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Publications and other research outputs

Sinking like a stone in the studio

A curated exhibition, August to December 2021, by Dr Libby Byrne, Honorary Research Associate, Whitley College, and Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University. You are encouraged and warmly invited to view the video of the exhibition by clicking on the title 'Sinking Like a Stone in the Studio' above, or by clicking on the exhibition poster here to the left.

 

Libby writes:

“The video offers a glimpse into the creative process I encountered in the studio whilst making this body of work and then sitting with it, re-membering the experience of being in worship in disembodied times. Having begun to explore what it means to Sink like a stone, this new artwork tells the story of being with these images in the studio, and wondering what it means to exhibit these images and ideas. As I curated the work in this way, I heard the words Malcolm Gordon’s song, Be Gentle with Grief, and was able to find my own words to name the experience I encountered in each of these artworks.

Having shared this experience with Malcolm, he is very happy for the collaboration to be published and offered in the world as an point of connection and reflection.

Whilst the words I have chosen to offer in this work reflect my experience, I welcome different ideas and responses from others who may be interested to contemplate and share with me through these strange times. If you would like to connect and offer your ideas and responses, images, and reflections, please do click the button below and use the email address embedded there.

 

Our Faculty Publications

Updated regularly

Our faculty are committed to research and writing. We write for a wide range of outlets, including traditional publishers, academic journals, denominational magazines, blogs, and for broadcast outlets such as the ABC.

Rehumanizing Precarious Work: Vocation in Location Versus a New Priesthood of Cosmopolitan Techno-Creatives

Gordon Preece, ‘Rehumanizing Precarious Work: Vocation in Location Versus a New Priesthood of Cosmopolitan Techno-Creatives’, in D. Benson, Kara Martin, Andrew Sloane, eds. Transforming Vocation: Connecting Theology, Church, and the Workplace for a Flourishing World, ACT Monograph Series. Wipf & Stock, Eugene: OR, 2021, pp. 88-107.

Toil(ing) in Two Cultures: An Australian-Samoan Reading of Ecclesiastes 2:18-23

Kolia, Brian. “Toil(ing) in Two Cultures: An Australian-Samoan Reading of Ecclesiastes 2:18-23.” In Reading Ecclesiastes from Asia and Pasifika, edited by Jione Havea and Peter H.W. Lau. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2020: 29-41.”

Brian Kolia, one of our PhD students, has just published a chapter in an Australian-Samoan Reading of the book of Ecclesiastes. You can download an Open Access copy of the entire volume and spend time profitably toiling over the fruit of Brian’s labors by clicking on the image of the book cover.

Brian says “For Pasifika islanders, Qoheleth’s philosophy is problematic. The islands are perceived as holiday getaways (for resting) by many non-islanders, but our (is)lands are heavily toiled and require ongoing toil(ing) (service). Our (is)lands are for working, not for relaxing. In fact, the majority of islanders are subsistence farmers, and toil(ing) is therefore essential for survival. To assume that life is easy and free of toil is deemed foolish. To address the questions raised above then, I propose a Samoan reading of toil(ing) in Eccl 2:18–23 through the perspective of tautua (toil). As a Samoan, I am intrigued with Qoheleth’s perception of toil(ing) as vanity and the implications that this perception may have for tautua in the Samoan context.”