The following thesis investigates the figure of the black Madonna. Because there is a lack of information on why and when these figures were created, this has created an air of mystery and intrigue around them and they have become the subject of highly speculative assumptions. The thesis has two main aims. Firstly, it analyses the trends in the existing literature; it considers the problems such research raises and how these might be addressed more critically. Secondly, this thesis will argue that it is possible to adopt a different way of approaching the subject of black Madonnas. The research in this thesis was conducted because it was felt not only were there were gaps in the existing literature, but there were questions raised in this literature that largely went unanswered. A significant section of the existing literature has used what might be described as a ‘grand narrative’ approach to the subject, trying to find an explanation that can account for the existence of all black Madonnas and what these images might mean. This thesis adopts a ‘lived religion’ approach to the study of black Madonnas. By conducting an ethnographic, fieldwork based method, it looked at the place of the black Madonna at St Mary’s Anglican Church, London and the relationship the congregation have with this black Madonna. It was found that this shrine challenged some of the existing assumptions about black Madonnas. Rather than the powerful, mysterious, esoteric alternative to the Virgin Mary portrayed in the previous literature, the black Madonna at St Mary’s was not always a central feature for worshippers. This research demonstrates that different results may be obtained if the focus is on one shrine rather than a comparative study. It is the combination of a critical examination of the existing literature with the results of the fieldwork that has made this research an original contribution to the field of black Madonna studies.

1.1. Definition (a) "Infrasound is a mechanical disturbance, propagated on an elastic medium, of frequency too low to be capable of exciting the sensation of hearing". (British Standard 661) (b) In this work the upper limit of the infrasonic region will generally be taken as 20Hz. Propagation is in air unless otherwise stated. 1.2. The literature on the effects of infrasound on both man and animals is reviewed in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3 the general requirements and possible sources of infrasound are discussed, the final apparatus is described together with its calibration and performance. Chapters 4 and 5 deal with the methods used to detect both subjective and objective effects evoked by the stimulus and the preliminary experiments performed to test the feasibility of the project. The experiments performed with the system in examining the physiological effects of monaural, binaural and whole body stimulation are discussed in detail in Chapters 6 and 7. The physiological background to the experiments is discussed in Chapter 8. Finally in chapters 9 and 10 the results are discussed and possible mechanisms for the production of the effects postulated.

Room modes are a recognised problem in small critical listening rooms and are known to cause colouration of sound reproduced within them. Investigations on the causes and solutions for this problem have been carried out for some time. Interest in the topic has extended to loudspeaker manufacturers who have mainly concentrated in developing methods for controlling the loudspeaker-room interaction in order to ameliorate low frequency reproduction. Compared to objective work on passive and active control methods, the study of the subjective perception of room resonances has been somewhat neglected. Available publications mostly concern the effects of single resonances, which are perhaps not fully representative of conditions as experienced in real rooms. A study into the subjective perception of room modes is presented. The experimental methodology employs psychoacoustic techniques to study the perception of factors such as modal distribution, and effects of resonances on single tones. Results show that the subjective perception of room modes is strongly affected by temporal issues, and that changes exerted merely on magnitude frequency response are detectable but not likely to remove the effects of resonances for all listeners. Furthermore, it is shown that a reduction of the modal Q-factor, associated with a reduction of decay rates, has a significant effect in decreasing the detection of resonances. Q-factor difference limen were evaluated for three reference decay characteristics corresponding to reference Q-factors of 30, 10 and 1. The limen were 6±2.8, 10±4.1 and 16±5.4 respectively, meaning that detection of changes to modal decay decreases with decreasing decay time. These results may be used to define more perceptually relevant design guidelines for critical listening environments, and indicate target criteria for control techniques used in room correction. The outcomes of this investigation will have repercussions on the design of better rooms for critical listening.

Although scholarly interest in the field of emblematics has increased greatly over the last decade, there is still much to be done, particularly in the area of religious emblems. The emblem form has been considered from the perspective of individual author, geographical factors and theological background but there have been few comparative studies with respect to religious emblems. This study will compare Protestant and Catholic emblems produced during the Reformation and Counter- Reformation, drawing on specific examples from, in particular, France, but also Germany and England. Emblems played a huge role in early-modern life. They expressed contemporary thought and also became part of the physical environment, being etched into stone, or wood, or sewn into cloth as decoration. In a period of such political, civil, and religious unrest, it would, therefore, seem likely that the Catholic and Protestant emblem would be quite distinct types either expressing theologically opposed notions, or manipulating the text/image relationship in quite different ways. Understanding how these emblems functioned, therefore, necessitates close reading, indeed, reading in the way the emblems were intended to be read. This study, therefore, will address the question of differences through detailed analysis of specific examples. This study begins with an introduction which gives a brief history of emblem literature and a review of relevant secondary material. Key terms and definitions regarding emblems are also explained here. This chapter also introduces the authors of the emblems analysed in later chapters. The first part of this thesis examines the emblem form in the wider context of the Reformation. From an initial overview of some of the key issues of the Reformation in chapter one, chapters two and three move on to analyse closely a wide corpus of Catholic and Protestant emblems. In these chapters the emblem is broken down into its component parts of verse and picture. Chapter two examines the religious emblem from the perspective of motif while chapter three approaches the emblem from a thematic angle. The second part of this study adopts a different approach presenting case studies of three authors. Chapter four explores the importance of the visual element in the emblems of Protestant author Rollenhagen. Chapter five investigates the Jesuit influences which shape the emblems of Catholic Berthod. While chapters four and five offer an insight into the work of prototypical Protestant and Catholic authors chapter six demonstrates the successful fusion of both Protestant and Catholic influences in the emblems of Wither. Indeed, this study suggests that the differences between Protestant and Catholic at this time are largely exaggerated with respect to emblems. Protestant and Catholic emblems are not, this study maintains, in essence all that different. It argues that, in fact, Protestant and Catholic emblems were often very close in terms of content and that the real difference is in the way they manipulate the text/image relationship.

The violin is a highly complex vibrating system, which quite without the aid of science, evolved to a high level of sophistication. Wood, which varies considerably from one sample to another, requires individual attention to be fashioned into the plates of a good violin. It is not therefore surprising that mass-produced instruments are of very poor quality. It is the improvement of these instruments which is the objective of this thesis. After identifying those features of the response upon which the violin's quality most, depend a model is developed and used to answer several questions about violin design. As it is extremely difficult to include the sound post in the model it is suggested that an additional structural element, designed to match the back's impedance, is used to support the post. The amount of. acoustic radiation from the back is shown to be small so that this change does not greatly affect the output level. Finally it is shown that, using such a construction, the low frequency response of the violin may be predicted before assembly. A description of an automated production process in which the violin plates are cut and tested by micro-processor controlled machinery concludes the work.

In theory it should be possible to characterise a vibration source's active and passive properties in an independent way which allows for structure borne sound to be predicted for a source in different installations. When put into practice however, the independent source characterisation approach often results in sur- prisingly poor predictions of source behaviour for the installed condition. The exact cause of the error is currently unknown but is often attributed to the practi- cal difficulties encountered when measuring source properties and hence numerical instabilities resulting from poor quality or unrepresentative data. Here we ad- dress the problem of obtaining independent descriptions of a source's active and passive properties using in-situ measurement approaches. In-situ measurements may be advantageous because the hypothetical quantities required for indepen- dent source characterisation are on the whole unmeasurable and hence elaborate measurements are often required to obtain an approximate source description. It will be shown that the independent blocked force, describing the activity of a vibration source under a blocked condition, can be measured in-situ and that the in-situ blocked force can be used to predict source behaviour in different environ- ments including a free condition. It will also be shown that the in-situ blocked force approach may allow for a transfer path analysis to be performed without dismantling the source-receiver assembly and thus allowing for a significant time saving. To address the characterisation of passive source properties two methods for the in-situ measurement of mobilities are described and investigated. Overall it is shown that active, and possibly passive, properties of vibration sources can be independently characterised whilst a source is installed and that there may be significant benefits in doing so. For example measurements may be faster or easier and the data obtained may be more representative.

M.V. Cerrillo, E.F. Bolinder. / "August 15, 1952." / Bibliography: p. 168. / Army Signal Corps Contract DA36-039 sc-100 Project 8-102B-0 Dept. of the Army Project 3-99-10-022

My research considers one way in which contemporary sculptural art practice might reinterpret sculpture and painting, primarily from Catholicism as represented in Italian and Spanish Renaissance and Baroque art. The themes that are explored include: faith and doubt, divinity and human nature, miracles and materials. How can sculptural practice delve into the nature of faith and doubt through materials and processes, interpretative strategies, and a consideration of contexts? Can any sense of faith or belief in the unphysical be evoked in audiences through this practice-led research? The research employs inductive means and methodologies that are fundamentally practice-led and iterative. Rather than starting with a problem-based enquiry, a careful analysis of existing artworks, primarily by the painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and the sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, was undertaken. This study has led to the production of creative work that in turn has initiated further questions and more sculptural objects. The production of sculptural artefacts creates a snowballing effect that is a self-reflective, investigative cycle. This method draws upon the sculptural process itself and takes into account external and contextual considerations. My studio-based investigations have given rise to the sculptural work. These case studies reinforce an understanding that methods that are primarily based on the assessment of haptic means relating to touch, sight and other sensory perceptions can contribute to knowledge in meaningful and unique ways. The iterative process used in this research has thematic and metaphoric parallels to the ways in which Catholic stories are retold, interpreted, and examined – narratives that have themselves been continuously readapted to suit changing contexts and intended audiences. Such narratives have been disseminated throughout the history of Christianity, and continue to be circulated in modern-day Christianity. In our post-enlightenment world, the core theme of incredulity, as imagined through art, is explored. To this end, and to make wider connections with this enquiry, philosophical writings regarding ideas of truth and subjectivity, particularly the work of Søren Kierkegaard, are investigated. The historical sculpture and painting referenced and utilised as source material are themselves reinterpretations of pre-existing narratives and stories. This research strives to explore and expose the correlative relationship that exists between understandings of past and present day contexts and employs an examination of both historical and contemporary art works and practitioners. Rather than perceiving this research project primarily in the context of other contemporary art practices, the main focus is on how European artists from the early 17th century wrestled with imagining and imaging these stories and, in that context, how the same narratives might be reinterpreted today. A selection of contemporary artists has been used throughout the research in order to help situate this work within a contemporary cultural context. The primary output from the research is a selection of three sculptural groupings, referred to as case studies, presented in chronological order, taken from the larger body of sculptural artefacts created over the course of the entire research project. The three selected case studies encapsulate the key findings and principle discoveries. The case studies are supplemented by photographs of installed site-specific work, as well as the contextual and critical analysis contained in this thesis.

Uncertainty in structural dynamics is of growing concern to numerous industries. Significant attention has previously been devoted to the study of frequency response functions, however the uncertainty associated with excitation of structures by structureborne sound sources has received little attention. In this work, the uncertainty in the structure borne sound power transmitted from a vibration source into a receiving structure is considered. A method is presented whereby the uncertainties in the active and dynamic properties of a structure borne sound source and its receiver structure are propagated through to the injected power. Consideration is given to the case where the data describing the source and receiver is incomplete and is therefore termed ‘granular’. An approach for the estimation of the mean and uncertainty of granular variables is developed and it is shown that by estimating the mean and uncertainty of the missing elements the uncertainty propagation approach can be used for a ‘granular’ case. This approach is illustrated using an example in which the free velocity phase data is assumed to be unavailable. Idealised structure borne sound sources are created analytically in order to examine the validity of the presented methods. Good correlation is observed between the estimated uncertainties in the transmitted power and the uncertainties obtained through a Monte Carlo analysis. Insight into the frequency regions where large uncertainties can be expected in the transmitted structure borne sound power is obtained. It is argued that by providing estimates for the uncertainty of a prediction of the transmitted power, an insight into the reliability of the estimate is achieved, allowing engineering decisions to be made with greater confidence.

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