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Associate Professor Lizzie Muller

Associate Professor Lizzie Muller

Associate Professor
Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA)
School of Art & Design

Lizzie Muller听is a curator and researcher specialising in audience experience and interdisciplinary collaboration. She researches听the future of museums as sites of knowledge production, and the relationship between curatorial practice and changing听disciplinary structures.听Her international听exhibitions celebrate the听intersection of art, science and technology. Lizzie is an elected Councillor of the , and co-founder with Keir Winesmith of the bi-monthly .

Lizzie鈥檚 research draws together curatorial practice with theories and methods from participatory design and interaction design. She has developed audience-centred curatorial methodologies and innovative approaches to audience research.听Her work with audience experience extends to the fields of preservation and archiving, particularly experiential documentation and oral histories of media art.

Major exhibitions

In In 2018/19听Lizzie co-curated the exhibition with Katie Dyer at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. The show includes four commissions that speculate on听human futures听through the themes of food, work, sex and belief. Each work explores the entanglement of humans with non human agents and actors, including bees, jelly, data and buildings. The exhibition includes an experimental interactive digital catalogue that maps the interconnection of themes and ideas in the show:听

In 2017/18听Lizzie co-curated (with Holly Williams) 鈥 an exhibition exploring the role of models in creating and sharing knowledge across all disciplines. The exhibition was staged in听麻豆社madou Galleries (May-July 2017), the Sheila C Johnson Design Centre, Parsons, The New School, New York (Sep-Dec 2017) and LifeSpace at the University of Dundee (June-Sep 2018).

Lizzie鈥檚 previous curatorial projects include Lively Objects at the Museum of Vancouver with Caroline Langill (2015);听Awfully Wonderful: Science Fiction in Contemporary Art听curated with Bec Dean at Sydney鈥檚 Performance Space (2011); The Art of Participatory Design, with Lian Loke, a programme of creative research projects that accompanied the 2010 International Conference of Participatory Design for which she was Art Chair;听Mirror States,听a major exhibition of interactive installations, curated with Kathy Cleland (Campbelltown Art Gallery, Sydney and MIC Toi Rerehiko, Auckland, 2008). In 2008 Lizzie was curator and co-director (with George Khut) of the year-long interdisciplinary research project听funded by the Australia Council鈥檚 ArtLab. Between 2004-2006 Lizzie was founding curator of Beta_space; a dedicated venue for exhibiting 鈥減rototypes鈥 of interactive artworks at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Fellowships

In 2013 Lizzie was Visiting Fellow at the University of Westminster, London and in 2009 she was Visiting Fellow at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Media.Art.Research, Linz. In 2007 she was researcher in residence at the Daniel Langlois Foundation in Montreal.
Phone
+61 (0)2 8936 0677
E-mail
lizzie.muller@unsw.edu.au
  • Books | 2011
    Frost A, 2011, Awfully Wonderful: Science Fiction in Contemporary Art, Dean B; Muller L, (ed.), Performance Space Pty Ltd
  • Book Chapters | 2022
    Bennett J; Froggett L; Muller L, 2022, 'Facilitating environments: An arts-based psychosocial design approach', in Bennett J (ed.), The Big Anxiety: Taking Care of Mental Health in Times of Crisis, Bloomsbury Academic, London & New York, pp. 93 - 111,
    Book Chapters | 2021
    Muller L; Allas T, 2021, 'Digital-physical-emotional immersion in country: bearing withness to the Appin massacre', in Muller L; Langill C (ed.), Curating Lively Objects Exhibitions Beyond Disciplines, Routledge, London, pp. 214 - 224,
    Book Chapters | 2021
    Muller L; Davis A, 2021, 'Troublemakers in the museum: robots, romance and the performance of liveliness', in Muller L; Langill C (ed.), Curating Lively Objects: exhibitions beyond disciplines, Routledge, London, pp. 49 - 59
    Book Chapters | 2021
    Muller L; Dyer K, 2021, 'Objects, energies and curating resonance across disciplines', in Muller L; Langill C (ed.), Curating Lively Objects Exhibitions Beyond Disciplines, Routledge, London, pp. 179 - 194,
    Book Chapters | 2021
    Muller L; Langill C, 2021, 'Introduction: how lively objects disrupt disciplinary display', in Muller L; Langill C (ed.), Curating Lively Objects Exhibitions Beyond Disciplines, Routledge, London, pp. 1 - 19,
    Book Chapters | 2021
    Muller L, 2021, 'Appreciative systems in doing and supervising curatorial practice-based research', in Vear C; Candy L; Edmonds E (ed.), The Routledge International Handbook of Practice-Based Research, Routledge, London, pp. 267 - 276,
    Book Chapters | 2016
    Muller L; Langill C, 2016, 'Curating Lively Objects: Post-disciplinary Affordances for Media Art Exhibition', in England D; Schiphorst T; Bryan-Kinns N (ed.), Curating the Digital: Space for art and interaction, edn. Cultural Computing, Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, pp. 31 - 49,
    Book Chapters | 2016
    Muller L, 2016, 'Brook Andrew - In This Case', in Matthews, Hannah (ed.), The Biography of Things, Australian Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne
    Book Chapters | 2014
    Muller L, 2014, 'Collecting experience: the multiple incarnations of Very Nervous System', in Graham B (ed.), New Collecting: Exhibiting and Audiences after New Media Art, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., pp. 183 - 202,
    Book Chapters | 2012
    Muller L, 2012, 'Learning from experience: a reflective curatorial practice', in Candy L; Edmonds E (ed.), Interacting: art, research and the creative practitioner, Libri Publishing, Faringdon, Oxfordshire, pp. 94 - 106,
    Book Chapters | 2010
    Muller L, 2010, 'Oral history and the media art audience', in Dekker A (ed.), Archive2020: Sustainable archiving of born-digital cultural content, VBrtueel-Platform, Amsterdam, Netherlands, pp. 69 - 81,
  • Edited Books | 2021
    Muller L; Langill C, (ed.), 2021, Curating Lively Objects: Exhibitions Beyond Disciplines, Routledge, London,
    Edited Books | 2006
    Edmonds E; Muller L; Tillman D, (eds.), 2006, Engage: Interaction, Art & Audience Experience, Creativity and Cognition Studios Press, Sydney, Australia,
  • Journal articles | 2019
    Bennett J; Froggett L; Kenning G; Manley J; Muller L; Bennett J, 2019, 'Memory Loss and Scenic Experience: An Arts Based Investigation', Forum: Qualitative Social Research/Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung, 20,
    Journal articles | 2019
    Bennett J; Froggett L; Muller L, 2019, 'Psycho-social aesthetics and the art of lived experience', The Journal of Psychosocial Studies, 12, pp. 185 - 201,
    Journal articles | 2019
    Froggett L; Muller L; Bennett J, 2019, 'The work of the audience: visual matrix methodology in museums', Cultural Trends, 28, pp. 162 - 176,
    Journal articles | 2018
    Muller L; Froggett L; Bennett J, 2018, 'Emergent Knowledge in the Third Space of Art-Science', Leonardo, 53, pp. 321 - 326,
    Journal articles | 2018
    Muller L, 2018, '鈥楾he Museum of Today鈥: Harald Szeemann鈥檚 Science Fiction', The Journal of Curatorial Studies, 7, pp. 76 - 95,
    Journal articles | 2016
    Muller L, 2016, 'Book Review. Talking Contemporary Curating, Terry Smith. New York: Independent Curators International (2015).', Journal of Curatorial Studies, 5, pp. 419 - 422,
    Journal articles | 2015
    Muller L, 2015, 'The Return of the Wonderful: Monanisms and the undisciplined objects of media art', Studies in Material Thinking, 12,
    Journal articles | 2011
    Muller L; Dovey KA, 2011, 'Dangerous learning in edgy contexts: creativity and innovation in the South African arts domain', Internal Journal of Life Long Learning, 30, pp. 613 - 629,
    Journal articles | 2009
    Edmonds E; Bilda Z; Muller L, 2009, 'Artist, evaluator and curator: three viewpoints on interactive art, evaluation and audience experience', Digital Creativity, 20, pp. 141 - 151,
    Journal articles | 2008
    Muller L; Jones C, 2008, 'Between real and ideal: documenting media art', Leonardo: Art Science and Technology, 41, pp. 418 - 419,
    Journal articles | 2006
    Muller L; Edmonds E; Connell M, 2006, 'Living laboratories for interactive art', CoDesign, 2, pp. 195 - 207,
  • Curatorial Outputs | 2023
    Muller L; Crouch L; Full credit list at this URL: HBQQGAB-C-T-T-M-I-M-B-C-H, 2023, Mangal Bungal: Clever Hands, exhibited at: Queensland Museum, Brisbane, 07 July 2023 - 09 July 2023,
    Reports | 2023
    Muller L; Thompson C; Hill T; Kusuma A, 2023, Supporting Carers at 麻豆社madou Sydney, 麻豆社madou Women's Wellbeing Academy, Sydney,
    Conference Presentations | 2019
    Muller L; Murray A, 2019, 'Under the Dust and Dirt: A Discussion About Architectural Models with Allan Wexler', presented at Frascari Symposium IV The Secret Lives of Architectural Drawings and Models, Kingston University, 27 June 2019 - 28 June 2019
    Conference Abstracts | 2019
    Murray A; Muller L, (ed.), 2019, 'Under the dust and dirt : a discussion about architectural models with Allan Wexler', in Frascari Symposium IV: The Secret Lives of Architectural Drawings and Models; From Translating to Archiving, Collecting and Displaying, Department of Architecture and Landscape, Kingston School of Art (KSA) Kingston University - Knights Park Campus - Grange Road - Kingston upon Thames - KT1 2QJ, presented at Frascari Symposium IV: The Secret Lives of Architectural Drawings and Models; From Translating to Archiving, Collecting and Displaying, Department of Architecture and Landscape, Kingston School of Art (KSA) Kingston University - Knights Park Campus - Grange Road - Kingston upon Thames - KT1 2QJ, 27 June 2019 - 29 June 2019
    Creative Works (non-textual) | 2018
    Dunn K, 2018, ENDLESS SUMMER, A WORKING MODEL OF THE WORLD, Life Space Science Art Research Gallery, University of Dundee, 29 September 2018 - 22 September 2018, medium: 3D printed polylactic acid filament, acrylic and Laser etched Perspex, at: http://workingmodeloftheworld.com/About%20http://lifespace.dundee.ac.uk/exhibition/working-model-world
    Creative Works (non-textual) | 2018
    Kelley L; Leggett K, 2018, Ballistic Bundts, Human Non Human, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Powerhouse Museum, 07 August 2018 - 20 January 2019, medium: ballistic gel, expended ammunition, video, performance, at: https://maas.museum/event/human-non-human/
    Curatorial Outputs | 2018
    Muller L; Dyer K, 2018, Human Non Human, exhibited at: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, 07 August 2018 - 20 January 2019,
    Conference Papers | 2017
    Bartlett VC; Muller L, 2017, 'Curating/Containing: Exhibiting Digital Art About Mental Health', in Arango JJ; Bubarno A; Londo帽o F; Mauricio Mej铆a G (eds.), BIO-CREATION AND PEACE Proceedings, Department of Visual Design, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia, pp. 279 - 288, presented at 23rd International Symposium on Electronic Art, Manizales, Colombia, 11 June 2017 - 18 June 2017,
    Creative Works (non-textual) | 2017
    Dunn K, 2017, Sydney Heatwaves, A working Model of the World, Sheila C Johnson Design Centre Parsons, The New School, New York 28 September - 13 December 2017, 28 September 2017 - 22 September 2018, at: https://workingmodeloftheworld.com/About
    Curatorial Outputs | 2017
    Muller L; Williams H, 2017, A Working Model of the World, exhibited at: 麻豆社madou Galleries, Sydney, Sheila C Johnson Design Centre, The New School, New York, LifeSpace Dundee, 04 May 2017 - 22 September 2018,
    Creative Written Works | 2017
    Muller L, 2017, A tree falls, Sounding the Future Exhibition Catalogue, Priest G, (ed.), UTS Gallery,
    Conference Papers | 2015
    Muller L; Bennett J; Froggett L; Bartlett V, 2015, 'Understanding Third Space: Evaluating Art-Science Collaboration', in Shiphorst T; Pasquier P (ed.), Proceedings of the 21st International Symposium of Electronic Arts, ISEA 2015: Disruption, Simon Fraser University, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, presented at ISEA 2015: Disruption, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, 14 August 2015 - 19 August 2015,
    Curatorial Outputs | 2015
    Muller L; Muller L; Seck Langill C, 2015, Lively Objects: Enchantment and Disruption at the Museum of Vancouver, exhibited at: Vancouver, 16 August 2015 - 12 October 2015, Lively Objects: Enchantment and Disruption at the Museum of Vancouver,
    Conference Presentations | 2014
    Muller L, 2014, 'Exiting the Spacecraft: Szeemann鈥檚 Science Fiction and the White Cube', presented at Conquest of Space, Sydney, 14 June 2014 - 14 June 2014
    Recorded / Rendered Creative Works | 2013
    Del Favero D; Sewell S; Pagnucco M; Shaw J; Benford S; Goebel J, 2013, Scenario, Editor(s): Cleland K; Harley R; r e a ; Muller L; Cavallaro A; Mizuik J; Morelos T; Wah E; Scully J, 3D video installation, Published: 07 June 2013, Recorded / Rendered Creative Works
    Creative Written Works | 2013
    Muller L, 2013, Experiencing Anish Kapoor, Anish Kapoor "Living Catalogue", McGregor EA, (ed.), Museum of Contemporary Art
    Conference Papers | 2013
    Muller L, 2013, 'Speculative Objects: materialising science fiction', in Cleland K; Fisher L; Harley R (eds.), Proceedings of the 19th International Sympsoium on Electronic Art, ISEA International, the Australian Network for Art & Technology and the University of Sydney, Sydney, presented at ISEA 2013, Sydney, 07 June 2013 - 16 June 2013,
    Conference Papers | 2012
    Muller L, 2012, 'Speculative Objects: Visual Arts and Science Fiction Futures', in Rosengren M; Kennedy C (ed.), SPECTRA: Images and Data in Art/Science the currency of Images in the studio and the laboratory : Proceedings from the symposium SPECTRA 2012, Adelaide : Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT), CSIRO Discovery Centre, presented at SPECTRA 2012, CSIRO Discovery Centre, 02 October 2012 - 06 October 2012,
    Creative Written Works | 2011
    Muller L; Dean B, 2011, Awfully wonderful: science fiction in contemporary art, Awfully wonderful: science fiction in contemporary art, Muller L; Dean B, (ed.), Performance Space
    Curatorial Outputs | 2011
    Muller L; Dean B, 2011, Awfully Wonderful: Science fiction in Contemporary Art, exhibited at: Performance Space, Sydney, 15 April 2011 - 14 May 2011, Awfully Wonderful: Science fiction in Contemporary Art,
    Conference Papers | 2010
    Muller L; Bawa M, 2010, 'Evaluating first year experiences in design education using "first Year attributes"', in Thomas J (ed.), 13th Pacific Rim First Year in Higher Education Conference Proceedings, QUT Publishing, Adelaide, pp. 1 - 5, presented at 13th Pacific Rim First Year in Higher Education Conference, Adelaide, 27 June 2010 - 30 June 2010,
    Creative Written Works | 2010
    Muller L; Jones C, 2010, An indeterminate archive for David Rokeby鈥檚 Very Nervous System, An indeterminate archive for David Rokeby鈥檚 Very Nervous System, Daniel Langlois Foundation,
    Conference Papers | 2010
    Muller L; Jones C, 2010, 'Take part: participatory methods in art and design', in Robertson T; Bodker K; Bratteteig T; Loi D (eds.), Proceedings of the 11th Biennial Participatory Design Conference, ACM New York, Sydney, pp. 283 - 284, presented at 11th Biennial Participatory Design Conference, Sydney, 29 November 2010 - 03 December 2010,
    Curatorial Outputs | 2010
    Muller L; Loke L, 2010, The art of Participatory Design, exhibited at: UTS, Sydney, 30 November 2010 - 10 December 2010, The art of Participatory Design,
    Conference Papers | 2010
    Muller L; Ride P; Stern N; Kwastek K; Salter C, 2010, 'A-X: audience experience in media art research', in Funke J; Riekeles S; Broeckmann A; Hartware MediaKunstverein (eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Electronic Art, Revolver Publishing, Ruhr, pp. 310 - 315, presented at ISEA 2010, Ruhr, 20 August 2010 - 29 August 2010,
    Creative Written Works | 2010
    Muller L, 2010, An interview with Raquel Ormella, Raquel Ormella: she went that way, Keehan R, (ed.), Artspace Visual Arts Centre
    Creative Written Works | 2010
    Muller L, 2010, Data flow, Column 5, Keehan R, (ed.), Artspace Visual Arts Centre
    Creative Written Works | 2010
    Muller L, 2010, The aesthetics of data flow, In the balance: art for a changing world, Kent R, (ed.), Museum of Contemporary Art
    Conference Papers | 2009
    Muller L; Edmonds EA; Bilda Z, 2009, 'Artist, evaluator and curator: three viewpoints on interactive art, evaluation and audience experience', in Boyd Davis S; Nuhn R (ed.), Completing the Circle Symposium: Creative Evaluation and the Digital, Completing the Circle Symposium, British Computer Society, The Davidson Building, London, presented at Completing the Circle Symposium, British Computer Society, The Davidson Building, London, 19 January 2009 - 19 January 2009
    Conference Papers | 2009
    Muller L; Jones C, 2009, 'An indeterminate archive for David Rokeby's Giver of Names', in Thomas P; Cubitt S (ed.), Re: Live 3rd International Conference on Media Arts Histories, Melbourne, pp. 114 - 119, presented at Re: Live 2009, Melbourne, 27 November 2009 - 29 November 2009
    Creative Written Works | 2008
    Muller L; Cleland K, 2008, Mirror states, Mirror states, Muller L; Cleland K, (ed.), Campbelltown Arts Centre; MIC Toi Rerehiko
    Curatorial Outputs | 2008
    Muller L; Cleland K, 2008, Mirror States, exhibited at: Campbelltown Art Centre, 16 May 2008 - 05 July 2008, Mirror States,
    Creative Written Works | 2008
    Muller L; Jones C, 2008, David Rokeby, The Giver of Names documentary collection, David Rokeby, The Giver of Names documentary collection, Daniel Langlois Foundation,
    Creative Written Works | 2008
    Muller L, 2008, Towards an oral history of new media art, Towards an oral history of new media art, Daniel Langlois Foundation,
    Creative Works (non-textual) | 2008
    Velonaki M; Rye D; Sheding S, 2008, Circle D: Fragile Balances, Mirror States, Moving Image Centre Toi Rerehiko, Aukland New Zealand, 16 May 2008 - 28 June 2008, medium: interactive installation with two autonomous objects

  • Chief Investigator with the (CABAH). In this National investigation of Australia's deep time history, LIzzie leads research into the development and impact of the CABAH Art Series.听
  • Chief Investigator (with Prof. Jill Bennett and Prof. Lynn Froggett) of the ARC Linkage project Curating Third Space: The Value of ArtScience Collaboration. Industry partners in the project are The Australia Council;听The Museum of Applied Arts and Science, Sydney; Australia鈥檚 Science Channel;听Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, UK and The ArtScience Museum, Singapore
  • Chief Investigator (with Dr Caroline Langill, OCAD University) on two SSHRC funded research projects:听The Living Effect, investigating the notion of 鈥渁liveness鈥 in media art objects, and听Curating Lively Objects: Postdisciplinary Perspectives on Media Art Exhibition,听in partnership with The Banff Centre, Canada. These听grants resulted in the exhibition Lively Objects at the Museum of Vancouver (2018), and the edited volume听Curating Lively Objects: Exhibitions Beyond Disciplines (2022), published by听Routledge Museum Studies Series.

My Research Supervision

Jasmin Stephens (Scientia PhD) - A curatorial approach to cultural data sharing across the Sydney Culture Network听

Lizzie Crouch (PhD) -听How do interdisciplinary approaches to engagement with science (specifically art-science collaborations) enable underserved audiences to be empowered.

Angela Goddard (PhD) -听Curatorial Support Structures: How to Cultivate World Shaping Knowledge.听

My Teaching

Lizzie was the inaugural Program Director of the at 麻豆社madou Art and Design (2015-2017). Her teaching focuses on contemporary curatorial practice, interdisciplinary approaches to material culture, museum futures听and new modes of participatory leadership in the cultural sector. She was听co-leader, with Ainslie Murray on the Scientia Education Investment Fund Grant Modelling Worlds exploring the role of models and modelling in teaching and learning in art, architecture and design (2017/2018).听

Current courses include:听

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