UWA Logo What's On at UWA
   UWA HomeProspective Students  | Current Students  | Staff  | Alumni  | Visitors  | About  |     Search UWA    for      
 

PUBLIC LECTURE: Shark in Art: creature vs culture

* Login to add events... *
Today's date is Friday, March 29, 2024
Shark in Art: creature vs culture : A lecture by Vivienne Westbrook, National Taiwan University Other events...
Sharks have excited the imagination of literary and visual artists for centuries. There are literally thousands of references to sharks in poetry, drama, novels, painting and sculpture. Since the twentieth century they have been appropriated for film, TV and advertising campaigns, but often in ways that have increased the perception of sharks as monstrous man-eaters.

An unconscious elision of the real shark, about which we still know relatively little, and the shark within human culture, about which we all know something, has generated many misconceptions about real sharks. Those who work with them closely often refer to them with admiration and affection. They are acutely aware of the fact that it is the cultural representation of sharks that has facilitated their exploitation, some species of which are now on the verge of extinction.

This lecture will draw attention to the distinction between the monster that we have created and the real shark. It will explore some of the many representations of sharks in a variety of artforms as a means of understanding the complex role of sharks in culture, the human emotions that they evoke, and the impact of representation on their existence.

Vivienne Westbrook is an Associate Professor at National Taiwan University. Her project 'Shark in Art' brings her to UWA this semester, where she is researching the cultural responses to and emotional contexts for sharks with the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions.

Cost: Free, but booking essential http://www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/westbrook
Location Webb Lecture Theatre,Geography Building, UWA
Contact Institute of Advanced Studies <[email protected]> : 6488 1340
URL http://www.ias.uwa.edu.au/lectures/westbrook
Start Mon, 27 May 2013 18:00
End Mon, 27 May 2013 19:00
RSVP RSVP is required.
Submitted by Audrey Barton <[email protected]>
Last Updated Fri, 17 May 2013 11:38
Included in the following Calendars:
Additional Information:
  • Locations of venues on the Crawley and Nedlands campuses are available via the Campus Maps website.
  • Download this event as: Text | iCalendar
  • Mail this event:

Top of Page
© 2001-2010  The University of Western Australia
Questions? Mail [email protected]