hải An," our research extended beyond the studio to crucial industry engagement. We established important connections with local manufacturers in Ho Chi Minh City, including specialists in EDM cutting, CNC machining, steel, and wood supply. This provided invaluable insights into small-scale and bespoke manufacturing processes. As a competition finalist, we also collaborated with the large-scale factory, Thanh Tanh, to refine the final prototype. This partnership provided a deep understanding of mass production chains in HCMC, offering practical knowledge that enriched our research. These connections, particularly from our collaboration with Thanh Tanh, have established a significant link to RMIT Vietnam, which can support future student work and academic collaboration.Research Significance Organized by Gallery Medium and sponsored by influential stakeholders like Elle Decor Vietnam, Maison & Objects Paris, Laita Design, and Tân Thành Furniture, the project provided a unique platform for engagement. The project's success establishes fruitful connections with major players in the local design industry and serves as a medium to explore the possibilities of local materials and manufacturing capabilities. This engagement opens doors for future collaborations, student opportunities, and ongoing research exploration, solidifying the project's impact beyond the final artifact. The significance of this project lies in its role as a bridge between emerging design and the established creative and manufacturing ecosystems in Ho Chi Minh City.</p
Diversity and Inclusion in the Context of Work: How Do Managers and HR Managers Understand and Practice Diversity at the Workplace?
No full textDiversity and inclusion in contemporary workplaces have gained momentum as being a critical mechanism of management and human resource management practice. Whilst diversity and inclusion management have become commonplace in many organisations, little is known about what managers and human resource managers understand about the complexities of diversity management and how they action diversity and inclusion practices. Our study was underpinned by organisational theory to unpack the structures and work practices that inform diversity at the workplace. A total of 23 Australian organisations, in the state of Victoria, participated in a qualitative study to examine the perspectives of managers and human resource managers on their understandings of diversity management and practices within their respective organisations. Findings within the organisations indicate there is no collective strategic approach to diversity, mostly due to different hierarchical pressures and challenges. In most organisations, there are siloed, industry‐specific practices and a deficiency of common understandings of what and how to manage the complexities of diversity management. More needs to be known about diversity management for managers and HR managers to build and maintain diverse and inclusive workplaces.</p
Reading Matter
No full textReading Matter was presented as the annual BLOP BLOP BLOP curatorial workshop series at George Paton Gallery, with Adam Cruickshank invited as facilitator/curator and designer/editor of the published outvcome. BLOP BLOP BLOP is GPG’s annual experimental curatorial intensive; the 2025 iteration was led by Cruickshank under the title Reading Matter.
Situated in and around GPG, the practice-led project investigated publishing as a critical, site-responsive practice. Across three workshops held in George Paton Gallery's Arts Lab, participants examined the gallery’s paratextual conditions – signage, labels, schedules and other institutional texts – as material for making. The workshops culminated in a group-authored publication that gathered all the workshop generated material into a single compendium of site-readings, edited and designed by Cruickshank.
Ten participants took part, selected via an open call; most were enrolled in the University of Melbourne’s Master of Art Curatorship.</p
Cardboard-confined rammed earth towards sustainable construction
No full textEnvironmental concerns regarding the widespread use of cement and concrete in the construction industry have intensified in recent years. As the industry seeks sustainable alternatives, cardboard—a mass-produced, recyclable material—has gained accelerating popularity for temporary buildings and structures with adequate durability. Simultaneously, renewed interest in the traditional rammed earth technique has emerged due to its extremely low embodied carbon and nearly zero cost. This study introduces an innovative cardboard-confined rammed earth (CCRE), integrating low-cost cardboard tubes with unstabilized rammed earth. CCRE cylinders with cardboard tube thicknesses ranging from 1 mm to 4 mm are fabricated and tested for compressive strength. Additionally, an analytical model is developed to predict the compressive strength of CCRE cylinders with varying dimensions. Comprehensive assessments of carbon footprints and life cycle costs are conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic advantages of the proposed composite. The results reveal that rammed earth core significantly enhances the structural performance of cardboard by more than tenfold, surpassing the strength of widely used cement-stabilized rammed earth. The CCRE not only offers substantial reductions in carbon emissions but also provides competitive life cycle costs, making it an appealing solution for sustainable low-rise building applications.</p
Articulating Bookish Value: Value Beyond Price in the Words of Australian Literary Arts and Publishing Sector Insiders
No full textOur research looks at the concept of value in relation to local books. In particular, we are interested in value beyond price and the question of how to recognize and articulate dimensions of value that are more than economic. We argue that a fuller and more nuanced understanding of value in relation to local books is necessary in order to positively impact local, state and national arts and cultural policy levers that can serve to protect, nurture and grow local content. In this article, our focus is on the way the Australian literary and publishing sector expresses ideas about bookish value. We use both close reading and software-assisted word-frequency analysis to discover how respondents to the public consultation phase of the Australian National Cultural Policy review of 2022 speak to three broad dimensions of value – (1) skills, jobs and economic prosperity; (2) social cohesion and building equity; and (3) wellbeing. Our data set includes 146 submissions that were contributed to the national policy review by authors, publishers, not-for-profit organizations and selected government bodies who stand to impact the health and vitality of local books and writing. This research demonstrates that those working with and within the Australian literary arts and publishing sectors conceive of value in myriad ways, and that economic value plays only a small part in their thinking on this topic. In particular, what we find is a persistent emphasis on value beyond price.</p
The Effects of High Pressure and Shear on the Structure of Silicon
No full textSilicon is a cornerstone of modern technology, predominantly utilised in its conventional diamond cubic (dc-Si) phase for a variety of semiconductor devices. However, there are intrinsic limitations of dc-Si which have spurred significant interest in alternative semiconductors, including other phases of silicon. These novel phases possess a range of advantageous properties that could be used for various applications. However, there is currently a lack of knowledge of how to reliably synthesise these phases, which is limiting their use. The overarching aim of this thesis is to determine the mechanisms behind how exotic phases of silicon form. A particular focus will be the use of non-hydrostatic compression conditions, where high pressures and shear stresses can be used to promote phase transformations from different types of silicon precursors.
The effects of non-hydrostatic conditions on the structure of powdered dc-Si precursors were investigated both in situ [during high pressure treatment in a diamond anvil cell (DAC)] and ex situ (following treatment by analysing the recovered sample). A central focus was to determine how the application of shear-stress influences the phase transformation pathway. Notably, the results revealed that non-hydrostatic conditions lowered the transition threshold of dc-Si to the metallic white tin silicon (β-Sn-Si) phase to ~9 GPa, lower than ~11-12 GPa usually needed to begin this transformation under hydrostatic conditions. Furthermore, a distinct preferred crystallographic orientation was found to occur in the recovered body-centred cubic silicon (bc8-Si) phase in which the crystals were found to be aligned with their directions normal to the compression axis. The origin of this orientation was found to be caused by the extremely anisotropic simple hexagonal silicon (sh-Si) parent phase’s tendency to orientate under the influence of the anisotropic stress field, which was then passed on to subsequent daughter-phases via displacive phase transformations. The speed of decompression was also found to be important, with a rapid release of the pressure leading to the formation of bulk amorphous silicon (a-Si) containing small clusters of bc8-Si crystals ~10-50 nm in size.
This thesis investigated the impact of actively applying shear-stress on the phase transformations of powdered dc-Si utilising a novel rotational DAC (rDAC) in which one anvil could be rotated relative to the other. This work revealed that even small rotations at low pressures could induce significant changes in microstructure. It was shown that the metallic β-Sn-Si phase could be formed by applying shear at pressures as low as ~4 GPa (more than 50% lower than in the absence of shear). However, the resulting bc8/r8-Si (rhombohedral silicon) mixture formed upon pressure release, which is commonly considered stable, reverted to dc-Si after a relaxation period of ~24 hours. This indicated that the phases produced by applying shear may not be as stable as those under pressure alone. Significant shear was found to produce a mixture of stable dc/bc8-Si phases in the recovered sample at pressures of ~5.6 GPa. This work showed that using an rDAC to increase the level of shear is a promising method of promoting phase transformations in silicon with the potential of increasing the yield of novel phases.
Investigations into the impact of non-hydrostatic pressure on different types of silicon precursors, including single crystal dc-Si and bc8-Si, were conducted. It was found that compressing single crystal dc-Si along the direction results primarily in deformation along {111} planes, producing stacking faults which accumulate, forming β-Sn-Si, which subsequently transforms into r8-Si and bc8-Si upon decompression. This result provided new insights into the mechanism of silicon phase transformations by showing that they are both shear mediated and growth limited. In contrast, compression along the direction in single crystal silicon resulted in the formation of bands of a-Si throughout the dc-Si crystal, separated by defects along the {111} planes. This result was explained by the transformation of β-Sn-Si into a-Si as the stress released too quickly for other transformations to occur.
Overall, this work advances the understanding of silicon’s phase transformation behaviour under extreme conditions by highlighting the vital roles of non-hydrostatic compression and shear. The findings offer a useful avenue for facilitating the formation of novel silicon materials that have potentially useful electrical and optical properties by lowering the pressure transformation threshold required for their formation.</p