Jaques Ranciére (2009b) argues that if there is a political question in contemporary art, ‘…it will be grasped through the analysis of the metamorphoses of the political ‘third’, the politics founded on the play of exchanges and displacements between the art world and that of non art’ (2009b:51). Looking at graffiti and street art in Barcelona as ‘textures’, which stimulate the mind, body and senses. I have investigated what public space means for its inhabitants through the material nature of the surfaces by which it is contained and by applying media devices. This has led me to develop an ethnography of encounters, perceptions and sensibilities linked to political practices and different modes of participation in the everyday life of the city. Following Jacques Ranciére’s (2004) conception of ‘political aesthetics’, I argue that the aesthetic of graffiti and street art can be embodied according to different sensible orders in the city. The public space is key in this process and I see it as an interface between graffiti artists, the general public and the institutions of the city. Graffiti activate the urban landscape through visual and tactile transformations of space through surfaces. These interactions, as De Certeau (1985) claims about everyday practices, may articulate narratives, which became the main source of information for this thesis. Thinking about the graffiti works in Barcelona in terms of Bakhtin’s (1981) idea of ‘the chronotope’, I have recounted the stories, which make the transformation of public space indicative of the everyday life of the city applying practices of collaboration, dialogue and intervention. These practices connected me to different surfaces of the city so as to explore how their material qualities are permeated with social relations and artistically inscribed with historical and political meanings. Here, graffiti and the city formed a compound of images in which I have studied the ‘visuality’ of graffiti in Barcelona. This, as Hal Foster (1988) argues, encloses at the same time social facts and physical operations (body and psyche) and moves, as I will show throughout this thesis, between dominant and resistance cultures. In short, I have materialized these ideas and images in the graffiti texture of Barcelona, seeing it as a mutable surface, which mediates between different ways of seeing and living in this city.

Magister Artium - MA / This study explores the linguistic landscape of Metrorail in the Western Cape, South Africa. The Western Cape is a diverse, multicultural society with a history of colonialism and imperialism. For this reason, the language/s on signage was explored to reveal differences/similarities between the various groups and cultures within society.This kind of investigation entailed consideration of the signage displayed on trains,stations and other railway infrastructure. Thus, data was collected over a three-month period during 2010 which coincided with the FIFA Soccer World Cup, hosted by South Africa. A combined quantitative and qualitative approach for the analysis of data was supplemented with a multimodal, multi-semiotic approach. In addition, interviews were conducted of a cross-section of commuters as a way to give meaning to the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data. The analysis explored the extent to which multilingualism and multiculturalism are reflected in the linguistic landscape of Metrorail.The focus of the study was on the degree of visibility of the official and non-official languages on signage, as faced by Metrorail commuters. The findings of the study reveal that the interplay between power relations, prestige, symbolic value, identity and vitality in the linguistic landscape of Metrorail results in a somewhat limited display of multilingualism. The findings also reflect the changed language attitudes and perceptions, the maintenance of power relations, the expression of identity, and the desire to be perceived in a certain way, in a broader South African context. Furthermore,the data reveals that the actual linguistic reality does not accurately reflect the aims of the Western Cape language policy in terms of promoting multilingualism. Moreover, it reveals that English is the preferred language of wider communication and it is also the dominant language on the official and non-official signage in the public space. Although the indigenous African languages, along with Afrikaans, are generally neglected in the public space, these languages are widely spoken by Metrorail commuters. The linguistic landscape of Metrorail therefore does not accurately reflect the linguistic reality of the various speech communities in the Western Cape. The linguistic landscape of Metrorail serves to index the broader social developments of the transformed sociolinguistic South African identity.

I detta arbete har jag undersökt vilka möjligheter och metoder som finns för att skapa konst i utemiljö. Hur kan skapande i offentlig miljö utföras inom skolan? Vad går att göra med hänsyn till olika regler och lagar? Syftet med studien är att synliggöra tillvägagångssätt för skapande i offentlig miljö som kan utföras som platsspecifikt görande tillsammans med elever. Empirin består av flera olika delar; en intervjustudie, litteraturstudie och dokumentation från konstnärlig forskning. Som komplement till detta undersöks telefonsamtal och mejlkorrespondens med olika företag och myndigheter. Den konstnärliga forskningens empiri består av en skriftlig och en visuell dokumentation från när jag prövat olika praktiker som gatukonst eller land art, och undersökt skapandeprocessen genom mitt eget görande. Dessa experiment är gestaltningar i sig själva, men fotodokumentation från dessa försök ligger till grund för gestaltningen som visades på Konstfacks vårutställning. Där sammanställs de olika försöken och sorteras i två olika grupper, lagliga metoder eller olagliga. Resultatet av projektet visar att det trots den juridiska gråzonen kring skapande i utemiljö finns goda möjligheter att genomföra undervisning lämplig att genomföra tillsammans med elever i skolan, med hjälp av flera användbara metoder från land art och gatukonst. Gestaltningen visar fotodokumentation på några av dessa möjliga metoder och kan även användas som diskussionsunderlag tillsammans med elever.

Cette thèse sur travaux rassemble un ensemble d'articles traitant des formes de la participation ordinaire à l'espace public. Elle s'attache à décrire la manière dont les publics ont été amenés à prendre la parole dans les médias traditionnels, les médias alternatifs et sur Internet. A partir d'une approche examinant différents formats d'énonciation (opinion, critique et témoignage), ce travail entend comprendre comment l'espace public s'est élargi à de nouveaux publics et à de nouveaux régimes d'expression avec l'apparition du web au tournant des années 2000. Les travaux rassemblés comparent (1) des études de cas portant sur l'expression des auditeurs dans des programmes radiophoniques traditionnels (Les auditeurs ont la parole (RTL), les indignations pour l'abbé Pierre (France inter), et L'émission de Menie Grégoire (RTL)) ; (2) des analyses du rôle des médias alternatifs et du militantisme altermondialiste dans la critique et l'invention de nouveaux formats d'expression sur Internet ; et (3) des études de cas portant sur les nouveaux dispositifs d'expression ordinaire apparus sur Internet avec les blogs, Wikipédia et les réseaux sociaux du web 2.0. La possibilité offerte à tous de publier sur Internet sans passer par le filtre des médias traditionnels conduit à la fois à une libération des subjectivités et à une intériorisation de plus en plus forte par les individus des contraintes expressives relatives à l'adresse à un public. Cette analyse souligne l'importance de la variation de la taille et de la forme des publics dans les mondes numériques en montrant comment au public abstrait, anonyme et nombreux des médias traditionnel, le web substitue une fabrication dynamique et interactive de la visibilité. En articulant étroitement l'analyse des sociabilités numériques à celle de la publicité des expressions, cette thèse montre comment les exigences et les contraintes de l'espace public sont, de plus en plus, incorporées dans les processus de socialisation des individus dans nos sociétés. / This thesis gathers a series of articles dealing with the ordinary forms of participation in the public space. It attempts to describe the way the public have been led to express itself in traditional media, alternative media and the web. From an approach examining different formats of enunciation (opinion, criticism and testimony), this work intends to understand how public space has expanded to new audiences and new regimes of expression with the appearance of web at the turn of the 2000s. The different researches gathered in this thesis compares (1) case studies on the expression of listeners in traditional radio program (Les auditeurs ont la parole (RTL), Les indignations pour l'abbé Pierre (France Inter) and L'émission de Menie Grégoire (RTL)); (2) analysis of the role of alternative media and the anti-globalization activism in the criticism and the invention of new formats of expression on the Internet; and (3) case studies of new spaces for ordinary expression appeared with the birth of blogs, Wikipedia and social networks of Web 2.0. The opportunity for all to publish on the Internet without going through the filter of traditional media led both to a release of subjectivities and an internalization of expressive constraints by individuals. This analysis also highlights the importance of variation in size and shape of the public in the digital world by showing how to the abstract and anonymous public of traditional media, the web substitutes a dynamic and interactive manufacturing of visibility. In articulating the analysis of digital sociability and the building of public visibility, this thesis shows how the requirements and constraints of the public space are increasingly included in the socialization process of individuals in our societies

Pour leur survie, les hommes se sont créés, au fil de leur évolution, leur propre « milieu de vie » fait d’éléments pouvant les mettre à l’abri des dangers et leur faciliter l’existence. Les villes sont nées de ces besoins et au sein d’elles des espaces ludiques et de confort sont apparus. Sont venus ensuite des désirs d’expression et de partage qui distinguent les villes les unes des autres. A la Renaissance, les villes européennes nées des inspirations de la Grèce antique se sont érigées en modèle avec leurs places publiques aménagées. La volonté de leurs concepteurs et des mouvements artistiques ont donné à ces aires urbaines leurs formes diverses. Avec l’apparition des nouvelles technologies, c’est encore une autre étape qui se présente et enrichit la ville d’une dimension complémentaire : l’espace virtuel accompagne désormais l’espace réel. Le virtuel a aujourd’hui une importance capitale au sein des villes et véhicule l’art urbain. C’est l’étude de cette évolution, ce parcours depuis la ville en tant que besoin jusqu’à la ville moderne modelée par ses espaces virtuels que notre travail se propose d’analyser. Le croisement entre le réel et le virtuel nous offre une dimension nouvelle avec des contraintes mais également un champ nouveau d’expression. De l’Europe jusqu’en Chine, les espaces publics sont aujourd’hui des œuvres d’art à part entière et accordent à la ville son identité, son image, reflet de sa culture et de son patrimoine architectural et artistique. / To survive, human beings have created their own “living environment” throughout their evolution to protect themselves from dangers and facilitate their existence. Cities were formed to fulfill these needs, to perform different spacial functions and to present the comfort for living. The continuing demand and expression have distinguished cities from each other, so that we can experience the beauty of difference. During the Renaissance, Europeans were inspired by ancient Greece with their public places' structures. The will of the designers and artistic movements then have given these urban areas various forms. With the development of new tehcnologies, we have various ways to enrich cities: the virtual space is now interconnected with the real space. Nowadays, virtual spaces has become an important channel to deliver urban art.This study aims to analyze this evolution path of city spaces, from basic human needs to how virtual space have figured modern world. The cross between real space and virtual space offers and also restrains a new dimension for expression. From Europe to China, public spaces are definitely artwork itself and also give each city its identity and its image. It also reflects its culture, architectural and artistic heritage.

The proposed project aims to transform the selected site and buildings at Rissik Station to new uses, along with the restoration and reuse of historical buildings. This amounts to a recycling and improved use of existing resources. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Architecture / unrestricted

Storgatan 2.0 is a study and design concept investigating the need for change of the main pedestrian street of the city of Växjö, in South Sweden. In order to propose a basis for discussions, and work as an inspiration for further renewal ideas, the design concept presents various, initial redesign visualisations of the site, Storgatan pedestrian street. The theoretical framework of this study leans on conducting urban studies with human-centred approach to city development. The exploratory research phase of the project was performed through several methods, including site observation, interview, and a survey for the local citizens. Also, relevant secondary research and necessary investigation of the context, Sweden, are part of the study. In the end, the project focuses on sorting and analysing the data, by using various visual thinking tools as a method. The outcome of the project is a proposal visualising the possibilities for Storgatan, based on the research results. The visualisations are not meant to provide detail-oriented final solutions, but defend the potential of Storgatan to become a stronger version of the main pedestrian street – an enjoyable, pedestrian-prioritised public place that is actively used and shaped by the citizens.

Since the 1990s, a trend in the UK museum sector for developing community partnerships has witnessed a ‘participatory drive’ that aims to embrace social diversity by engaging communities in the co-creation of exhibitions and other museum work. In this context, the Internet broadly, and social media in particular, are seen as complementary to museum processes of reciprocal exchange and public access. However, as this thesis stresses, treating the Internet and social media as complementary and convergent with the participatory drive in museums is assumptive and has been under-analysed, and its difficulties and complexities understated. In this context, this practice-based research carefully unpicks and critically analyses naturalised assumptions about online resources and social media practices in museums by tracing the cultural history through which the participatory museum has developed and contrasting it with the much later sociology of the Internet. The participatory drive is seen to be mediated through society’s agencies for local governance, healthcare and education services, as well as neighbourhood groups and families. These structures act then as a bridge organising people in space and time. In turn, museums’ digital practices often assume similar social organisation in their approach towards public engagement. However, the distributed architecture of the Internet has the effect of compressing time with space, enabling group organisation and public spaces to bypass society’s structures and instead place the individual at the centre of a network of relationships that self-organises according to the social capital displayed in online behaviour. Accordingly, the thesis argues, there is anapparent mis-match between museums on the Web and the online public, which affects negatively public engagement online. By bringing Bourdieu’s theories of social space and social capital into the realm of the Internet, drawing on cultural historical activity theory and reflecting on a research residency at the Whitworth Art Gallery, this thesis goes on to examine why museums find it challenging to engage with online publics. Its research practice aimed to ‘open’ the digital collections of the participating museum into the same time and space as the online public. This included triggering, following, documenting and critically reflecting upon processes, challenges and actions of digital engagement and the people involved in them. The thesis reflects on the research practice’s organisational and cultural challenges, which relate to the fact that it contradicted the museum’s existing departmental organisation and symbolic representation of public access and engagement. It goes on to argue that when digital practices of museums are attuned to the ecology and spatial structure of the online public, the outcomes are misrecognised as unrelated to museums’ core practices of social inclusivity. Instead, the argument continues, museums need to open up to emerging concepts of digital public space and publicness, in order for their digital practices to be relevant to online publics.

Architecture is explored here as a series of effects that influence the experience of living on earth. A work of architecture is a kind of terminal of effects that produces certain experiences for those who encounter it. How a place is programmed and built brings various movements into play: human, animal, plant, geological, metereological, hydrological and so on. The site of exploration is the Walker Spruit valley in the City of Tshwane. The site of intervention is a vacant piece of land bordering the Walker Spruit in Sunnyside and is explored as a place where these various movements intersect to put humans in various relations with each other and their surroundings. / Dissertation MArch(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Architecture / Unrestricted

The maturation of the public sphere in Argentina during the late nineteenth and early twentiethcenturies was a critical element in the nation-building process and the overall development ofthe modern state. Within the context of this evolution, the discourse of disease generatedintense debates that subsequently influenced policies that transformed the public spaces ofBuenos Aires and facilitated state intervention within the private domains of the city’sinhabitants. Under the banner of hygiene and public health, municipal officials thusEuropeanized the nation’s capital through the construction of parks and plazas and likewiseutilized the press to garner support for the initiatives that would remedy the unsanitaryconditions and practices of the city. Despite promises to the contrary, the improvements to thepublic spaces of Buenos Aires primarily benefited the porteño elite while the efforts to rootout disease often targeted working-class neighborhoods. The model that reformed the publicspace of Buenos Aires, including its socially differentiated application of aesthetic order andpublic health policies, was ultimately employed throughout the Argentine Republic as theconsolidated political elite rolled out its national program of material and social development.