HASS512: Automata: Ancient, Medieval, Modern

Automata Alley: Ancient, Medieval, Modern is an exhibition of the Museum of Antiquities (UNEMA) that explores automata through the ages.  In addition to surveying highlights in the history of automata, Automata Alley explores their existential meaning. The ability to move of one’s own volition and the power to be self-determining raises questions about the nature of free will, responsibility, morality, and what it means to be human. In essence, automata are artefacts of timeless ethical dilemma as well as entertainment that challenge us to reflect on the human condition.

The Automata Alley exhibition supports UNEMA’s STEAM Education and Assistive Technology program. Known as “A Helping Hand” this program is designed to provide students and the general community with opportunities for training in STEAM education, especially in the skills of 3D-scanning, printing, and design required to produce assistive technologies that support limb-different individuals living in regional Australia. You can learn more about “A Helping Hand” from the UNEMA Projects webpage.

HASS512 Automata Projects foster theoretical and/or applied research on any aspect of the history, use, and meaning of automata; the opportunity to curate an exhibit to be included in UNEMA’s Automata Alley; and/or to contribute to the development of UNEMA’s schools and community “Helping Hand” STEAM education program.

These automata research projects are highly flexible to facilitate variety in project design. Your project may be designed to pursue a very traditional approach to research into the history, function, or philosophy of automata and their relation to the fields of prosthetics, timekeeping mechanisms, mechanical and electromechanical toys, and the development of stop-animation and 3D printing, or it may be designed to incorporate elements of design, build, and curation. The following research angles are just some options you might consider:

• Research, analyse, recreate, and curate for exhibition an historical automaton known from Antiquity, the Medieval era, or a time up to the end of the 19^th century.
• Research, build, and curate for exhibition in UNEMA an automaton illustrating a myth/story from Classical Antiquity (eg. Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, or Greco-Roman world). Document the creation to completion process.
• Research the reception of Classical Antiquity in the design and use of automata.
• Design/improve and/or prototype/build an assistive device for individuals living with limb difference, or design a project that will facilitate/improve the delivery of assistive devices to people living with limb difference in regional Australia. To do this you will need to start by familiarising yourself with the mission of existing groups like eNable and Free 3D Hands (see the Automata Alley Resources link below), and discuss your ideas and the planning required for your proposal with Dr Hopwood)
• Research the contribution of Digital Humanities to the development or improvement of automata and/or human assistive technologies
• Design STEAM-based activities for implementation in UNEMA’s schools and community outreach program

For more information about the exhibition Automata Alley: ancient, medieval, modern or about the Helping Hand program contact Dr Bronwyn Hopwood (bhopwood@une.edu.au).

1. To do a HASS512 Automaton Project candidates must read, fill in, sign, and return to Dr Bronwyn Hopwood three forms: the “Automata Project Contract”, the “Automata Author Statement”, and the “UNEMA Media Release Form” form. Copies of these forms are provided below under the heading “Project Forms and Examples.”
2. To enrol in a HASS512 Automaton Project candidates must write a project proposal to submit to Dr Bronwyn Hopwood or a relevant supervisor for approval.
3. Candidates agree that UNEMA may use their project without restriction for any purpose in the future (eg. as a museum brochure, material to create audio-visual files, in teaching materials, publications, exhibitions, or as a research example etc).  Candidates can ask to have their projects made anonymous.
4. Candidates agree to keep confidential, and not to publicly distribute without written permission any documentation provided by UNEMA for the project (eg. photos, registration and accession papers, sensitive information attached to an artefact's file).
5. Candidates are encouraged to consult other museums, collections, and experts to research the history, provenance, context, artistic and technical development of their chosen aspect of automata, assistive device printing, and/or STEAM education development. Candidates must acknowledge all assistance received and obtain permission for UNEMA to use any material provided without restriction (a written letter/email to this effect is sufficient).
6. Candidates are required to meet all academic standards  for referencing, acknowledgements, and avoiding plagiarism.
7. HASS512 projects can be completed either on campus or online.

The A.G. & I.C. McCready UNEMA Research Bursary for Classical Antiquity was established in 2022 to support Honours and MA/MHIST Coursework Research Dissertation Projects on the Material Culture of Classical Antiquity. The value of the bursary is currently $1,000 AUD.

Students enrolling in either Honours or an eligible MA/MHIST Coursework Research Dissertation in a relevant field at UNE are eligible to apply for this bursary when undertaking research on an aspect of the material culture of Classical Antiquity.

Eligible MA/MHIST Coursework Research Dissertations are single unit research projects of 12 cpts or more (ie. HDR pathway units). Eligible units include, but not limited to, HASS512 and HASS518. Honours research in relevant fields of study at UNE are eligible.

Relevant fields include, but are not limited to: Classics, Ancient History, History, Archaeology, Heritage, and Reception Studies. Reception Studies generally refers to the study of the influence of classical antiquity on other fields. It is most commonly studied within English Literature, Art History, Architecture, Museums and Cultural Heritage, and Theatre Studies.

The Material Culture of Classical Antiquity is defined for the purposes of this bursary by the Classical Antiquities Collections of the UNE Museum of Antiquities (UNEMA). Those collections are: The Ancient Near East, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece (from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Mediterranean), the Pre-Roman Italic Peninsula, and Rome (from the founding of the city to the Byzantine era).

For more information about this bursary see UNEMA’s Scholarships & Prizes

Explore the Automata Alley Resources here

Alternatively you can download the document here

Use these forms to apply to enrol in a HASS512 Automata Project with Dr Bronwyn Hopwood in the UNE Museum of Antiquities (UNEMA).  Please fill in, sign, and return these three forms to Dr Bronwyn Hopwood:

• Automata Project Contract
• Automata Author Statement
• UNEMA Media Release Form