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Professor John Macarthur

Professor in Architecture

School of Architecture, Design and Planning
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
j.macarthur@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 53780

Overview

John Macarthur is Professor of architecture at the University of Queensland where he conducts research and teaches in the history and theory of architecture, and in architectural design. John graduated from the University of Queensland with Bachelor (Hons 1st) and Master of Design Studies degrees (1984) before taking a doctorate at the University of Cambridge (1989). He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities and a Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was the founding Director of the research centre for Architecture, Theory, Criticism and History (ATCH) and remains an active member of the Centre. He has previously served as Dean and Head of the School of Architecture at UQ and as a member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts. He is a past President and a Life Member of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand.

His research in the intellectual history architecture has focused on the conceptual framework of the interrelation of architecture, aesthetics and the arts. His book The Picturesque: architecture, disgust and other irregularities, was published by Routledge in 2007. John has edited and authored a further tenbooks and published over 150 papers including contributions to the journals Assemblage, Transition, Architecture Research Quarterly, Oase and the Journal of Architecture. His current project is a sole authored book on architecture and aesthetics, which is part of a wider Australian Research Council funded project on this topic.

Memberships

Fellow, Australian Academy of Humanities Fellow, Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences Life Member, Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand

Research Interests

  • The Architecture of Queensland
    I am involved with colleagues in the ATCH Centre in the recording and analysing the architecture of the Australian State of Queensland. Parallel studies involve archival research, oral histories, and discourse analysis using computer semantic text analysis tools. Themes of the study include architectural education, public policy, claims to climatic determination, and regional character. Publications include: Macarthur, John, Deborah van der Plaat, Janina Gosseye, and Andrew Wilson, eds. Hot Modernism: Queensland Architecture 1945-1975. London: Artifice, 2015. Plaat, Deborah van der, and John Macarthur, eds. Karl Langer: Modern Architect and Migrant in the Australian Tropics, Bloomsbury Studies in Modern Architecture. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2022. Macarthur, John, and Deborah van der Plaat. "Wireless Architecture: Robert Cummings Early Radio Broadcasts ". In Architectural Education through Materiality: Pedagogies of 20th-Century Design,, edited by Elke Couchez and Rajesh Heynickx, 221-34. London: Taylor and Francis, 2021.
  • Architecture between art and aesthetics
    I am broadly interested in how architecture has been considered an art, defined by concepts of philosophical aesthetics on the one hand, and the social and professional institutions of the different arts on the other. The often conflicting determinations of art and aesthetics have a rich history going back to the eighteenth century and continue to define the professional and popular views of architecture. I am interested in relatively technical issues such as the concept of disgust in the eighteenth century picturesque and how the picturesque relates to later romanticism; but also in the assumptions of cultural industries policy in relating architecture to the creative and economic capacities of a population. A recent publication that gives and overview of some of these interests is: Macarthur, John, Susan Holden, Ashley Paine, and Wouter Davidts. Pavilion Propositions: Nine Points on an Architectural Phenomenon. Amsterdam: Valiz, 2018. Macarthur, John, Susan Holden, and Ashley Paine. "For What It’s Worth: The Value of Architecture as Heritage and Culture." In Valuing Architecture: Heritage and the Economics of Culture, edited by Ashley Paine, Susan Holden and John Macarthur. Amsterdam: Valiz, 2020.

Qualifications

  • PhD, University of Cambridge
  • Master of Design Studies, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Design Studies (Hons), The University of Queensland

Publications

View all Publications

Grants

View all Grants

Supervision

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • Architecture and Cultural Policy in Australia

    Architecture is absent from national cultural policy in Australia despite being a significant part of the cultural economy and the way that civic identity is formed. Taste, civic norms and the economy come together in buildings and urban spaces, but there is little understanding about how they interact at personal, community and national levels. Recent econometric accounts of culture include architecture, forcing the issue of its place in cultural policy. This project aims to study architecture as a matter of culture that overcomes the gaps between concepts and administrative categories. Its goal is to inform better policy formation, increased public engagement with architecture, and growth in the creative economy.

    PhD topics within this wider project include: architecture in public interest broadcasting; architecture in school curricula; non-professional architectural and building culture on the WWW; architecture and cultural citizenship; architecture and liberalism.

  • Picturesque Australasia

    The aesthetic concept of the picturesque and, to a greater extent, the cultural practices associated with it were significant in the history of the European settlements in present day Australia and New Zealand. Projects suitable for Phd investigation include: the circulation of books of designs and advice on architecture and gardening; the role of mid 19th century publications on the aesthetic and agricultural potential of the colonies in powering immigration and expanded settlements; and the role of nature aesthetics in town planning.

  • Architecture as an art: aesthetic theory, taste and the institutions of the arts

    Architecture has been considered an art, or not, for different reasons which follow two main branches. The first branch is the consideration of architecture's place among ‘the arts’ understood as an institution of cognate knowledges and practices. The alternative track is to consider architecture through the concept of aesthetics which a human orientation to beauty in all of the material world both natural and artifactual and a faculty anterior to the social institution of art and the arts. PhD projects within this stream might include: the intellectual history of art, architecture and philosophical aesthetics since the 18th century; the place of building and architectural representation in contemporary art practice; and how standards of taste were formed historically and are today.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Featured Publications

Book

Book Chapter

  • Introduction: Modern Architect and Migrant

    van der Plaat, Deborah and Macarthur, John (2022). Introduction: Modern Architect and Migrant. Karl Langer: Modern Architect and Migrant in the Australian Tropics. (pp. 1-12) edited by Deborah van der Plaat and John Macarthur. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury.

  • Preface

    Macarthur, John (2022). Preface. What artistry can do: essays on art and beauty. (pp. xii-xv) edited by Bart Verschaffel (author, editor). Edinburgh, Scotland: University of Edinburgh Press.

  • The picturesque, architecture and urbanism

    Macarthur, John (2022). The picturesque, architecture and urbanism. Pragmatics of the picturesque: strategies for the contemporary city. (pp. 14-19) edited by Daniel Elsea. London, United Kingdom: Allies and Morrison.

  • Wireless architecture: Robert Cumming's early radio broadcasts

    Macarthur, John and van der Plaat, Deborah (2022). Wireless architecture: Robert Cumming's early radio broadcasts. Architectural education through materiality: pedagogies of 20th century design . (pp. 221-234) edited by Elke Couchez and Rajesh Heynickx. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003201205-17

  • Robin Boyd’s Australian Ugliness, ugliness and liberal education

    Macarthur, John (2021). Robin Boyd’s Australian Ugliness, ugliness and liberal education. After The Australian Ugliness. (pp. 45-52) edited by Naomi Stead, Tom Lee, Megan Patty and Ewan McEoin. Melbourne, VIC Australia: National Gallery of Victoria/Thames & Hudson.

  • The smell of politics: Civilia, Collage City, and liberalism in architectural discourse

    Macarthur, John (2020). The smell of politics: Civilia, Collage City, and liberalism in architectural discourse. GTA papers 4: grand gestures. (pp. 22-45) edited by Adam Jasper and Stefan Neuner. Zurich, Switzerland: gta Verlag.

  • Afterword: have things got better?

    Macarthur, John (2020). Afterword: have things got better?. MMXX: Two decades of architecture in Australia. (pp. 299-301) edited by Cameron Bruhn. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Thames and Hudson.

  • For what it’s worth: the value of architecture as heritage and culture

    Macarthur, John, Holden, Susan and Paine, Ashley (2020). For what it’s worth: the value of architecture as heritage and culture. Valuing architecture: heritage and the economics of culture. (pp. 8-20) edited by Ashley Paine, Susan Holden and John Macarthur. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Valiz.

  • Ugliness, the anti-aesthetic and appropriation with some remarks on the architecture of ARM

    Macarthur, John (2020). Ugliness, the anti-aesthetic and appropriation with some remarks on the architecture of ARM. Architecture and ugliness: anti-aesthetics and the ugly in postmodern architecture. (pp. 19-38) edited by Wouter van Acker and Thomas Mical. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury.

  • 'In the service of clouds': the picturesque and aquatint

    Macarthur, John (2019). 'In the service of clouds': the picturesque and aquatint. Architecture through drawing. (pp. 168-177) edited by Desley Luscombe, Helen Thomas and Niall Hobhouse. London, United Kingdom: Lund Humphries.

  • Pardo’s plumbing: relational art and architectural pavilions

    Macarthur, John (2019). Pardo’s plumbing: relational art and architectural pavilions. Trading between architecture and art: strategies and practices of exchange. (pp. 27-38) edited by Wouter Davidts, Ashley Paine and Susan Holden. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Valiz.

  • Between La Tendenza and neoliberty: Mauro Baracco goes to Australia

    Baracco, Mauro, Macarthur, John and Micheli, Silvia (2018). Between La Tendenza and neoliberty: Mauro Baracco goes to Australia. Italy/Australia: postmodernism in translation. (pp. 180-192) edited by Silvia Micheli and John Macarthur. Melbourne, VIC Australia: Uro Publications.

  • Culture mining: Ian McDougall in conversation with John Macarthur and Silvia Micheli

    McDougall, Ian, Macarthur, John and Micheli, Silvia (2018). Culture mining: Ian McDougall in conversation with John Macarthur and Silvia Micheli. Italy/Australia: postmodern architecture in translation. (pp. 164-171) edited by Silvia Micheli and John Macarthur. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Uro.

  • The banality of 240cm

    Macarthur, John (2018). The banality of 240cm. House tour: views of the unfurnished interior. (pp. 112-115) edited by Adam Jasper. Zürich, Switzerland: Park Books and Pro Helvetia.

  • Thinking Italian in postmodern Australia

    Micheli, Silvia and Macarthur, John (2018). Thinking Italian in postmodern Australia. Italy/Australia: postmodern architecture in translation. (pp. 6-10) edited by Silvia Micheli and John Macarthur. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Uro.

  • Thinking about Gino Valle and a few others in my small pool: Rex Addison in conversation with Silvia Micheli and John Macarthur

    Addison, Rex, Micheli, Silvia and Macarthur, John (2018). Thinking about Gino Valle and a few others in my small pool: Rex Addison in conversation with Silvia Micheli and John Macarthur. Italy/Australia: postmodern architecture in translation. (pp. 172-179) edited by Silvia Micheli and John Macarthur. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Uro Publications.

  • We all loved Tafuri! A conversation between Gevork Hartoonian, John Macarthur and Paul Walker

    Hartoonian, Gevork, Macarthur, John and Walker, Paul (2018). We all loved Tafuri! A conversation between Gevork Hartoonian, John Macarthur and Paul Walker. Italy/Australia: postmodern architecture in translation. (pp. 208-217) edited by Silvia Micheli and John Macarthur. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Uro.

  • Building flagships: regionalism, place branding, and architecture as image in the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane

    Stead, Naomi, van der Plaat, Deborah and Macarthur, John (2017). Building flagships: regionalism, place branding, and architecture as image in the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane. Images of the art museum: connecting gaze and discourse in the history of museology. (pp. 261-286) edited by Eva-Maria Troelenberg and Melania Savino. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter.

  • Luscombe Castle (1799)

    Macarthur, John (2017). Luscombe Castle (1799). Companions to the history of architecture: eighteenth-century architecture. (pp. 1-5) edited by Harry Francis Mallgrave. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/9781118887226.wbcha076

  • Prefabricated housing in architectural culture

    Aitchison, Mathew and Macarthur, John (2017). Prefabricated housing in architectural culture. Offsite architecture: constructing the future. (pp. 77-89) edited by Ryan E. Smith and John D. Quale. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315743332-5

  • Geoffrey Scott, the Baroque, and the picturesque

    Macarthur, John (2016). Geoffrey Scott, the Baroque, and the picturesque. The Baroque in architectural culture, 1880-1980. (pp. 61-71) edited by Andrew Leach, John Macarthur and Maarten Delbeke. Abingdon, Oxon, United States: Routledge.

  • Angry Young Architects: counterculture and the critique of Modernism in Brisbane, 1967-1972

    Gosseye, Janina and Macarthur, John P. (2015). Angry Young Architects: counterculture and the critique of Modernism in Brisbane, 1967-1972. Hot modernism: Queensland architecture 1945-1975. (pp. 30-45) edited by John P. Macarthur, Deborah van der Plaat, Janina Gosseye and Andrew Wilson. London, United Kingdom: Artifice.

  • Civic visions for Brisbane

    Macarthur, John, Riddel, Robert and Watson, Donald (2015). Civic visions for Brisbane. Hot modernism: Queensland architecture 1945-1975. (pp. 217-235) edited by John Macarthur, Deborah van der Plaat, Janina Gosseye and Andrew Wilson. London, United Kingdom: Artifice Books on Architecture.

  • Defining a problem: 
modern architecture and the Baroque

    Leach, Andrew, Macarthur, John and Delbeke, Maarten (2015). Defining a problem: 
modern architecture and the Baroque. The Baroque in architectural culture, 1880-1980. (pp. 1-12) edited by Andrew Leach, John Macarthur and Maarten Delbeke. Farnsworth, United Kingdom: Ashgate.

  • Geoffrey Scott, the Baroque, and the picturesque

    Macarthur, John (2015). Geoffrey Scott, the Baroque, and the picturesque. The Baroque in architectural culture, 1880-1980. (pp. 61-71) edited by Andrew Leach, John Macarthur and Maarten Delbeke. Farnsworth, United Kingdom: Ashgate.

  • Letters to the people

    Macarthur, John (2015). Letters to the people. Mongrel Rapture: The Architecture of Ashton Raggatt McDougall. (pp. 1345-1352) edited by Mark Raggatt and Maitiu Ward. Melbourne, VIC Australia: Uro Publications.

  • 'The World' and Charters Towers: gold, stock exchanges and the electric telegraph at the beginning of globalisation

    Macarthur, John (2014). 'The World' and Charters Towers: gold, stock exchanges and the electric telegraph at the beginning of globalisation. Out of Place (Gwalia): Occasional essays on Australian regional communities and built environments in transition. (pp. 129-158) edited by Philip Goldswain, Nicole Sully and William M. Taylor. Perth, WA, Australia: University of Western Australia Press.

  • Of character and concrete: the historian's material

    Macarthur, John (2014). Of character and concrete: the historian's material. Forty ways to think about architecture: architectural history and theory today. (pp. 150-154) edited by Ian Borden, Murray Fraser and Barbara Penner. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley. doi: 10.1002/9781118822531.ch21

  • The figure from above: on the obliqueness of the plan in urbanism and architecture

    Macarthur, John (2013). The figure from above: on the obliqueness of the plan in urbanism and architecture. Seeing from Above: The Aerial View in Visual Culture. (pp. 188-209) edited by Mark Dorrian and Frédéric Pousin. London, UK: I. B. Tauris.

  • Cummings, Robert

    Macarthur, John and van der Plaat, Deborah (2012). Cummings, Robert. The encyclopedia of Australian architecture. (pp. 184-185) edited by Philip Goad and Julie Willis. Port Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Cambridge University Press.

  • Federation Square

    Macarthur, John (2012). Federation Square. The encyclopedia of Australian architecture. (pp. 246-246) edited by Philip Goad and Julie Willis. Port Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Cambridge University Press.

  • Introduction

    Macarthur, John (2012). Introduction. Robin Dods: selected works. (pp. 13-15) edited by Robert Riddel. Brisbane, Australia: URO Media.

  • Introduction: architecture and aesthetics

    Macarthur, John and Stead, Naomi (2012). Introduction: architecture and aesthetics. The SAGE handbook of architectural theory. (pp. 123-136) edited by C. Greg Crysler, Stephen Cairns and Hilde Heynen. London, United Kingdom: Sage Publications.

  • Keniger, Michael

    Macarthur, John (2012). Keniger, Michael. The encyclopedia of Australian architecture. (pp. 381-381) edited by Philip Goad and Julie Willis. Port Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Cambridge University Press.

  • La figure vue de dessus: de l’oblique du plan dans l’urbanisme et l’architecture

    Macarthur, John (2012). La figure vue de dessus: de l’oblique du plan dans l’urbanisme et l’architecture. Vues aériennes: seize etudes pour une histoire culturelle. (pp. 149-166) edited by Mark Dorrian and Frederic Pousin. Geneva, Switzerland: MetisPresses.

  • Louise Forthun: love story

    Hawker, Rosemary and Macarthur, John P. (2012). Louise Forthun: love story. NEWv2: selected recent acquisitions 2009–2011. (pp. 53-54) edited by Michele Helmrich and Ian Were. St Lucia, Qld., Australia: The University of Queensland Art Museum.

  • National Museum of Australia

    Macarthur, John (2012). National Museum of Australia. The encyclopedia of Australian architecture. (pp. 488-489) edited by Philip Goad and Julie Willis. Port Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Cambridge University Press.

  • Sense, meaning and taste in architectural criticism

    Macarthur, John (2012). Sense, meaning and taste in architectural criticism. Semi-detached: Writing, representation and criticism in architecture. (pp. 229-235) edited by Naomi Stead. Melbourne, Australia: Uro Media.

  • The world remade: art and mimesis in the work of Luc Deleu

    Macarthur, John (2012). The world remade: art and mimesis in the work of Luc Deleu. Luc Deleu: orban space: the work and practice of Luc Deleu, T.O.P. office. (pp. 33-44) edited by Wouter Davidts, Guy Chatel and Stefaan Vervoort. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Valiz.

  • Ugliness and romanticism in the work of Lyons

    Macarthur, John (2012). Ugliness and romanticism in the work of Lyons. More: the architecture of Lyons 1996-2011. (pp. 267-272) edited by Lyons. Port Melbourne, Vic., Australia: Thames and Hudson.

  • Pevsner's townscape

    Macarthur, John P. and Aitchison, Mathew H. (2010). Pevsner's townscape. Visual planning and the picturesque. (pp. 1-43) edited by Mathew H. Aitchison. Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.: Getty Research Institute.

  • Architecture and the system of the arts; or, Kant on landscape gardening

    Macarthur, John (2009). Architecture and the system of the arts; or, Kant on landscape gardening. Architecture, Disciplinarity, and the Arts. (pp. 27-44) edited by John Macarthur and Andrew Leach. Ghent, Belgium: A & S Books (University of Ghent).

  • Architecture disciplinarity and the arts: Considering the issues

    Macarthur, John and Leach, Andrew (2009). Architecture disciplinarity and the arts: Considering the issues. Architecture, Disciplinarity, and the Arts. (pp. 7-15) edited by John Macarthur and Andrew Leach. Ghent, Belgium: A & S Books (University of Ghent).

  • Landscape and prospect from the picturesque to aerial photography

    Macarthur, John (2009). Landscape and prospect from the picturesque to aerial photography. Beyond the Picturesque. (pp. 209-219) edited by Steven Jacobs and Frank Maes. Ghent, Belgium: Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst.

  • Peter Hennessey: Will therapy be enough?

    Macarthur, John P. (2008). Peter Hennessey: Will therapy be enough?. New: Selected recent acquisitions, 2007-2008. (pp. 110-111) edited by Michele Helmrich. Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland Art Museum.

  • National museum of Australia as Danse Macabre: Baroque allegories of the popular

    Macarthur, John and Stead, N. J. (2006). National museum of Australia as Danse Macabre: Baroque allegories of the popular. South Pacific museums: Experiments in culture. (pp. 20-32) edited by Chris Healy and Andrea Witcomb. Melbourne; Sydney, Australia: Monash E-Press. doi: 10.2104/spm06019

  • Visual appropriation and property in the theory of Humphry Repton

    Macarthur, John (2006). Visual appropriation and property in the theory of Humphry Repton. The Geography of Law: landscape, identity and regulation. (pp. 49-64) edited by William Taylor. Oxford: Hart.

  • Remarks around a pause: The plan and the architectural object

    Macarthur, John (2001). Remarks around a pause: The plan and the architectural object. Pause. (pp. 9-12) edited by C. Murphy and S. Murray. Melbourne: RMIT University Press.

  • From the Air: Collage City, Aerial Photography and the Picturesque

    Macarthur, John (2000). From the Air: Collage City, Aerial Photography and the Picturesque. Re-Framing Architecture: Theory, Science and Myth. (pp. 113-120) edited by Michael Ostwald and John Moore. Sydney: Archadia Press.

  • Materials historical and plastic

    Macarthur, John (2000). Materials historical and plastic. Imaginary Materials: A Seminar With Michael Carter. (pp. 29-34) edited by J. Macarthur. Brisbane: IMA Publishing.

  • Building and landscape as an issue of city scale

    Macarthur, John (1999). Building and landscape as an issue of city scale. 1997-1998 CHASA Refereed Design Scheme Catalogue. (pp. 9-15) edited by B. Busfield and P. Richards. Nedlands, WA: Studio Sch. of Architecture, UWA.

  • Tactile simulations: Architecture and the image of the public at Brisbane's Kodak Beach

    Macarthur, John (1999). Tactile simulations: Architecture and the image of the public at Brisbane's Kodak Beach. Imagining Australian Space. (pp. 177-192) edited by R. Barcan and I. Buchanan. Nedlands, WA: Univ. of W A Press.

  • Form and Materials: some notes on Birrell's aesthetic

    Macarthur, John and Murray, Shane (1997). Form and Materials: some notes on Birrell's aesthetic. BIRRELL: work from the office of James Birrell. (pp. 6-12) Melboure: NMBW.

  • Experiencing absence: Eisenman and Derrida, Benjamin and Schwitters

    Macarthur, John (1993). Experiencing absence: Eisenman and Derrida, Benjamin and Schwitters. Knowledge and/or/of experience. (pp. 99-123) edited by John Macarthur. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Queensland.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Edited Outputs

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • History of heritage conservation of the built environment in Queensland 1901-2001

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Situating architecture within aesthetics

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Survivors: Women in Architecture in Queensland (1975-2000); Interpreting Histories and Building Content in a Digital Archive.

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Brutal Zoo: Post-war Architecture and the Exhibition of Animals

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Shaping the Horizon: Heaven and Earth in Architecture and Arts

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • The architectural construct of the travelling exhibition and its role as mediator between object, subject and context

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Architecture and Cultural Policy in Australia

    Architecture is absent from national cultural policy in Australia despite being a significant part of the cultural economy and the way that civic identity is formed. Taste, civic norms and the economy come together in buildings and urban spaces, but there is little understanding about how they interact at personal, community and national levels. Recent econometric accounts of culture include architecture, forcing the issue of its place in cultural policy. This project aims to study architecture as a matter of culture that overcomes the gaps between concepts and administrative categories. Its goal is to inform better policy formation, increased public engagement with architecture, and growth in the creative economy.

    PhD topics within this wider project include: architecture in public interest broadcasting; architecture in school curricula; non-professional architectural and building culture on the WWW; architecture and cultural citizenship; architecture and liberalism.

  • Picturesque Australasia

    The aesthetic concept of the picturesque and, to a greater extent, the cultural practices associated with it were significant in the history of the European settlements in present day Australia and New Zealand. Projects suitable for Phd investigation include: the circulation of books of designs and advice on architecture and gardening; the role of mid 19th century publications on the aesthetic and agricultural potential of the colonies in powering immigration and expanded settlements; and the role of nature aesthetics in town planning.

  • Architecture as an art: aesthetic theory, taste and the institutions of the arts

    Architecture has been considered an art, or not, for different reasons which follow two main branches. The first branch is the consideration of architecture's place among ‘the arts’ understood as an institution of cognate knowledges and practices. The alternative track is to consider architecture through the concept of aesthetics which a human orientation to beauty in all of the material world both natural and artifactual and a faculty anterior to the social institution of art and the arts. PhD projects within this stream might include: the intellectual history of art, architecture and philosophical aesthetics since the 18th century; the place of building and architectural representation in contemporary art practice; and how standards of taste were formed historically and are today.

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

Architectural theory and history, Architecture, Heritage - assessment and policy, History - of architecture, Urban design, Design - architecture, Building design, Western Architecture

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: K-9431-2015

ORCID: 0000-0002-8787-1305

Scopus ID: 26632285700

Google Scholar ID: VAgiq4AAAAAJ

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