Arts Scholars

Koi te hinengaro, koi te arero, koi te mahi!
Sharp of mind, tongue, and work!

Keep up with the latest discussions and thoughts from our Arts Scholars whānau

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It’s a cutthroat business

Yes I googled ‘CEO stock photos’ what about it?

Cats: Our Furry Comrades in Arms

Hey all you cool cats and kittens- lets talk about the forgotten fallen of World War I

Timeless Beauty

I found Associate Professor Erin Griffey and Victoria Munn’s research investigating the origins of beauty cultures and visual cultures of beauty to be fascinating. By referring to the Renaissance, the ‘Great Works’ they relied on were digitalized manuscripts and...

Tissues, please.

What does it mean to “weep in the archives”? For me, it means connecting emotionally with the history that is - or isn’t - documented. It means expressing empathy with a community or a person separated from you by a vast expanse of time. It means recognising that...

A Conceptual Analysis of Conflict

The eighth paperback Collins English dictionary defines conflict as: [An] opposition between ideas or interests. A struggle or battle. To be incompatible. The Latin root word of conflict is ‘confligere’, or ‘to combat’. While the Latin and second definition interest...

“Gays are not real”

Dr Patrick Thomsen's research was my favourite out of all senior researchers. Solely because it was inspired by unexpected life experience, and it reinforces the idea that every, single, little, thing in our lives can become a topic of research. And these researches...

The Dominant Methodology isn’t Always Best: How Talanoa Re-framed my Education

Dr Patrick Thomsen's lecture early this semester stood out to me, for a number of reasons. His open attitude, his area of study, and, most significantly, his research method. Dr Thomsen collected his data through Talanoa, a Pasifika term derived from the words "Tatala...

When you’re weary, feeling small…

Almost every day of this lockdown I would take long walks around my neighbourhood, wandering aimlessly around the shuttered shops near my house. I would peer into the windows and read the coronavirus closure signs on the doors. Sometimes I got caught in the rain and...

Armies march on their stomachs…

War is often about resources and food can be both a tool and a weapon. From rationing to requisitioning (are they different? or really two aspects of the same thing?) food, or lack of it, can determine the outcomes of war. Have you ever wondered what contemporary...

How a Nickelodeon Show Contextualised War and Conflicts for Youths

I experienced war, similarly to many of my generational peers through Avatar: The Last Airbender - a Nickelodeon show made for children alongside Spongebob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer. Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated series set in an Asiatic world. In...

Auckland Domain

I am interested in the Auckland Domain for several reasons. Personally, it is a place which holds many dear memories for me: Befriending the swans at the pond, visiting the memorial, the museum, Wintergarden, or just going out for drinks at Wintergarden’s Café. Before...

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The Wicked Witch of the West

The Wicked Witch of the West

After Jeremy Armstrong’s lecture, something that stuck with me was his initial description of Eastern vs. Western war during his recorded lecture. From what I understand, this initial 10 minutes of his talk was a presentation of the ‘stereotypes’ that these terms...

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Art’s Appeal to Humanity

Humans, as a species, are a peculiar one at that. A species overly aware of their own mortality and place in the universe, consequently bent upon obsessive overthinking, and because of this we’ve found ways to fabricate our own reality in a harsh world. We’re...

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When does the war actually end?

When does the war actually end?

  It is easy to think of war as a past tense. While we aren’t exposed first hand to current situations like war in Afghanistan, we can recognize this horror across media and news updates. Then we can turn the tv off and look away. We don’t need to look any...

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The Call for Duty!

When looking at the various depictions of war that we’ve seen thus far – in art, literature, music and even sand -, there is a notable exception: the humble videogame. Ever since rising to prominence in the 1980s, videogames have been seen entertaining millions, but...

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