Welcome
Welcome to my webpage… where I present my past and current projects using images and text to tell ‘unknown’ stories.
From a research perspective I have used a multidisciplinary methodology (VisPsych) to enhance psychological research findings. My projects “Wounded not conquered” and “Freedom” present the opportunity for readers to have a greater understanding about quality of life and the experience of living with a mental illness. Over a number of years, I spent time with some wonderful people and have had the privilege to share their stories.
From a more photo-journalistic perspective in “Recapitulation” I have honoured the life of Mrs Honey Bessey, an Australian pianist and teacher from a century ago, whose story had not previously been told.
In the George’s War project I investigated the people and places in 60 “found photos” from World War Two in Papua New Guinea. They tell an intriguing story about daily life during the war and the relationship between servicemen and the people of Papua New Guinea. The journey has many twists and turns and has culminated in exhibitions at the RAAF Airforce Base Heritage Centre at Amberley and at the Massim Museum and Cultural Centre in Alotau (Milne Bay). Please contact me if you have any information or recognise any of the people in these images.
My latest project is the book, “Honey: A story from Queensland’s musical past”. The story is a non-fiction narrative contextualised within a coming-of-age memoir. Set in the early 1900s, it tells the story of Ethel May Matthews, a beautiful, talented and remarkable young Australian pianist from Ravenswood, North Queensland. Frank Muller, my cousin, joined me on this quest to research her enigmatic past.
Visual Psychology – Dr. Juanita Muller
Background
The field of psychology emotions have been studied for over 100 years. Traditionally, the approach to this research has employed quantitative and, to a much lesser degree, qualitative methodologies. In doing so, the research has been limited to only those aspects of the human condition that can be captured, recorded and measured easily. The non-rational component of the human experience, often considered too fluid to research, has been overlooked. The use of alternative methodologies that address the affective domain have been ignored as having little scholarly rigor.
In particular within the social sciences, the making of visual images, have been used extensively as a means of data collection but rarely as a research methodology. Photo documentary practice, a discipline that blends ethnographic research methodologies, investigative journalism and the politic of the aesthetic, relies on visual images to capture emotional experiences; but only recently has there been a push to consider this as legitimate research method. Together these two disciplines could extend current methodologies, to broaden and triangulate existing psychological methodologies and to enhance photo documentary research.
This innovative multidisciplinary approach can be used to forge the new methodology of visual psychology, 'VisPsych' to enhance current research in many areas.
'VisPsych' is a multidisciplinary approach that integrates psychological research methodology and photo documentary practice to extend research findings. 'VisPsych' uses images as findings to enhance understanding of experiences.
'VisPsych' offers the reader the opportunity to both see and read the research findings, allowing for a more holistic understanding of the subject under investigation. The outcomes are image and text based, within a qualitative methodological framework. If you are interested in 'VisPsych' to enhance your own project, please contact me on j.j.muller@bigpond.com.
I am available to join your research team or to complete projects on a consultancy basis. 'VisPsych' is most suitable for evaluations or investigations and in bringing the findings to the public domain. Whatever your topic – consider 'VisPsych' to tell your story!
View more projects below.
George’s War
Projects
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Wounded Not Conquered
Exploring how it feels to live with chronic and serious mental illness in the community.
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Recapitulation
Honey, Bon and me
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George's War
A personal experience of daily lives in PNG in WW2
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Freedom: just another word for nothin’ left to lose?
An exploration of quality of life and mental illness.