Study in the Master of Contemporary Arts (MCA) external study is undertaken by distance. This challenging and creative program provides professional studio/workplace-oriented experiences that will extend your understanding and appreciation of arts-related concepts, propositions and contemporary professional practices. As an external student of the Master of Contemporary Arts you will be able to experience access to the considerable academic and cultural benefits of studying as part of the highly respected artistic environment of the Academy of the Arts.
Master of Contemporary Arts Information.
Some Current MCA External Projects
My work is about the significance to express symbolic meaning of visual metaphors. Specifically, it explores the way visual images can be associated with human events. I investigated the idea of the portal [door and window] as a threshold, a space into a new realm. This work deals with the metaphysical condition of being. Our sense of being is governed by the emotions we feel within our physical bodies and these are expressed in the Meta by the external influences we encounter in our lives. There are many thresholds to cross in our life - birth, marriage and death, to me this circle of life is a never ending dynamic. My work is an attempt to allow the image make itself clear with minimal influence of the mind, by a process of being still and receptive to what it is that wants to be captured. I use creative expression as a doorway inwards to uncover deeper ways of being in the experience of life.
Ann Williams - Fitzgerald
" "There were many reasons behind my decision to study externally via distance, family and work commitments as a Marriage Celebrant. I desperately wanted to be close to my family and friends and still be part of the local community in Mackay. However, the most influential factor behind my decision to study externally was my desire not to have to relocate from the Mackay region.
These challenges have now changed with The Academy of the Arts offering external study options for people interested in completing the Master of Contemporary Arts (MCA) degree by external mode. Mackay now has a vibrant student cohort and the sense of isolation is no longer a factor".
My project documents and interprets the changing nature of Armstrong Beach over a 4 km distance. This investigation will take place over a twelve month period and centre on the space between the crown land and the low tidal mark. The aims of the project are to: Consider the possible provenance of things washed up on the beach and speculate their past in relation to how appear at this time; Consider the beachscape as a document of nature and humankind history. This place requires a close reading and re-reading in order to understand the subtle flows of change brought about by the rhythm of natural forces; Examine the way things have their original forms altered by natural forces to become different, often shards and weathered parts of once-familiar objects;
Donna Robinson
...Explore the beach as a receptive space for bringing together the inner subconscious world of ideas with the perceived realities of the physical world. Each object will be photographed in-situ rather than being taken back to the studio to be recycled into assemblages as other artists have done. To my knowledge no-one has used Armstrong Beach, Sarina to investigate the nature of things affected by the sea that makes this place what it is for the local community.
I will explore and interpret the changing nature of trees and flora in our dry-tropical environment. The study will take place over a twelve-month timeline. This small, unique natural environment of Bowen is affected by wind, rain, drought, erosion, temperature and atmosphere. My project will concentrate on how these natural forces shape the appearance and health of the trees and flora of the region. The language in the landscape has the ability to connect the place with its inhabitants. The elements are constantly shifting and changing ensuring that nothing stays the same. These subtle shifts reveal the past and have the ability to shape the present and the future.
Pam Finlay
Nature adapts to the changes in the environment and has the ability to regenerate. During the course of this project I aim to examine the landscape more intimately and express an awareness of the uniqueness of our local environment to the viewer in a contemporary way with mixed media paintings and textiles through exhibition format.
I will be creating a range of theatre costumes (for both productions and experimental purposes) which explores alternative design methods and construction processes. These costumes will be viewed in publicly displayed full productions. My work will combine innovative form with practical function. I will challenge traditional costume design processes, and thereby extend the parameters of expected/conventional costume design. This project differentiates itself from other creative theatre costume designer projects, by using alternative costuming methods, materials and processes. The concept will initiate a form of experimental art work not executed locally before. These contemporary approaches could move the existing costume construction methods in to different realms.
Carol Forbes
This project differentiates itself from other creative theatre costume designer projects, by using alternative costuming methods, materials and processes. The concept will initiate a form of experimental art work not executed locally before. These contemporary approaches could move the existing costume construction methods in to different realms.
