Maxe Fisher
Programme Director Culture + Context
Senior Lecturer Industrial Design
BA Queen's University, Kingston, CA
BID (Hons) Carleton University, Ottawa, CA
MFA (Studio Arts) Concordia University, Montreal, CA
PhD Candidate, Australia National University, Canberra, AU
Formerly: Professor of Industrial Design, Dawson College, Montreal and
Principal & Industrial Designer of Industrial, Montreal. Involved with
the creation and product development from objects for everyday use like
kitchenware and office furniture to high-tech objects like virtual
reality helmets, artificial hearts and air traffic control simulators.
Research: Extensively photographed abandoned industry to examine the
archaeology of where and how things were made for the past twenty years.
Within these seemingly lifeless sites survive thought, idea, and memory
and a circumstance to create new understandings of our own contemporary
context. Current research explores multidisciplinary relationships
between the vernacular artefact and the contemporary product as
derivatives of aesthetics, culture, and technology.
maxe.fisher@vuw.ac.nz
Programme Director Culture + Context
Senior Lecturer Industrial Design
BA Queen's University, Kingston, CA
BID (Hons) Carleton University, Ottawa, CA
MFA (Studio Arts) Concordia University, Montreal, CA
PhD Candidate, Australia National University, Canberra, AU
Formerly: Professor of Industrial Design, Dawson College, Montreal and
Principal & Industrial Designer of Industrial, Montreal. Involved with
the creation and product development from objects for everyday use like
kitchenware and office furniture to high-tech objects like virtual
reality helmets, artificial hearts and air traffic control simulators.
Research: Extensively photographed abandoned industry to examine the
archaeology of where and how things were made for the past twenty years.
Within these seemingly lifeless sites survive thought, idea, and memory
and a circumstance to create new understandings of our own contemporary
context. Current research explores multidisciplinary relationships
between the vernacular artefact and the contemporary product as
derivatives of aesthetics, culture, and technology.
maxe.fisher@vuw.ac.nz
Margaret Maile Petty
Deputy Head of School
Senior Lecturer, Culture+Context
BA: Art History, University of Oregon, USA
MA: History of Design, Decorative Arts and Material Culture,
The Bard Graduate Center, New York City, USA
PhD candidate: Design History, The Bard Graduate Center, New York City, USA
Formerly: Assistant Director of the MFA Lighting Design program at
Parsons, The New School for Design in New York City, where she also
lectured on the history and theory of architectural lighting design.
Also led courses in Parsons' undergraduate Design+Management program as
well as teaching at Pratt Institute in both undergraduate and graduate
design programs. In 2007 published "Illuminating the Glass Box:
Architectural lighting design and the performance of modern architecture
in post-war America" in the Journal of the Society of Architectural
Historians and previously has published numerous articles appearing in
popular publications. In addition to teaching and writing,
Margaret curated an exhibition at New York City's Center for Architecture (CFA)
in 2008 and served as curatorial advisor for several other exhibitions
in New York City.
Research: Currently investigating the role of architectural lighting
design in the experience, performance, and promotion of modern
architecture and its origins in the theory and practice of theatrical
lighting design. With the aim of recognizing and helping to establish a
critical history of lighting design, this research explores how lighting
design was used to mediate, even manipulate, the experience of modern
architecture and the urban designed environment.
margaret.petty@vuw.ac.nz
Deputy Head of School
Senior Lecturer, Culture+Context
BA: Art History, University of Oregon, USA
MA: History of Design, Decorative Arts and Material Culture,
The Bard Graduate Center, New York City, USA
PhD candidate: Design History, The Bard Graduate Center, New York City, USA
Formerly: Assistant Director of the MFA Lighting Design program at
Parsons, The New School for Design in New York City, where she also
lectured on the history and theory of architectural lighting design.
Also led courses in Parsons' undergraduate Design+Management program as
well as teaching at Pratt Institute in both undergraduate and graduate
design programs. In 2007 published "Illuminating the Glass Box:
Architectural lighting design and the performance of modern architecture
in post-war America" in the Journal of the Society of Architectural
Historians and previously has published numerous articles appearing in
popular publications. In addition to teaching and writing,
Margaret curated an exhibition at New York City's Center for Architecture (CFA)
in 2008 and served as curatorial advisor for several other exhibitions
in New York City.
Research: Currently investigating the role of architectural lighting
design in the experience, performance, and promotion of modern
architecture and its origins in the theory and practice of theatrical
lighting design. With the aim of recognizing and helping to establish a
critical history of lighting design, this research explores how lighting
design was used to mediate, even manipulate, the experience of modern
architecture and the urban designed environment.
margaret.petty@vuw.ac.nz
Dr Anne Galloway
Senior Lecturer, Design Research
BA Anthropology (University of Alberta, Canada)
MA Archaeology (Trent University, Canada)
PhD Sociology (Carleton University, Canada)
Anne draws on her background in the social sciences to critically
investigate design in terms of social, spatial and material practices.
Formerly a Lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University
and Assistant Professor in Design and Computation Arts at Concordia
University, Anne now teaches in the School of Design's Culture+Context
programme. In 2010-2011, she will be teaching electives in Design
Anthropology and Design+Culture.
Anne's current research seeks to unite interests and concerns raised
during her MA and PhD, as well as bring in more recent collaborative
design research on the social and cultural implications of Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies. In addition to various
cultural and material studies of RFID and the so-called Internet of
Things, her ''Counting Sheep'' project critically investigates public
discourse on NZ and Australian wool production, with a special focus on
the emergence of ''ethical'' merino wool production and the potential
use of RFID technologies to trace these globally-distributed products
back to their local sources.
More details on Anne's research and teaching can be found at
http://purselipsquarejaw.org
http://designculturelab.org
anne.galloway@vuw.ac.nz
Senior Lecturer, Design Research
BA Anthropology (University of Alberta, Canada)
MA Archaeology (Trent University, Canada)
PhD Sociology (Carleton University, Canada)
Anne draws on her background in the social sciences to critically
investigate design in terms of social, spatial and material practices.
Formerly a Lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University
and Assistant Professor in Design and Computation Arts at Concordia
University, Anne now teaches in the School of Design's Culture+Context
programme. In 2010-2011, she will be teaching electives in Design
Anthropology and Design+Culture.
Anne's current research seeks to unite interests and concerns raised
during her MA and PhD, as well as bring in more recent collaborative
design research on the social and cultural implications of Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies. In addition to various
cultural and material studies of RFID and the so-called Internet of
Things, her ''Counting Sheep'' project critically investigates public
discourse on NZ and Australian wool production, with a special focus on
the emergence of ''ethical'' merino wool production and the potential
use of RFID technologies to trace these globally-distributed products
back to their local sources.
More details on Anne's research and teaching can be found at
http://purselipsquarejaw.org
http://designculturelab.org
anne.galloway@vuw.ac.nz
Dr Leon Gurevitch
Lecturer, Photography and Digital Imaging
MA: Film and Television Studies, University of Glasgow, UK
PhD: Cultural Research and Sociology, University of Lancaster, UK
Formerly: Film and Digital Arts Programme Manager of one of North West
England's premiere Independent Cinema and Theatres. Leon has lectured in
New Media Theory, Film and Television, Cultural Studies and Sociology at
Lancaster University while he completed a PhD on the relationship
between digital imaging and new media advertising practices. Leon is an
active photographer and academic both Leon's images and writing have
recently been selected for publication.
Current Research: Considers the relationship between the audiovisual
organisation of information and representations of energy. From Google
Earth's GIS mapping structures to newly developing smart meters, energy
production and consumption data is increasingly accessible across
multiple audiovisual platforms. This research considers the implications
of these changes for audiovisual culture and screen studies.
PhD Research: Leon's thesis, posits a new understanding of digital
attractions as constituting a 'cinemas of transactions': a complex and
multiply interrelated system in which digital attractions and
promotional practices span many media and textual forms. Building upon
the transdisciplinary work emerging from film, new media and sociology,
The Cinemas of Transactions rethinks the relationship between
digitextuality and audiovisual culture and promotional practice.
leon.gurevitch@vuw.ac.nz
Lecturer, Photography and Digital Imaging
MA: Film and Television Studies, University of Glasgow, UK
PhD: Cultural Research and Sociology, University of Lancaster, UK
Formerly: Film and Digital Arts Programme Manager of one of North West
England's premiere Independent Cinema and Theatres. Leon has lectured in
New Media Theory, Film and Television, Cultural Studies and Sociology at
Lancaster University while he completed a PhD on the relationship
between digital imaging and new media advertising practices. Leon is an
active photographer and academic both Leon's images and writing have
recently been selected for publication.
Current Research: Considers the relationship between the audiovisual
organisation of information and representations of energy. From Google
Earth's GIS mapping structures to newly developing smart meters, energy
production and consumption data is increasingly accessible across
multiple audiovisual platforms. This research considers the implications
of these changes for audiovisual culture and screen studies.
PhD Research: Leon's thesis, posits a new understanding of digital
attractions as constituting a 'cinemas of transactions': a complex and
multiply interrelated system in which digital attractions and
promotional practices span many media and textual forms. Building upon
the transdisciplinary work emerging from film, new media and sociology,
The Cinemas of Transactions rethinks the relationship between
digitextuality and audiovisual culture and promotional practice.
leon.gurevitch@vuw.ac.nz