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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External signifiers of femininity on war machines…

Thought you might find this interesting in the light of our adventures with Christina Aguilera on Monday....Think about the nature of these "pinups" and a warning many of them are more ...well you'll see. They are explicit - and were painted on aeroplanes....

Databases: Unlocking the Potential of Computers in The Arts

Victoria Munn and Erin Griffey’s presentation on the use of databases to aid research merged two of my interests: Computer Science and the Arts. One of the areas I’m most interested in is computer vision and machine learning. Unlike other areas of computer science,...

Less is more, in research especially

As a researcher, it is often easy to lose your goal during research as you become exposed to more knowledge. The staggering amount of sources that are available for study can at times seem overwhelming, and against this vastness, it is unsurprising that researchers...

Spheres of Influence

I should feel bad, but I don’t. Or maybe it’s the other way around?

Who Am I? A short, self-indulgent meditation on my internal struggle.

The past weeks have been a bit rough for me. The lockdown has stifled my self-esteem quite severely, and it’s left me floating without motivation or imperative. I did, however, find the energy to attend the Arts Scholars forum on power and inequality in research. I...

Nazis vs Soviets Morality Battle!

The difference between America’s view of Nazis and Marixst-Leninists is pretty staggering. On one hand, you have a brutal regime that committed genocide and other atrocious acts. On the other hand, you have a secretive country that in the time span of just one man’s...

Trying to find my place in the research space

The Power and Equity in Research Panel made some points that really hit home, for me at least. Jemaima Tiatia-Seath and Daniel Hernandez both talked about being an 'outsider' in your field of research: Tiatia-Seath as a young woman in the Tongan research space...

Is Old Enough Getting Old? Do Age Limits Promote Equality or Discrimination?

Jenifer Frost discussed how youth activism to lower the voting age emphasised education and maturity as well as disparities in their responsibilities, hence the phrase "Old enough to fight old enough to vote". This got me wondering about which age barriers could be...

Don’t Get Too Attached Honey

Although I failed to attend the discussion session with Tracey McIntosh, Jemaima Tiatia-Seath, Nicole Perry and Carisa Showden, I managed to get some ideas off the lecture notes.  Carisa mentioned how much emotions we should invest in the process of research, and she...

Collecting Notions

For a presentation last year, I researched Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey". You might also have heard of it as the "monomyth". If not, here's a simplified summary: the Hero's Journey is a sequence of plot points, which are said to loosely match every story we...

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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