This research records a three year journey of exploration through the visual arts, specifically painting and drawing in relation to the landscape. The written work presented here provides a support document to my final exhibition of paintings that were exhibited in the John Curtin Gallery at Curtin University of Technology from November 24th - December 15th 2002.The writing of this exegesis is in itself a creative piece, but it is not the same as the visual research that culminates in the paintings. I am convinced that to talk about creating art actually leads one away from being in the experiencing of that art, hence this writing discusses the processes involved and not the finished work. My primary objective within this exegesis is to present a discussion centred around some of the philosophical issues that became visible whilst carrying out my practical work. This discussion is also about process itself in art making practices and research, hence this exegesis is intended to run as a parallel to the visual body of work as presented in the final exhibition of works held in the John Curtin Gallery.I have intentionally used my own practice as a device to question the choices and outcomes of art making generally in an effort to add a little colour to the larger discourse of creative practices. Some of the writing may seem personal (apart from the journal notes) and again, this is an intentional device in order to bring about a sense of embodiment within the writing itself and a way of mirroring the processes within the paintings.

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A critical culture requires that the site of appearance, the temporal coincidence of the subject, the object and the site, be acknowledged as a ground for meaning. Through a built investigation and a theoretical address this thesis examines the site of appearance for contemporary creative practice; the extent to which it continues to be defined by and contained within the conceptual frame of the Enlightenment aesthetic as the privileged discourse of the object. In a detailed analysis of the architecture of the exhibition, the 18th century Academy Salon and the Parisian bourgeois hotel are juxtaposed with examples from the late 20th century practice of site-specific exhibition. This comparison reveals an essential connection between art and architecture, between architectural form and social representation. An alternative concept of the exhibition as a site of appearance thereby acknowledges individual, temporally specific interpretation as a potential ground for critical discourse within the contemporary art institution.

The challenge of creating a dialogue between a viewer and an artwork is the next logical step in the evolution of my artwork. The problem is to find a way of creating art that does not only remain visual. By the same token, also to create something that does not remain purely conceptual and out of touch. In order to make the experience of encountering artwork more meaningful, a merging of physical and mental interaction in the viewer is strived for.This project serves as a tool for reflection on myself and understanding a way of working. It also provides an opportunity to clarify many of the beliefs and positions that I hold to be true in what I do in theory and practice. This project attempts to provide viewers new experiences with art through interaction. / Department of Art

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[pt] Esta dissertação versa sobre os significados do ingresso e usos do design dentro de espaços museológicos. É importante ressaltar que tal uso deve ser observado em consonância com as inúmeras relações existentes e estabelecidas nesses locais, que se articulam entre as instituições mantenedoras do patrimônio histórico, suas obras e exposições, e seus visitantes. Tais relações são complexas e multifacetadas, devendo ser observadas e estudadas dentro de um contexto histórico específico, abrangendo o âmbito social, político-cultural e econômico. Dessa forma, esta pesquisa tem como objetivo mais amplo examinar as motivações, bases e limites da inserção e uso do design, bem como, em decorrência, as alterações que inscreveu no próprio conceito de museu. Sem olvidar os diversos profissionais envolvidos nas supracitadas relações, ressaltamos o papel do designer dentro desses limites, e de que maneira esses especialistas atuam e servem aos museus, investigando que tipo de contribuição são capazes de agregar para os estudos do Campo do Design. Assim, uma das diversas questões a ser problematizada e discutida é pertinente às facilidades que a sua aplicação pode provocar, e, ainda, o alcance e a inclusão social que é capaz de promover. / [en] This dissertation deals with the meanings of entrance and uses of design within museum spaces. It is important to emphasize that such use must be observed in harmony with the numerous relationships existing and established in these places, which are articulated between the institutions that maintain the historical heritage, its works and exhibitions, and its visitors. Such relationships are complex and multifaceted, and should be observed and studied within a specific historical context, covering the social, political-cultural and economic spheres. Thus, this research has as its main objective to examine the motivations, bases and limits of the insertion and use of the design, as well as, consequently, the changes that inscribed in the very concept of museum. Without forgetting the various professionals involved in the aforementioned relations, we highlight the role of the designer within these limits, and in what way these specialists act and serve the museums, investigating what kind of contribution they can add to the studies of the Design Field. Thus, one of the various issues to be discussed and discussed is pertinent to the facilities that its application can cause, as well as the reach and social inclusion that it is capable of promoting.

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This paper demonstrates the overall success of bringing non-traditional audiences to a New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) exhibition, "Passionate Visions of the American South: Self-Taught Artists from 1940 to the Present." It also highlights the success of some of its public programs. However, the process of attracting these audiences to the museum falls short in its attempts at developing long-term relationships with NOMA. The first chapter provides historical background on NOMA and offers an overview of the "Passionate Visions" project. Chapter Two describes, in relative detail, the project's community outreach component and implementation of its public programs. It closes with an analysis of short range and long term impacts. The final chapter further analyzes the project experience, inclusive of the management style of the project director, issues surrounding conflict of interest and ethics, and the degree of NOMA's commitment, or lack thereof, to long-term non-traditional audience inclusiveness.

My installation, "The Viewers", consists of three life-sized figures and a projected video feed. The figures are placed in and around the gallery space, and the video originates from a hidden camera installed in one of the figures eyes. The first figure that the viewer encounters upon entering the gallery space is hyper-realistic security guard. His position behind the gallery circulation desk, a space which is traditionally assumed not to be an 'art space' allows him to view those entering the gallery while remaining relatively unnoticed. A camera that is installed in his one of his eye sockets and hidden behind sunglasses feeds live images that "he perceives" to another part of the gallery where they are projected. The second figure is a male soldier, positioned covertly on a lighting ledge connected to the ceiling of the gallery. From his high-post, he can clearly view the gallery's occupants through his binoculars, while only being noticeable himself from particular angles. The third figure is a real person dressed as a gorilla. Throughout the evening, he will move through the gallery, viewing and contemplating the artworks and its viewers as well. The purpose of the gorilla is primarily to view the exhibit and the social interaction generated by the gallery setting, but inevitably, viewers will want to interact with him, drawing them into the playful drama of the piece as a whole. Together, and through their individual means of viewing, each figure alludes to the idea of playing a part: the security guard in his fulfillment of the role of a security guard, the soldier in the almost costume-like quality evoked by his camouflage attire, and the gorilla being fairly obviously a performer in costume. That each is in a sense playing a role, and that each has a particular means of viewing the people in the gallery, suggests the additional roles and importance of the fourth element, that of the viewers. My work aims to suggest that the viewers are always playing a part of sorts when viewing an exhibition: the part of the viewer. This references not only the integral nature that the viewer has in defining the meaning of an artwork, but also the role that the viewer agrees to take on – the set of assumptions and mode of viewing the art as ‘art’ – as soon as one enters the gallery space.