The way we lived?
Author: Simon Swale
The Way We Lived?
Simon Swale
24 April 2020
Swale, S.M. (2020). The Way We Lived? (An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree at the Dunedin School of Art, OtagoPolytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand)
Abstract
This dissertation discusses the theoretical frameworks and studio practice that has been undertaken in the course of study towards the degree of Master of Fine Arts at the Dunedin School of Art.
Drawing specifically on the work of Arjun Appadurai, and his articulation for a Global Cultural Economy, attention is focused on the flow of material culture around the globe. This focus is explored in both micro and macro terms as I utilise an array of theoretical frameworks including critical theory and human geography. The project is concerned with both production and consumption patterns, that trace the flow of commodities across the world to the specific spaces in which their packaging is often discarded and subsequently found.
Utilising a methodology of critical walking practice aligned with the concept of psychogeography, I reclaim this packaging, which then becomes the focus of my studio work. This work sits in the field of jewellery and small object making, as I seek to activate in the audience a heightened awareness and understanding for the relation between the body and urban space.
Made to exist in both the conventions of the gallery and in urban spaces, these works seek to explore and represent aspects of globalisation and the global cultural economy.
Key words: Globalisation; Cultural Economy; Urban Environment; Psychogeography; Jewellery; Jewelry.
Simon's supervisors were Johanna Zellmer and Leoni Schmidt.
License
This abstract is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence CC BY-NC 4.0 International. The thesis is not publicly available online. A bound hard copy is or will be available to borrow for research purposes from the Robertson Library, University of Otago.
