CHANGE AND CONTINUITY IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN GRAPHIC SYSTEMS

In this paper Central Australian graphic systems are examined within t he context of dramatic change following the arrival of Europeans in Ce ntral Australia at the turn of the century. An analysis of the interna l structures of Central Australian shield designs reveals that regiona l differences are reflected in the structure of the designs, rather th an in the individual design units. Moreover, a stylistic analysis of s ome 80 shield designs, produced over a period of roughly the same numb er of years (from the turn of the century through to the late 1980s), reveals a remarkable degree of flexibility to be inherent in Central A ustralian graphic systems. This paper demonstrates how Central Austral ian graphic systems function as adaptive mechanisms in response to cha nge: capable of absorbing and responding to the sociopolitical and eco nomic upheavals of the past century without breaking down the structur al conventions in the creation of designs. (C) 1996 Academic Press, In c.