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dc.contributor.advisorPetelin, George
dc.contributor.authorHoehne, Craig John
dc.date.accessioned2018-01-23T02:30:27Z
dc.date.available2018-01-23T02:30:27Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.identifier.doi10.25904/1912/912
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/366519
dc.description.abstractForged under the Hammer and Sickle, The Case of Geoffrey Powell 1945–1960 is a multimodal exhibition and exegesis that concerns the post-war production of photographer-turned-documentary-filmmaker Geoffrey Powell (1918–1989). It re-evaluates Powell's production through the prism of his socio-political evolution from reactionary to Marxist. Within the photo-historical literature, he is defined as a participant in the mainstream Post-War Documentary Movement in photography. However, my research has revealed that Powell belonged to a cross-disciplinary nexus of creative thought. He was a member of the Australian Communist Party and his photographic production was all but confined to Socialist Realist journals. This Marxist affiliation imposed strictures on the way in which he engaged with subjects as well as the aesthetics of his work. He was also an active participant on the progressive ‘Arts Front’. An interest in expository film by the progressive Left tweaked a curiosity in Powell, which ultimately encouraged his move into documentary filmmaking. Through the patronage of progressive film producer John Heyer, Powell became employed at the Department of Information (DOI) Film Unit as a cinematographer from March 1946. At the DOI, he was a member of the Heyer documentary group that embraced the notion of "dramatising within the realm of reality". In keeping with the Leftist cultural element that operated within the film unit—that engaged with outside radical film production for militant labour unions—Powell assisted the Miners' Federation in the production of photography for their Amenities Campaign in 1947.
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherGriffith University
dc.publisher.placeBrisbane
dc.rights.copyrightThe author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
dc.subject.keywordsGeoffrey Powell (1918–1989)
dc.subject.keywordsDocumentary film maker
dc.subject.keywordsPost-War Documentary Movement in photography
dc.subject.keywordsAustralian Communist Party
dc.subject.keywordsHeyer documentary group
dc.titleForged under the Hammer and Sickle: The Case of Geoffrey Powell, 1945–1960
dc.typeGriffith thesis
gro.facultyArts, Education and Law
gro.rights.copyrightThe author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
gro.hasfulltextFull Text
dc.contributor.otheradvisorBeattie, Debra
dc.rights.accessRightsPublic
gro.identifier.gurtIDgu1484620810072
gro.source.ADTshelfnoADT0
gro.source.GURTshelfnoGURT
gro.thesis.degreelevelThesis (Masters)
gro.thesis.degreeprogramMaster of Visual Arts (MVA)
gro.departmentQueensland College of Art
gro.griffith.authorHoehne, Craig John


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