Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Communications (Honours)
School
School of Communications and Arts
Faculty
Faculty of Education and Arts
First Supervisor
Associate Professor Rod Giblett
Abstract
In Australia, as with much of the world, landscape photography has played a significant role in raising awareness of human impact on the environment. For the most part, this awareness raises questions of conservation and preserving the natural world. Landscape photography commonly depicts environmental issues in one of two ways: the damaging effects of humanity’s mastery over the environment; or the sublime wonder of nature. In effect, the messages sent by landscape photography are singular, describing either nature, or culture. However, with an intention to develop a more sustainable viewpoint concerning humanity’s relationships with the environment, landscape photography could be used to provide a more complete depiction of bioregions, focussing on all the major landscapes of a particular region. Essentially this position is a call for focus on the nature and the culture within bioregions, the developed and undeveloped, the pristine and the ruined.
This project conducts a photographic case study of the bioregion of the Northwest Cape of Western Australia, specifically the Cape Range sub-bioregion. The results portray comprehensive photographic exploration of the major landscapes of Cape Range subregion: from the national park and marine park tourist destinations; through the built landscapes of the town of Exmouth; to the military industrial wasteland of the Harold E. Holt communications base. It is the aim of this study to provide a more complete photographic picture of how local inhabitants interact with their bioregion. Simply, this project captures the influence people have on the Cape, and the influence landscape has on the local contemporary culture.
Recommended Citation
Bradley, D. J. (2012). Capturing the Cape : a photographic case study of the Cape Range bioregion of northwest Australia ; Straight lines : a photographic case study of the Cape Range bioregion of northwest Australia. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/70
Comments
Capturing the Cape is a research exegesis accompanying the photographic case study Straight lines. The photographic case study has been combined with the exegesis and appears after page 78 of this exegesis.