ANU artist visualises Twitter abuse of Australian politicians

The vitriolic abuse directed towards Australian politicians on Twitter has been brought to life as artworks as part of The Australian National University (ANU) 2017 Vice Chancellor's College Artist Fellows Scheme. The scheme pairs ANU School of Art and Design PhD and Honours students with academic researchers to work collaboratively across a range of disciplines. PhD Candidate Jen Fullerton, who works in sculpture and visual arts, paired with social scientist Dr Robert Ackland, whose recent research tracked the Twitter activity of Australian politicians. The result is a series of sculptural works, including one where abusive tweets are represented as bullets in an ammunition belt. Ms Fullerton said she was shocked when she first saw the data from Dr Ackland's research. "I couldn't believe the amount of anger that was out there, it's just incredible. It goes very quickly from a very simple conversation to firing up," Ms Fullerton said.