Elegy to an Oz Republic: First Steps in a Ceremony of Invocation towards Reconciliation

In 2012 the author completed a series of drawings that, while figurative in form, were structurally based on and derived their inspiration from Robert Motherwell’s abstract series, Elegies to the Spanish Republic (1963-1975). This wholesale 'borrowing', 'quotation' and 'citation' raises the questions addressed in this article. What does it mean to engage in acts of appropriation now? And, more importantly, can such acts of appropriation draw on the spirit of the 'original' work to make a (political) difference? 

Rhythm and the Performative Power of the Index: Lessons from Kathleen Petyarre's Paintings

Is it possible to find an ethical and generative way to speak about the ‘work’ of Indigenous art? Regardless of what prohibitions exist to protect sacred knowledge from the gaze of Western eyes, Indigenous work is circulating; it is being read, misread, interpreted, misinterpreted and otherwise known. How can a non-Indigenous person ‘speak’ about Indigenous art without reducing it to the diagram, collapsing it into Western modes of knowing, or intruding into the domain of restricted cultural information? Given the lessons of the Indigenous cultural practices, I propose that the work of art is performative and not merely representational. Through attention to the operation of rhythm in Kathleen Petyarre’s paintings, I propose to reconfigure contemporary understandings of performativity. In this formulation I will argue that in the dynamic productivity of the performative act, the world intrudes into practice, and in a double movement, practice casts its effects back towards the world. In this way I suggest that just as life gets into images, so imaging also produces reality. This mutual reflection is the work of art

Beneficence and contemporary art: when aesthetic judgment meets ethical judgment

The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) establishes a working set of guidelines for the ethical conduct for research within Australian Universities. One of the primary principles relates to questions of “public good.” The question of public good comes under the principle of beneficence. Beneficence involves an ethical judgment about whether “the likely benefits of the research must justify any risks of harm or discomfort to the participants, to the wider community, or to both.” (National Statement, p. 13). The question of minimizing risk and discomfort becomes a key point of tension when artists become engaged in artistic research and their ‘research’ become subject to the guidelines of The National Statement. Driven by the esthetics of the sublime, the avant-garde impetus demands that art produces discomfort and brings its audience into crisis. For artists this discomfort and crisis is precisely art’s benefit, whilst for an ethics committee such discomfort may be deemed an unacceptable risk. Here-in lies a conflict between the notions of beneficence as defined by the code and those recognized by the artistic community. It raises the question: What is the value of art to a society if it becomes so comfortable that it no longer provokes artistic shock? Through an examination of the work of socially engaged artists Amy Spiers and Catherine Ryan, this paper examines how artists reconfigure the notion of beneficence as a principle that incorporates provocation and discomfort

Of Wilderness, Forest, and Garden: An Eco-Theory of Genre in Middle English Literature

“Of Wilderness, Forest, and Garden: An Eco-Theory of Genre in Middle English Literature” proposes a new theory of genre that considers the material elements of the natural environment in Middle English literature composed between 1300-1450 CE. Instead of treating the setting as just a backdrop for human activity, I posit that the components of the environment play a role in the deployment of the narrative by shaping the characters and influencing the action. More than an acknowledgement of the particular natural features, this study explores the role that these components play and how they give us a deeper understanding of the text. This project presents a view of the text that both engages and augments the traditional genre classification, offering a way to study a lesser considered subject in medieval literature—the material world of the setting—by reassessing the genre classification of the texts. By teasing out the material details of the setting, an eco-theory of genre cuts across conventional genres and offers another way to connect medieval texts. I argue that, instead of romance, Breton Lai, ballad, and fabliau, the texts examined in this dissertation are wilderness, forest, or garden poems. The eco-theory of the genre wilderness sees the adversarial elements in an untamed environment. The forest genre is a space of rules and regulations that circumscribe the environment and, in turn, manage the resources found there. The genre of the garden focuses on the conflict between what is manmade and what is natural and considers which of these is more real. By thoroughly investigating the representations of material nature within certain Middle English texts, such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Geste of Robyn Hode, and “The Franklin’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales, it is the aim of this dissertation to demonstrate that medieval people negotiated the divide between the philosophy of nature and the lived experience of nature through literature

Clinical, laboratory and pathological findings in dogs experimentally infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum

The aim of this comparative study was to investigate the development of clinical signs and accompanying haematological, coproscopic and pathological findings as a basis for the monitoring of health condition of Angiostrongylus vasorum infected dogs. Six beagles were orally inoculated with 50 (n = 3) or 500 (n = 3) A. vasorum third stage larvae (L3) obtained from experimentally infected Biomphalaria glabrata snails. Two dogs were treated with moxidectin/imidacloprid spot-on solution and two further dogs with an oral experimental compound 92 days post infection (dpi), and were necropsied 166 dpi. Two untreated control dogs were necropsied 97 dpi. Prepatency was 47-49 days. Dogs inoculated with 500 L3 exhibited earlier (from 42 dpi) and more severe respiratory signs. Clinical signs resolved 12 days after treatment and larval excretion stopped within 20 days in all four treated dogs. Upon necropsy, 10 and 170 adult worms were recovered from the untreated dogs inoculated with 50 and 500 L3, respectively. Adult worms were also found in two treated dogs, in the absence of L1 or eggs. Despite heavy A. vasorum infection load and severe pulmonary changes including vascular thrombosis, only mild haematological changes were observed. Eosinophilia was absent but the presence of plasma cells was observed. Neutrophilic leucocytes showed a transient increase but only after treatment. Signs for coagulopathies were slight; nevertheless coagulation parameters were inoculation dose dependent. Ten weeks after treatment pulmonary fibrosis was still present. Infections starting from 50 L3 of A. vasorum had a massive impact on lung tissues and therefore on the health of affected dogs, particularly after prepatency, although only mild haematological abnormalities were evident

The management of individuals with enduring moderate to severe mental health needs:a participatory evaluation of client journeys and the interface of mental health services with the criminal justice system in Cornwall

Background: Existing research identified substantial gaps between NHS mental health services and the criminal justice system for individuals with enduring moderate to severe mental health needs (EMHN). A pilot study in Cornwall echoed these findings, identifying deficiencies in provision at the interface ofpolice and mental health services. Aim: To explore the interagency management of individuals with EMHN as they come into contact with the police. Design: A mixed-methods approach within a community psychology framework to enhance the implementation of findings. Stage 1: policy review and clinical audit to identify a sample of mental health service users who were in contact with the police. Stage 2: case-linkage study of 80 service user journeys through services at the time of three types of police contact (Section 136 detention; arrest for criminal offence and contact that did not result in detention); and a health economics component including analysis of the actual cost of 55 service user journeys and enhanced service scenarios. Stage 3: local stakeholder consultation to validate and contextualise case-linkage findings, including a national event. Setting: The research site was the county of Cornwall within the organisational contexts of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Devon & Cornwall Police. Sample: Proportionate stratified random sampling identified a sample of 80 cases examined in the case-linkage study from the 538 linked cases identified by the clinical audit. Data sources: Case-linkage and health economics data involved individuals’ police and mental health records; stakeholder consultation data involved focus groups and interviews. Results: Of the sample of 80 cases examined, 23 individuals had been detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act (1983: Great Britain. Mental Health Act 1983. Chapter 20. London: The Stationery Office; 1983) (accounting for 32 detentions), 52 had been detained in custody on suspicion of an offence(accounting for 126 arrests) and 15 had non-detention contact with the police. Findings showed that where police were aware of mental health needs and individuals were on caseload of a Mental Health Team, there was increased interaction and enhanced outcomes for service users and organisations. Thehealth economics scenario modelling suggests that enhancing services has minimal effects on individual level costs compared with current practice. Conclusions: The research revealed discrepancy in police and mental health professionals’ assessment of risk and interpretation of protocol and highlighted the need for joint interagency protocols and training to improve information sharing between agencies to enhance the management of individuals with enduring moderate to severe mental health needs. Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme