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“We don’t have to carry the shame”: Autobiographical documentary filmmaking as a collective healing artifact for child abuse survivors
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Visage, Anthea; Perrott, Lisa; Schott, Gareth R.
Sitting at the intersection between autobiographical documentary theory and child abuse-related trauma theory, this thesis explores the wellbeing outcomes and impacts for child abuse survivors who create and view autobiographical documentaries that represent discourses about child abuse, intergenerational trauma, and healing. Adopting an anti-pathologising approach to trauma, this thesis explores and amplifies the historically silenced voices of child abuse survivors. Life is given to the underrepresented experiential accounts of autobiographical documentarians, with a focus on an uncharted community of practitioners: survivor-filmmakers. Further elevating survivor narratives, I position myself as a survivor-researcher, embracing an autoethnographic approach wherein my ‘presence’ remains integral to the research (Ellis et al., 2000; Bochner et al., 2016; Bochner, 2022; 2016). As a secondary research focus, this thesis seeks to understand what affordances survivor-researchers may bring to research projects that explore the experiences of child abuse survivors. A tripartite model for analysis of audio-visual texts frames the exploration, spanning three domains: production, text, and (potential) audience reception (Thompson, 1990). Trauma-and-violence-informed interviews were conducted to investigate the experiences of four survivor-filmmakers: Gwen van de Pas (Groomed, 2021); Tracey Arcabasso Smith (Relative, 2022); Jasmín Mara López (Silent Beauty, 2022); and Ginene Humphrey (Dandelions, TBC). Audio-visual methods of textual analysis, critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 1992a; 1992b; 1998; 2001), and affect analysis (Rose, 2016; Tait, 2016; Plantinga & Tan, 2007) were applied to identify affordances and examine the discursive functionality of the documentaries. Interviews with wellbeing professionals were conducted to investigate the potential therapeutic value of the texts for survivor-viewers. Interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun et al., 2022a; 2022b; 2019). Synthesising the findings across the three domains, the research reveals how autobiographical documentary filmmaking and viewing can function as therapeutic healing tools, affording survivor-filmmakers and survivor-viewers the ability to re/process, challenge and let go of shame – a central aspect of the survivor experience, perpetuated and reinforced by victim-blaming culture. The filmmaking process functions as a ‘platform of vulnerability’ for survivor-filmmakers, a double-edged sword where traumatic stress and retraumatisation can be evoked, and where shame can be challenged. Challenging shame occurs through therapeutically impacting other survivors, experiencing survivorship, and re/processing in a myriad of ways, which engagement with representational strategies helps afford (including reenactments to represent traumatic memories and the child self, animation to represent, connect with and re-parent the inner-child, and using ocean imagery and sound as a mode of cultural memory). Post-release, autobiographical documentaries about abuse and healing may function as ‘collective healing artefacts,’ taking on an immortal life of their own that leads to ongoing therapeutic impact for survivors. The concept ‘vicarious therapy’ is coined to encapsulate how survivor-viewers may vicariously experience therapeutic impact, such as gaining a sense of survivorship, and re/processing possibilities of traumatic growth. This occurs through the intertwined processes of witnessing and feeling survivors – the elicitation of memories and affect(s) – and how autobiographical documentary representations can speak survivors’ shared language of shame. In other words, they can authentically represent aspects of the survivor experience. Contrasting individualistic healing approaches that dominate mainstream therapeutic practice, the findings magnify the value of collective approaches to heal abuse related trauma and shame. Autobiographical documentary filmmaking, and cinematherapy utilising autobiographical documentaries, may function as tools of collective healing. Findings suggest the need to move towards shame-sensitive approaches to autobiographical documentary filmmaking, building on the trauma-informed guidelines created by the Documentary Accountability Working Group (2022).
Building futures: Engaging students with dioramas in STEAM education
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC) Taylor, Simon
This study examined the perspectives and experiences of teachers and students in constructing dioramas. It was conducted in a small rural secondary school in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The three-dimensional models acted as tools for helping students visualise and represent ideas, supporting the development of environmental and sustainability concepts. The study involved four teachers collaboratively teaching a combined Year 9 and 10 class within an integrated STEAM (Science, Technology, Environment, Arts, Mathematics) programme, where students were challenged to design and construct imaginary habitats of future homes and local environments as dioramas, merging scientific knowledge with creative expression. The purpose of using dioramas extended beyond artistic representation; they provided a tangible way for students to engage with climate science by modelling ecosystems, illustrating interdependencies, and simulating the impact of human actions on environments. Through this process, students explored cause-and-effect relationships, considered adaptation and mitigation strategies, and envisioned sustainable futures. Dioramas acted as cognitive bridges, supporting learners to develop understanding of abstract climate science concepts into concrete, visual narratives that encouraged role play and dialogue. Themes emerging from the study included how the students identified and expressed their understandings of possible futures through diorama models, how they incorporated climate-change actions and solutions into their designs, and how the construction process prompted reasoning and discussion. The strengths of diorama construction lie in its ability to tell a story, make a claim, activate dialogue, and, importantly, help young people imagine and articulate sustainable futures.
A data-driven approach to real-time reconstruction of turbulent flow fields above a coarse-grain bed using sparse observational boundary data
(2026) Yang, Y; Xie, Y; Mullarney, Julia C.; Shao, D
Interstellar conditions deduced from interstellar neutral helium observed by IBEX and global heliosphere modeling
(IOP Publishing, 2023) Swaczyna, Paweł; Bzowski, Maciej; Heerikhuisen, Jacob; Kubiak, Marzena A.; Rahmanifard, Fatemeh; Zirnstein, Eric J.; Fuselier, Stephen A.; Galli, André; McComas, David J.; Möbius, Eberhard; Schwadron, Nathan A.
In situ observations of interstellar neutral (ISN) helium atoms by the IBEX-Lo instrument on board the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission are used to determine the velocity and temperature of the pristine very local interstellar medium (VLISM). Most ISN helium atoms penetrating the heliosphere, known as the primary population, originate in the pristine VLISM. As the primary atoms travel through the outer heliosheath, they charge exchange with He+ ions in slowed and compressed plasma, creating the secondary population. With more than 2.4 million ISN helium atoms being sampled by IBEX during ISN seasons 2009-2020, we compare the observations with the predictions of a parameterized model of ISN helium transport in the heliosphere. We account for the filtration of ISN helium atoms at the heliospheric boundaries by charge-exchange and elastic collisions. We examine the sensitivity of the ISN helium fluxes to the interstellar conditions described by the pristine VLISM velocity, temperature, magnetic field, and composition. We show that comprehensive modeling of the filtration processes is critical for interpreting ISN helium observations, as the change in the derived VLISM conditions exceeds the statistical uncertainties when accounting for these effects. The pristine VLISM parameters found by this analysis are the flow speed (26.6 km s−1), inflow direction in ecliptic coordinates (255.°7, 5.°04), temperature (7350 K), and B − V plane inclination to the ecliptic plane (53.°7). The derived pristine VLISM He+ density is 9.7 × 10−3 cm−3. Additionally, we show a strong correlation between the interstellar plasma density and magnetic field strength deduced from these observations.
Relative in-flight response of IBEX-Lo to interstellar neutral helium atoms
(IOP Publishing, 2023) Swaczyna, Paweł ; Bzowski, Maciej; Fuselier, Stephen A.; Galli, André; Heerikhuisen, Jacob; Kubiak, Marzena A.; McComas, David J.; Möbius, Eberhard; Rahmanifard, Fatemeh; Schwadron, Nathan A.
The IBEX-Lo instrument on the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission measures interstellar neutral (ISN) helium atoms. The detection of helium atoms is made through negative hydrogen (H−) ions sputtered by helium atoms from the IBEX-Lo’s conversion surface. The energy spectrum of ions sputtered by ISN helium atoms is broad and overlaps the four lowest IBEX-Lo electrostatic analyzer (ESA) steps. Consequently, the energy response function for helium atoms does not correspond to the nominal energy step transmission. Moreover, laboratory calibration is incomplete because it is difficult to produce narrow-energy neutral atom beams that are expected for ISN helium atoms. Here, we analyze the ISN helium observations in ESA steps 1–4 to derive the relative in-flight response of IBEX-Lo to helium atoms. We compare the ratios of the observed count rates as a function of the mean ISN helium atom energy estimated using the Warsaw Test Particle Model (WTPM). The WTPM uses a global heliosphere model to calculate charge exchange gains and losses to estimate the secondary ISN helium population. We find that the modeled mean energies of ISN helium atoms, unlike their modeled fluxes, are not very sensitive to the very local interstellar medium parameters. The obtained relative responses supplement the laboratory calibration and enable more detailed quantitative studies of the ISN helium signal. A similar procedure that we applied to the IBEX-Lo observations may be used to complement laboratory calibration of the next-generation IMAP-Lo instrument on the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission.