Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Lauren S. Weingarden, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Program in Humanities. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 25, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 169 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Art History, March 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

'Allegories of the Veil' analyses the relationship between architecture and clothing as architecture. It expands the meaning of dwelling and of dwelling places (as they have been defined and conceptualised by scholars such as Martin Heidegger and Edward Casey) from architecture to women's dress. People's awareness of space and their interaction with it are crucially mediated by where and how they dwell. Moreover, dwelling greatly influences behaviour. This study interrogates the way in which building belongs to dwelling. It conceptualises specific women's clothing (the traditional dress and the veil [chador in Farsi]) as a dwelling place that influences (limits) women's spatial awareness and movement in space. It argues that once women's clothing has shaped the behaviour and awareness of women (mirroring the organisation of social relations) it becomes like a habitus. In that sense, clothes are not only physical but also generative spaces which can be translated into social space (and vice versa). Last but not least, this study explores how the changing architectural cityscape of Iran has altered the meaning of private and public space in the country. It argues that contemporary domestic architecture in Iran has disturbed the continuity of design and architectural forms, which previously had been an inherent feature of all architectural spaces in the country, including women's clothing. These new forms disrupted the complementary relationship between the chador as an enclosed space and as an extension of the domestic sphere, as well as facilitating the fast encroachment of modernity on traditional architectural places, including the 'chādor'.

This Capstone Project encompasses two videos, each representing different ways to visually structure the experience of “the city”. The first video, "My Way or the Highway", is a 5 minute piece examining Los Angeles Transportation systems. Through observational footage and a poetic editing style, I compare and contrast the experience of traveling via public and private transportation. Through this video I aim to encourage the viewer to consider their own transportation options whether it is in Los Angeles or anywhere else around the world. The second is a 12 minute video, titled "A Correspondence" structured as a correspondence between Seattle and Los Angeles as if they were personified discussing what it means to be a developing/growing city and the responsibilities it entails. Visually I present a combination of footage from L.A. and Seattle to create an "impossible city" making the viewer second guess from where the footage originates, emphasizing the difference between learning about a city from others and learning about a city through experience. In "A Correspondence" I aim to provide an experience that forces the viewer to realize their own interactions with cities and how their view is shaped by their specific experiences, making everybody's view of a city subjective.

Si el siglo XX creó una extendida conciencia sobre las variantes de la intertextualidad en la ficción literaria, hoy enfrentamos transformaciones en la naturaleza de la ficción y sus relaciones con otras formas discursivas y/o creativas como el arte, y con la misma realidad, que es posible designar con el concepto de ficción extrema. Desde “Don Quijote” o “Las meninas” hay incursiones en la metaficción y/o autorrefecividad. Pero a partir de las vanguardias modernistas y de modo creciente en los estertores de la postmodernidad nos abocamos a un singular tipo de hipertextualidad que desbordando lo literario se apropia de prácticas artísticas (o lo contrario) como recurso para la transposición de sus ficciones, no sólo de uno a otro campo, sino para su inserción en la realidad: la ficción extrema. Max Aub (España 1903-México 1973), Leonora Carrington (Inglaterra 1917-México 2011) y Enrique Vila-Matas (España 1958), radicalizaron este tránsito o filtración de los imaginarios artísticos y literarios subvirtiendo las delimitaciones entre —pintor catalán Jusep Torres Campalans, junto con sus obras pictóricas, creadas como sombra o doble de Picasso. Así insertó su existencia en ciertos dominios del cubismo como un modo de meta-crítica artística. Carrington asumió un doble animal que transitó entre cuentos y cuadros y se inscribió en la memoria del surrealismo. Vila-Matas narró su “Historia abreviada de la literatura portátil” como un doble del espectro Marcel Duchamp —a su vez asaltado por otros— que reescribe la memoria del dadaísmo de tal modo que ha llegado a ser confundida con un ensayo. La revisión de las estrategias de la ficción extrema en estos autores junto con las de otros contemplados en el epilogo —Mario Bellatín, y los artistas Liliana Porter, Luis Camnitzer, José Guillermo Castillo, Ana Tisconia, Rubén Torres Llorca y Carlos Amorales— arroja nueva luz sobre sus obras, enriquece los estudios transatlánticos y revela la movilidad y multiplicación de la identidad y los deslizamientos de la ficción en la realidad como signos de tránsito a la altermodernidad.

Fukuda Chiyo-ni and Kiyohara Yukinobu were 17th-18th century (Edo period) Japanese women artists well known during their lifetime but are relatively unknown today. This thesis establishes their contributions and recognition during their lifespans. Further, it examines the precedence for professional women artists’ recognition within Japanese art history. Then, it proceeds to explain the complexities of Meiji-era changes to art history and aesthetics heavily influenced by European and American (Western) traditions. Using aesthetic and art historical analysis of artworks, this thesis establishes a pattern of art canon formation that favored specific styles of art/artists while excluding others in ways sometimes inauthentic to Japanese values. Japan has certainly had periods of female suppression and this research illustrates how European models and traditions of art further shaped the perception of Japanese women artists and the dearth of female representation in galleries and art historical accounts.

What do we see when we look at writing? In addition to the verbal messages conveyed by the written words, visual dimensions of script are powerful tools that hold semantic value. This dissertation focuses on one such visual element—the arrangement of written words into geometric shapes or patterns in the context of medieval Islamicate societies (1100–1250 AD)—to uncover its meanings. The dissertation offers a primary case study of the Kitāb al-diryāq (Book of Antidotes, 595 AH/1199 AD, BnF arabe 2964), an illuminated and illustrated manuscript with a variety of geometric patterns created using Arabic script. By examining a broad range of materials (scientific manuscripts, magical objects, and architectural decoration) across Late Antiquity and the medieval period, this heuristic study argues that the arrangement of script in geometric patterns was a vital medium of visualizing knowledge and transmitting knowledge—the form not only carrying cultural meanings but also shaping the reception of verbal messages. Magic is one form of knowledge that is particularly fruitful for examining the function of the geometric script patterns in general, and of the Kitāb al-diryāq in particular. This study traces the contexts in which the geometric script patterns appear, the cultural practices associated with them, and the medieval worldviews in which the patterns circulated. In considering these factors, the study argues that the combination of shape and script is embedded with knowledge that reflects the medieval scientific, magical, and popular imagination. / Graduate / 2023-06-23

From 1945 onward, post-war artists in Japan encountered two interrelated challenges: to both adjust to the war’s aftermath, and also to create a new visual language which expressed new ideas and emotions. For women artists in Japan, this time of distinct culture change allowed for a re-defining of their role in the art community as well as society. However, there were strict boundaries surrounding the institutional and academic realm of art, one that was not inviting to women, or one that allowed opportunity or growth. Nevertheless, many women artists sought to explore gender roles, the idea of womanhood, sexuality, and expression of the self. These topics were not met willingly by male counterparts or art critics, which forced women artists to constantly engage with a society that did not openly support their work. It was a tumultuous environment; however, women artists of this era truly showcased some of the most influential, explorative, experimental, and exciting avant-garde pieces that deeply affected the history of art. In the artistic community, new conversations and ideas were challenging the rigidity of a traditional Japanese society. Women artists saw this as an opportunity to insert these challenges into their art. There was an ongoing exploration of ideas that critiqued the rigid structure that the establishment enforced upon artists. In the early ‘50s, many women produced artworks that explored ideas such as self-expression, gender norms and responsibilities of womanhood.

Tableau d'honneur de la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales, 2006-2007 / II serait juste d'affirmer que ma problématique artistique, depuis les dernières années, tourne autour de l'assimilation du langage formel et graphique de l'architecture dans une peinture abstraite. Plus précisément dans une catégorie d'abstraction qui demeure près du monde visible, ancrée dans la mémoire du dessein et du dessin de l'objet construit. Ainsi, mes tableaux des séries Charlevoix et Gaspésie, exécutés dans le cadre de la maîtrise, s'inscrivent dans une tentative de reconstruction picturale inspirée d'éléments de l'architecture vernaculaire. Ces oeuvres qui, de par leur échelle et leur matérialité, sont vaguement assimilables à des fragments architecturaux de notre patrimoine rural, questionnent aussi une certaine tradition de la peinture de paysage.

This thesis book represents an exploration of the relationship between architecture and robotics, tailored to meet the requirements of both architecture students and professionals and any other creative user. The investigation encompasses three distinct robotic arm applications for architecture students, introduces and evaluates an innovative 3D printing application with robotic arms, and presents projects focused on the design of human-robot interaction techniques and their system development. Furthermore, the thesis showcases the development of a more intuitive human-robot interaction system and explores various user interaction methods with robotic arms for rapid prototyping and fabrication. Each experiment describes the process, level of interaction, and key takeaways. The narrative of the thesis unfolds as a journey through different applications of robotic fabrication, emphasizing the creative human as the focal point of these systems. This thesis underscores the significance of user experience research and anticipates future innovations in the evolving landscape of the creative field. The discoveries made in this exploration lay a foundation for the study and design of interfaces and interaction techniques, fostering seamless collaboration between designers and robotic systems. Keywords: Robotic Fabrication - Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) - Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) - User Experience Research - Human-Centered Design - Architecture - Art - Creative Application / Master of Architecture