Career Summary
Biography
Nikolas is an art historian and PhD candidate in global history at the Centre for the Study of Violence, University of Newcastle, Australia. He has held various teaching and research roles in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Science and Newcastle Law School. Nikolas graduated from a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture) with first-class honours at University of Sydney in 2005 before pursuing an 11-year career as an educational materials editor in Spain. In 2013 he completed a Masters in Contemporary Art History and Visual Culture with distinction at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Universidad Complutense de Madrid. His most recent research focuses on the role and critical reception of monuments within European imperial projects, notably the British and Spanish empires. Iconoclasm, as in the destruction, modification and resignification of symbols, is the central theme of much of Nikolas' work. His dissertation is centred on the place of iconoclasm in anti-colonial resistance from the 1970s to the present, a timeframe which highlights Indigenous actors and transnational activism. Future projects will pursue a long view of anti-colonial iconoclasm, plying early modern sources for evidence of challenges to colonial visual regimes.
Follow Nik on Twitter: @nikolas_orr
Academic CV available here.
Keywords
- Australian history
- British empire
- Early modern history
- Indigenous resistance
- Latin American history
- Spanish empire
- anti-colonialism
- art history
- colonialism
- contemporary history
- critical heritage studies
- global Indigenous studies
- global history
- iconoclasm
- monuments and memorials
- public art
- sculpture
- transnational history
- twentieth century
- twenty-first century
- visual culture
Languages
- Spanish (Fluent)
- English (Mother)
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 360102 | Art history | 40 |
| 430310 | Global and world history | 30 |
| 430313 | History of empires, imperialism and colonialism | 30 |
Professional Experience
Academic appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 1/11/2021 - 1/2/2024 | Co-investigator ('Re-imagining Monuments Using Digital Arts') | College of Human and Social Futures | University of Newcastle Australia |
| 1/10/2021 - | Research Associate ('Destroying the Past: The History of Iconoclasm') | Centre for the Study of Violence | University of Newcastle Australia |
| 1/5/2021 - 1/6/2022 | History Research Assistant ('Media Coverage of Women’s Sport in Newcastle') | School of Humanities and Social Science | University of Newcastle Australia |
| 1/3/2021 - 1/9/2022 | Art History Research Assistant ('Ideological Vandalism of Public Art Statues') | Newcastle Law School | University of Newcastle Australia |
| 1/9/2020 - 1/5/2021 | Research Assistant ('XR + Creativity for Social Good') | School of Creative Industries | University of Newcastle Australia |
Membership
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 1/1/2021 - | Member | City of Newcastle Public Art Reference Group Australia |
Professional appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 17/6/2024 - 16/6/2025 | Senior Heritage Officer, State Heritage Register Listing | NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Heritage NSW |
| 1/6/2017 - 1/1/2018 | Gallery Assistant | University Gallery | University of Newcastle Australia |
Teaching appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2/2024 - | Tutor | University of New South Wales School of Humanities and Languages Australia |
| 1/3/2021 - 1/11/2022 | Marker | School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences | University of Newcastle Australia |
| 1/7/2019 - 1/11/2019 | Guest Lecturer | School of Creative Industries | University of Newcastle Australia |
| 1/2/2018 - 1/12/2021 | Tutor | School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences | University of Newcastle Australia |
Awards
Award
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2023 |
HDR Research Excellence Award (Finalist) Graduate Research, University of Newcastle |
| 2020 |
Emerging Scholar Award for the 2020 International Conference on The Image Common Ground Research Networks |
Prize
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2024 |
Ken and Amirah Inglis Postgraduate Conference Award Australian Historical Association |
| 2024 |
HCISS 2023 Best Publication Prize School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences | University of Newcastle |
| 2024 |
First Nations History Award (Special Commendation) History Council of New South Wales |
| 2024 |
CHSF 2023 HDR Publication Prize (Finalist) College of Human and Social Futures | University of Newcastle |
Scholarship
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2021 |
ANU Gowrie Scholarship Australian National University |
| 2020 |
ANU Gowrie Scholarship Australian National University |
| 2020 |
Vice Chancellor's HDR Training Scholarship University of Newcastle |
| 2007 |
Beca Fundacion Antonio Camunas Centro Superior de Edificación | Universidad Europea de Madrid |
| 2004 |
Fauvette Loureiro Memorial Artists Travel Scholarship Sydney College of the Arts | University of Sydney |
Invitations
Interviewee
| Year | Title / Rationale |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Mornings with Kia Handley (ABC Radio) |
Panel Participant
| Year | Title / Rationale |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Harvesting Good Ideas |
| 2017 | In Conversation: Baroque and Beyond |
Participant
| Year | Title / Rationale |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Postgraduate and Early Career Researchers Masterclass |
Speaker
| Year | Title / Rationale |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Art Practice and Editing in Australia and Spain |
| 2019 | Principles and Practice of Budgeting Crative Work |
Teaching
| Code | Course | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIND3000 |
Entrepreneurship School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences | University of Newcastle |
Tutor | 1/2/2021 - 30/6/2021 |
| HIST3621 |
Aboriginal-Colonial Relationships in Australian History School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences | University of Newcastle |
Marker | 1/2/2022 - 30/6/2022 |
| HASS2000 |
BA Practice School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences | University of Newcastle |
Marker | 1/2/2021 - 30/6/2022 |
| ARST1270 |
Global History: Exploring the First Globalization, 15th-19th Century University of New South Wales |
Tutor | 11/2/2024 - 15/5/2024 |
| CIND1000 |
Introduction to the Creative Industries School of Creative Industries | University of Newcastle |
Tutor | 1/2/2018 - 30/6/2021 |
| CIND2000 |
Creative Collaborations School of Creative Industries | University of Newcastle |
Tutor | 1/2/2019 - 30/6/2019 |
| CIND1003 |
Making Meaning: Design and Media School of Creative Industries | University of Newcastle |
Tutor | 1/7/2018 - 30/11/2018 |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Chapter (3 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Orr N, 'Local Origins of a Global Series: The 1990s Wave of Anticolonial Iconoclasm' (2025) | |||||||
| 2023 |
Orr N, Cushing N, 'Monumental Copper and Coal: The Case for Including Extractivism in the Rethinking of Colonial Commemorations', 217-238 (2023) [B1]
|
Open Research Newcastle | ||||||
| 2023 |
Orr N, 'Dreaming of Destruction: From Direct Action to Speculative Iconoclasm in Aboriginal Protest, Australia, 1970 to 2021', 214-231 (2023) [B1]
|
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Conference (9 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Orr N, '‘I was both tyrant and slave’: Chicano/a Identity and Complex Relationships with Symbols of Colonialism, c. 1968–1976' (2024) | ||||
| 2024 | Orr N, 'Spectacular Resistance: Indigenous Iconoclasm in the Late-Twentieth-Century Settler Colony' (2024) | ||||
| 2023 |
Cushing N, Orr N, Perez Lopez I, 'Raise Your Voice: A Community Forum on Talking Back to Monuments' (2023)
|
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| Show 6 more conferences | |||||
Creative Work (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
Matthews B, See ZS, Orr N, Coates A, 'XR and Creativity Symposium Web Media' (2020)
|
Journal article (6 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 |
Orr N, 'Australia's statue wars told 'from the inside' [Review of Bronwyn Carlson and Terri Farrelly, Monumental Disruptions: Aboriginal People and Colonial Commemorations in So-Called Australia, Aboriginal Studies Press, 2023]', Patterns of Prejudice (2023)
|
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| 2023 |
Dwyer P, Orr N, 'Smashing Statues: Re-evaluating Iconoclasm in History', The English Historical Review, 138, 428-441 (2023)
|
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| 2023 |
Hadley M, Hook S, Orr N, Manning A, Wright R, 'Protest art on contested statues igniting conversations about art, law, and justice', Nuart Journal, 78-84 (2023) [C1]
|
Open Research Newcastle | |||||||||
| 2022 |
Hadley M, Hook S, Orr N, 'Ideological Vandalism of Public Statues: Copyright, the Moral Right of Integrity and Racial Justice', Griffith Journal of Law and Human Dignity, 9 (2022) [C1]
|
Open Research Newcastle | |||||||||
| 2021 |
Orr N, Matthews B, See ZS, Burrell A, Day J, Seengal D, 'Transdisciplinarity in Extended Reality (XR) Research Design: Technological Transformation and Social Good (Co-creation Session at XR + Creativity Symposium, University of Newcastle, 2020)', Virtual Creativity, 11, 163-179 (2021) [C1]
This article collates and synthesizes the discussion results of a collaborative research exercise, known as a 'co-creation session', formed of a multi-disciplin... [more] This article collates and synthesizes the discussion results of a collaborative research exercise, known as a 'co-creation session', formed of a multi-disciplinary group of extended reality (XR) researchers and practitioners. The session sought to develop and theorize the concept of 'transformative technologies for good' in creative, applied and clinical contexts. Notions of 'cutting-edge' practice were visited from a critical standpoint; participants established that innovation, when measured in terms of social good, challenges technological and economic paradigms of progress. Conversation between participants centred on four key areas: skills and knowledge for effective XR research, appropriate methods and sites for diffusion of XR research, the future of the field, and the possible contributions of XR and associated research to problems arising from COVID-19. The session offered further insights into research design related to composition of participant groups in terms of disciplinary knowledge, activity design, and remote digital interfaces.
|
Open Research Newcastle | |||||||||
| 2021 |
Orr N, 'Abstract Sculpture or Colonial Monument? Deception and Reception in the Commemorative Landscape of Newcastle, Australia, 1970 to 2020', Index Journal, 2021 (2021) [C1]
|
Open Research Newcastle | |||||||||
| Show 3 more journal articles | |||||||||||
Media (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Orr N, 'Quiet Activists' Targeted Action in Newcastle Sends Powerful Message about Inclusion in the City' (2022) |
Report (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
Matthews B, See ZS, Orr N, Morgan C, 'XR and Creativity Symposium Report: Transformative Technologies for Good', 1-1 (2020)
|
Thesis / Dissertation (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Orr N, 'Contemporary Indigenous iconoclasm in global perspective: Contested monuments in three settler colonies, c. 1968–2000' (2024) | Open Research Newcastle | |
| 2013 | Orr N, 'La construcción identitaria de Australia en el imaginario español' (2013) |
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 5 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $132,500 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20221 grants / $15,000
Re-Imagining Monuments Using Digital Arts$15,000
Funding body: College of Human and Social Futures, University of Newcastle
| Funding body | College of Human and Social Futures, University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Nancy Cushing, Nikolas Orr, Irene Perez lopez, Simone O'Callaghan, Zi Siang See |
| Scheme | Pilot Research: Projects, Pivots, Partnerships |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2022 |
| Funding Finish | 2022 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
20212 grants / $11,000
Gowrie Scholarship$8,000
Funding body: Australian National University
| Funding body | Australian National University |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Gowrie Scholarship |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2021 |
| Funding Finish | 2021 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | External |
| Category | EXTE |
| UON | N |
HDR COVID Impact Scheme Resarch Project$3,000
Funding body: College of Human and Social Futures | University of Newcastle
| Funding body | College of Human and Social Futures | University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Nikolas Orr, Philip Dwyer |
| Scheme | HDR COVID Impact Scheme |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2021 |
| Funding Finish | 2021 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
20202 grants / $106,500
Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarships – Academic Pathway Scheme (VC Scholarship)$101,500
Funding body: University of Newcastle
| Funding body | University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarships – Academic Pathway Scheme (VC Scholarships) |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2020 |
| Funding Finish | 2023 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
Gowrie Scholarship$5,000
Funding body: Australian National University
| Funding body | Australian National University |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Gowrie Scholarship |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2020 |
| Funding Finish | 2020 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | External |
| Category | EXTE |
| UON | N |
Research Projects
Re-imagining Monuments Using Digital Arts 2021 - 2023
Grants
Re-Imagining Monuments Using Digital Arts
Funding body: College of Human and Social Futures, University of Newcastle
| Funding body | College of Human and Social Futures, University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Pilot Research: Projects, Pivots, Partnerships |
Collaborators
| Name | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Mr Jean-Luc Schmid | |
| Dr Irene Perez Lopez | University of Newcastle |
| Assoc Prof Nancy Eileen Cushing | University of Newcastle |
| Assoc Prof Nancy Eileen Cushing | University of Newcastle |
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