The focus of this thesis is to visually show the significance and relationship between the use of natural materials, and geometric patterns used in Māori weaving. The patterns will reflect indigenous episteme of artistic and tacit knowledge. These patterns are significant to the Māori worldview of kaitiakitanga (stewardship of knowledge), which is cognisant in the ontology of Māori weaving. These patterns are significant forms of Māori cultural symbols that reflect elements of nature, evolution of time and space. The focus is to show how natural materials can be utilised in an art form that embraces bicultural activity, as a reference to customary and new age methods of thinking and practice. This leads to self-enquiry and our own responsibilities, only to ask ourselves; What are the guiding principles within art and design, that upholds the core values of Mātauranga Māori? (Māori epistemological thinking). The concept of this thesis is to define the cultural significance of kaitiakitanga (stewardship), through the preservation of Mātauranga Māori and practice as weavers and artists. This concept challenges our own understanding of what we know and what we don’t know about the relationships between people, place, environment and use. The methods and processes used for this work will be based on customary practices and methods, using native materials, endemic to New Zealand. These materials will be harvested at different time periods. The methodologies used in this project, is a product of intrinsic knowledge and testing new boundaries, through researching more specific detail about varieties of harakeke (New Zealand flax) cultivars, testing the flexibility, functionality and durability of materials. This will challenge the test, of making sure that the methods used will be significantly practiced throughout the processes involved in the making of artistic pieces of work, in accordance to tikanga (protocols). The use of native materials enhances cultural values of kaitiakitanga as a metaphor, which asserts sustainability of Māori epistemological notions of practice and meaning.This also applies to the visual language of Māori. The concept of visual language embraces metaphoric meanings and understanding, which relates to our co-existence with the earth, animals and the elements. All these elements of nature are contained within symbolic traditional patterns. Some of these patterns have derived from phenomena of thought structure, historical events and our co-existence through our connectedness to the land, waters, oceans, sky and universe. How can Māori forms of art be embraced and imbued, in modern society, that signifies place, belonging and cultural enhancement?

The focus of this thesis is to visually show the significance and relationship between the use of natural materials, and geometric patterns used in Māori weaving. The patterns will reflect indigenous episteme of artistic and tacit knowledge. These patterns are significant to the Māori worldview of kaitiakitanga (stewardship of knowledge), which is cognisant in the ontology of Māori weaving. These patterns are significant forms of Māori cultural symbols that reflect elements of nature, evolution of time and space. The focus is to show how natural materials can be utilised in an art form that embraces bicultural activity, as a reference to customary and new age methods of thinking and practice. This leads to self-enquiry and our own responsibilities, only to ask ourselves; What are the guiding principles within art and design, that upholds the core values of Mātauranga Māori? (Māori epistemological thinking). The concept of this thesis is to define the cultural significance of kaitiakitanga (stewardship), through the preservation of Mātauranga Māori and practice as weavers and artists. This concept challenges our own understanding of what we know and what we don’t know about the relationships between people, place, environment and use. The methods and processes used for this work will be based on customary practices and methods, using native materials, endemic to New Zealand. These materials will be harvested at different time periods. The methodologies used in this project, is a product of intrinsic knowledge and testing new boundaries, through researching more specific detail about varieties of harakeke (New Zealand flax) cultivars, testing the flexibility, functionality and durability of materials. This will challenge the test, of making sure that the methods used will be significantly practiced throughout the processes involved in the making of artistic pieces of work, in accordance to tikanga (protocols). The use of native materials enhances cultural values of kaitiakitanga as a metaphor, which asserts sustainability of Māori epistemological notions of practice and meaning.This also applies to the visual language of Māori. The concept of visual language embraces metaphoric meanings and understanding, which relates to our co-existence with the earth, animals and the elements. All these elements of nature are contained within symbolic traditional patterns. Some of these patterns have derived from phenomena of thought structure, historical events and our co-existence through our connectedness to the land, waters, oceans, sky and universe. How can Māori forms of art be embraced and imbued, in modern society, that signifies place, belonging and cultural enhancement?

This thesis explores the relationship between film form and character expression, both of which are seen as articulated structures, that is utterances in which separable parts operate cooperatively to create meaning. The specific films examined present characters who struggle to express themselves. These inexpressive characters are combined in each case with a disrupted form which displays its own many-jointed structure. The thesis argues that the dynamic relationship between inarticulacies of character, narrative, and form generates an indeterminate dialectic. The unresolved relationship between parts and whole (reminiscent of a complex mosaic structure) complicates the process of reading for univocal meaning. The operation of this dual inarticulacy is discussed in Chapter One. Each subsequent chapter is devoted to a single film and a particular example of formal disjuncture: contrapuntal narrative levels, clashing styles, discontinuous editing, bricolage, the dislocation of genre signifiers from conventional meanings, and intermedia. The films discussed at length in connection with these theories are: 'Journal d'un curé de campagne' (1951); 'Germania anno zero' (1948); 'Belle de Jour' (1967); 'Distant Voices, Still Lives' (1988) and 'The Long Day Closes' (1992); 'Meek's Cutoff' (2010); 'The Pillow Book' (1996).

The aim of this study is to investigate how preschool children, aged 3-5 years, create meaning of static electricity in an activity led by a pedagogue, how this is expressed and what part the pedagogue takes in children’s meaning making. The method used was participant observation and video camera was used to document a designed activity. The observations took place at four occasions with four different groups and the observations was conducted in different rooms of various sizes, which were provided by the preschool. Equipment used in this study are: Balloons, pvc-pipes, salt, different kinds of papers, aluminum cans and thin plastic bags. Results in this study show that the children create meaning of the activity first and foremost by exploring interplay and conversations. They solve the task at hand working together and with support of the pedagogue. The role of pedagogue in the children’s meaning making is to present tasks which have moderate levels of difficulties, and to direct the children’s focus by using questions concerning the current phenomenon. In so doing, they support the children to succeed. Factors of importance for the children’s meaning making is to be given the opportunity to explore, their curiosity, joy and being heard.