Awardees

GWNZ Fellowship, 2020 - 2021

Johanna Zellmer

Johanna Zellmer. PhD, Massey University. Thanks again for your wonderful support, looking forward to becoming an active member.

As a doctoral candidate, I am questioning the advance of technology in DNA sequencing entire populations, which could replace our passports soon. Building on a book publication and last year’s invitation to take up a residency in Sweden as a IASPIS grant holder, I would like to dedicate more focused time to my practice, to deepen, grow and strengthen its foundations, particularly with view to its recent intersection with genetic science.

My field of inquiry is based in contemporary jewellery and situated between art, technology, social science, and anthropology. My research is concerning topical questions of migration, national identity, and surveillance. Through haptic experiences such as touch, linked to female and lived experience, I am examining the politics of feeling to produce new knowledge.

I have chosen the Doctor of Professional Practice as a local, practice-led programme, enabling me to work with contracted international mentors, leading in their respective field. As an educator of contemporary jewellery, I foresee my trans-disciplinary doctoral studies to have a positive impact on placements, exchanges and exhibition opportunities for students, and creative industry relations.