You are here:
Main Content
-
Dr Vahri McKenzie
Dr Vahri McKenzie
Senior Lecturer, Arts and Cultural Management
| Email: | v.mckenzie@ecu.edu.au |
|---|---|
| ORCID iD: | https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4600-0543 |
Vahri is Course Coordinator, Bachelor of Arts (Arts and Cultural Management) at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and a scholar affiliated with the Centre for People, Place & Planet.
Background
Vahri McKenzie is an educator, artist and scholar whose arts-based research responds to local situations to develop concepts for participation and collaboration. Passionate about shared creative experiences that are transformative for individuals and for communities, Vahri frames creative engagement as a way of being together in a complex world. She partners with artists, arts workers and cultural organisations to evaluate cultural projects using methods that illuminate their value and transformative potential. Vahri is Arts and Cultural Management Course Co-ordinator at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and an Affiliate of Strategic Research Centre for People, Place & Planet, Edith Cowan University.
Professional associations
- Affiliate Member, Centre for People, Place & Planet (ECU Strategic Research Centre)
- Member, Australasian Drama Studies Association
- Member, International Federation of Theatre Research
Awards and recognition
- 2025: Ripairian: new images and actions for river repair. Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups, WA Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport ($41,109).
University and national teaching awards
- 2018: Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Award for Engagement in Research, Edith Cowan University: for an outstanding contribution to engaged research through an ethos of practical and relational creative inquiry.
- 2016: Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Award for Engagement in Learning and Teaching, Edith Cowan University: for building community partnerships that facilitate creativity and empower students.
National and international research awards
- 2025: Citational Justice Award presented to the Kind Regards Collective, Centre for People, Place and Planet
Research areas and interests
- Theories and practices of contemporary creative arts
- Arts and creative industries
- Arts and wellbeing and health
- Arts and care for Country and place
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Edith Cowan University, 2008.
- Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in English, The University of Western Australia, 2004.
Research Outputs
Journal Articles
- Somerville, W., Turner, B., Arnold, C., Isaacs-Guthridge, R., McKenzie, V., Van Den Heuvel, A., Godden, N., Fuller, L. (2025). Kind Regards: fire-making as ethical resistance and anticolonial praxis with River. Continuum, 2025(Article in Press), 13 pages. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2025.2595091.
- McKenzie, V., Davidson, R. (2025). Rebus Theatre’s Project Alchemy: On the Limits of Trauma-Informed Approaches in Applied Arts Projects. Australasian Drama Studies, 2025(87), 72-96.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V., Terren, M., Tytler, C. (2025). Ripairian Livestream. [Livestreamed performance]. Vahri McKenzie.
- McKenzie, V., Ben-Ary, G., Terren, M. (2025). Ripairian Zone. [Art installation including sound, 2D and 3D works]. Midland Junction Arts Centre.
Journal Articles
- Newman, R., Taylor, A., Cowling, L., Garbenis, J., Heath, T., Kingsland, F., McKenzie, V., Neideck, J., Reddrop, R., Stewart, S. (2024). Green utopias: a possible green ground for performing arts training. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 15(3), 397-414. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443927.2024.2397258.
- McKenzie, V., Pollitt, J., Sun, E. (2024). TRANSLATE | TRANSFORM | TRANSDISCIPLINE: Collaborative practice across divides. Axon: Creative Explorations, 14(1), 15 pages. https://doi.org/10.54375/001/5e1qzvv97s.
Conference Publications
- Thwaites, D., Herath, D., McKenzie, V. (2024). Curating Transdisciplinary Residencies: Time and Place for a ‘First Kiss’. Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Electronic Arts. Volume 1: Academic Papers (1090-1093). Queensland University of Technology and ISEA international. https://doi.org/10.5204/book.eprints.256296.
Reports
- McKenzie, V., Pickup, J. (2024). Project Alchemy. Canberra. Rebus Theatre.
Book Chapters
- McKenzie, V., Webb, J. (2023). Re-enactment as Conversation: Yoshiko Shimada’s Becoming a Statue of a Japanese Comfort Woman. Difficult Conversations (33-40). British Council Northern Ireland. https://doi.org/10.57884/SHTK-J226.
Journal Articles
- Dela Cruz, EV., Dyson, G., Gaspar, R., Goudouna, S., Haines, T., Laine, E., Larson, B., McKenzie, V., Ortúzar, J., Ranwalage, S., Tzakou, A., Wan, E. (2023). Everywhere, All the Time, 3:42 Collaborative encounters with the mundane. Performance Research: a journal of the performing arts, 28(4), 5-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2023.2303704.
- McKenzie, V., Thwaites, D., Hope, C. (2023). Careful and Curious: A Transformative Ethos for Artistic Evaluation. Performance Paradigm, 18(2023), 128-148. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworks2022-2026/3701.
- Somerville, W., McKenzie, V., Fuller, L., Godden, N., Harrison, A., Isaacs-Guthridge, R., Turner, B. (2023). “Kind regards”: negotiating connection to Country and place through collective storying. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 39(3), 336-348. https://doi.org/10.1017/aee.2023.24.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2023). I think things are precious. AXON: Creative Explorations Text / Page / Art. https://doi.org/10.54375/001/k4vz5gp93t.
Journal Articles
- McKenzie, V. (2022). Between freedom and control: A chorus-centred bakkhai for community ensemble. Australasian Drama Studies, 2022(80), 253-277.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2022). Creative Recovery and Resilience Forum, Creative ACT. various.
- McKenzie, V., Frederick, U., Hayne, K. (2022). Upending | Mending. Pivot Gallery, Belco Arts.
Book Chapters
- McKenzie, V., Boxall, K. (2021). ‘Come all savage creatures’: Becoming Bakkhai in the southwest of Western Australia. Affective Movements, Methods and Pedagogies (142-157). Routledge. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/9775.
- McKenzie, V., Thompson, N., Moore, D., Ben-Ary, G. (2021). cellF: Surrogate Musicianship as a Manifestation of In-Vitro Intelligence. Handbook of Artificial Intelligence for Music (315-932). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72116-9_32.
Journal Articles
- McKenzie, V., Florence, C. (2021). A Matter of Balance: Visual Arts in the Australian Defence Force AARTS Program. Axon: Creative Explorations, 11(2), 189-206. https://doi.org/10.54375/001/uqgffie70v.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2021). Colour Me, Beautiful. Bunbury, Australia: Bunbury Regional Art Galleries..
Journal Articles
- McKenzie, V. (2019). The Other Writing Group: an embodied workshop. TEXT: Journal of Writing and Writing Programs, 57(October 2019), 16 pages. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/7574.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2019). Normal Milk. Storyfire: Winning stories from the Stuart Hadow Prize: 2005-2018. The Fellowship of Australian Writers WA. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/7273.
- McKenzie, V., Maiden, S. (2019). Narrowcast. Vahri McKenzie and Bunbury Regional Art Galleries. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/7274.
Journal Articles
- McKenzie, V., Ferguson, N. (2018). Only the Envelope: artistic interpretations of eye-tracking imagery. Journal for Artistic Research, 15(2018), 7. https://doi.org/10.22501/jar.332658.
- Boxall, K., McKenzie, V., Henderson, G., Shizleen, S., Mazza, D. (2018). Reimagining social work case studies: a social work—creative writing collaboration. Social Work Education, 37(7), 881-894. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2018.1458831.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2018). Bakkhai. Fiona de Garis [BREC Executive Director]/Vahri McKenzie. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/6661.
Book Chapters
- McKenzie, V. (2017). Dancing With a Bullet: Moving into Memory with Music. Performing the Remembered Present: The Cognition of Memory in Dance, Theatre and Music (197-223). Methuen Drama. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/4211.
Journal Articles
- McKenzie, V. (2017). Only the Envelope: Opening Up Participation, Surveillance, and Consent in Performance. Performance Matters, 3(2), 57-71.
- McKenzie, V. (2017). Placing knowledge in the body: Western Australian choreographers dancing With a Bullet. Brolga: an Australian journal about dance, 41(December), online.
- McKenzie, V. (2017). Only the Envelope: An Artistic Exercise in Data Retention. PARtake: The Journal of Performance as Research, 1(2), Article 5.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2017). Beer-n-Bubs. Crush: Stories about love. MidnightSun Publishing.
Conference Publications
- McKenzie, V. (2016). Entering the Regional Scene with a Contemporary Lysistrata. Resilience: Revive, Restore, Reconnect. Proceedings of the Australasian Association for Drama Theatre & Performance Studies (57-67). Artworx.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2016). Likes to Measure. Newcastle Short Story Award Anthology 2016. Hunter Writers Centre.
- McKenzie, V. (2016). Only the Envelope. Alisa Blackeney [BRAG Exhibitions Curator].
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V., Pilla, S. (2015). Nurture. Bunbury Regional Art Galleries.
- McKenzie, V. (2015). Underscore Alchemy: Extending the Underscore for Creative Artists. Contact Improvisation Newsletter. Contact Collaborations.
- McKenzie, V. (2015). Lysistrata (Director).
Journal Articles
- McKenzie, V. (2014). Extending Underscore Alchemy. Brolga: an Australian journal about dance, December(39), 35-42.
- McKenzie, V. (2014). Underscore Alchemy: Extending the Underscore for creative artists. Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices, 6(2), 159-173. https://doi.org/10.1386/jdsp.6.2.159_1.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2014). Against the grain. Gargouille. Sarah Wreford and Adriane Howell.
- McKenzie, V. (2014). Freedom in surrender. dancewest, September 2014. Australian Dance Council - Ausdance WA.
- McKenzie, V. (2014). A visceral kind of understanding. dancewest. Australian Dance Council - Ausdance WA.
- McKenzie, V., Lehrer, J., Ben-Ary, G., McKee, A. (2014). Telephone. Lyndall Adams, Christopher Kueh & Renée Newman-Storen.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2013). I Shine, Not Burn. Knitting and other stories. Margaret River Press.
- McKenzie, V. (2013). Philogyny #2. Poetry d'Amour 2014: Love poems. WA Poets Inc..
Book Chapters
- McKenzie, V. (2012). Using the Spectrum to Theorise Apparent Opposition in Creative Writing Doctorates. The Creativity Market: Creative Writing in the 21st Century (148-162). Multilingual Matters.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2012). Fool Asleep. Amber Hasler.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
-
McKenzie, V. (2011). Agent Provocateur.
contact improvisation, new dance, movement improvisation 14.3 December 2011. Proximity Magazine Inc.. - McKenzie, V. (2011). Complications. dotdotdash 07, Winter 2011, 'Sacred'. The dotdotdash Collective.
- McKenzie, V. (2011). The Skriker-direction and production. Vahri McKenzie.
- McKenzie, V. (2011). Design, Form, Light and Movement. Strut Dance.
- McKenzie, V. (2011). @Shakespeare.com-Producer. Vahri McKenzie.
Creative Arts Research Outputs
- McKenzie, V. (2010). Sleep Disorders. Lisa Carrie Goldberg.
Conference Publications
- McKenzie, V. (2008). The unfulfilled promise of digital technologies for collaborative writing. The Creativity and Uncertainty Papers: Refereed Proceedings (13). ASCA.
Journal Articles
- McKenzie, V. (2007). Liminal space: Postgraduate creative writing in Australian universities. Limina: A Journal of Historical and Cultural Studies, Special Edition 2007(Special Ed), 20-28.
Research Projects
- Social Fabric: Cultural Equity Project - Phase 3, Healthway (WA Health Promotion Foundation), Healthy Communities Grant, 2025 ‑ 2026, $47,000.
- New Work in the House - Commissioning, Bunbury Regional Theatre Inc, Grant, 2017 ‑ 2018, $15,000.
- The Other Writing Group, Edith Cowan University, School of Arts and Humanities Research Grant Scheme 2016, 2016 ‑ 2017, $3,644.
- Case Studies and Vignettes: A social work - arts collaboration, Edith Cowan University, School of Arts and Humanities Research Grant Scheme 2016, 2016 ‑ 2017, $12,470.
- Only the Envelope: An artistic exercise in data retention investigates our complicity in sharing personal information in the public sphere, Edith Cowan University, School of Arts and Humanities Research Grant Scheme 2016, 2016 ‑ 2017, $4,555.
- Moving Knowledge: using memory and music to investigate choreographic processes, Edith Cowan University, ECU Early Career Researcher Grant - 2014, 2014 ‑ 2015, $5,000.
Research Student Supervision
Principal Supervisor
- Doctor of Philosophy, Exploring a cultural ecosystem of contemporary dance in Western Australia: An investigative study of networks, conditions and distinctiveness that influence the production, distribution and consumption of contemporary dance in Western Australia.
- Doctor of Philosophy, Drama Makes Me Happy” - A Framework and Resource to Support Educators and Teaching Artists to Promote Children’s Wellbeing Through Developmental Drama-based Pedagogies.
Principal Supervisor
- Doctor of Philosophy, The Commonwealth of Amnesia: A collection of erasure and cut-up poems exploring the forgotten histories of Croatian and Yugoslav peoples in Australia
- Doctor of Philosophy, Unravel. A novel -and- a diverse palette: Cosmic horror and weird fiction with/out Lovecraft. a critical essay.
- Doctor of Philosophy, Belonging: A place for, and in, children's poetry
- Doctor of Philosophy, No-one was watching. A collection of short fiction -and-stories beyond the gates. an exegesis.