Social Psychology of Risk Post-Grad Pics

I just completed Unit 1 of the most enthralling, mind blowing course I have ever undertaken – sure beats the dumb down, information dumping, tell you how to think and comply or else type safety training and inductions I’ve been doing and presenting in the last few years. As we learned in the lecture on Semiotics – “a picture tells a billion words” – check out some of the course photos below.

For more info on the program CLICK HERE.

I’ve been to Canberra (Australia’s Capital City) many times but certainly never seen it from this perspective before and shall never look at it the same way again! So refreshingly awesome to share this experience with a great group of intelligent, open minded and people focused professionals.

Below: Group photo – Day 1 – totally oblivious to how our minds were about to be blown!

Below: Being enthralled and entertained by Phil Bevan (Majura The Magician) at the course dinner – he had us captivated and laughing hysterically (Dennis!) even with our new insight into how the mind works! Check out Phil’s website: http://www.majuramagic.com.au/

Below: The evening dinner presentation with Alan Castle (Superintendent AFP) – an amazing, no BS, man who has had an incredible career

Below: Pear (not pair) sculpture at the entrance to the National Gallery building, this is a group of seven pears all slightly different shapes but cleverly grouped together in such a way to give you a feeling of harmony, juxtaposed with 20 post grad students of all different shapes who were actually in harmony!

Below: In the High Court building – an overt example of the distribution of power with the tall ceilings, raw concrete walls, and grey stone floors, with bars lining the glass, the only view of the outer environment. Visually, the grandeur of the structure, the use of shapes, symbols, materials and choice of colour imposes upon the unconscious feelings of strength, power, authority and lawfulness; a building that commands obedience and its asymmetric design symbolic of its independence from Parliament. (a quote from Felix Chan’s paper from last years course: THE INFLUENCE OF VISUAL STIMULI ON THE UNCONSCIOUS)

Below: The experiential spacial and visual literacy walk

Below: Australian of The Year Walk along the Lake Burley Griffin foreshore. Incorporated in the pathway are five metal strips set flush in the concrete, representing the five music stave lines. The plinths are placed in musical note position to the tune of the national anthem “Advance Australia Fair” (how cool is that). Fixed to each plinth is a plaque containing the names and images of the Australians of the Year. We were astounded at the amount of thought that has gone into the semiotic design of Canberra – rightly or wrongly!

Below: Memorial to A twelve-year-old girl, Katie Bender, who was killed instantly on 13 July 1997, when the public spectacle of the Canberra Hospital demolition went horribly wrong . Nine other people were injured when the building exploded rather than imploded in front of over 100,000 people. Large fragments of masonry and metal were found 650 metres from the demolition site. (see video below)