<p> A critical analysis of several approaches to prose, and an attempt to construct a theory of prose as art, on which a language of prose criticism might be based. </p> / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Impermanence concerns every aspect of our lives, yet it goes unseen often for that same reason. In my dissertation, I wish to explain what impermanence is and delve into the role of impermanence in art. I will first dive into an explanation of what impermanence is, starting from the teaching of the Buddha, then introducing impermanence as a primary quality, highlighting its distinction from the manifestation or secondary qualities, e.g. change, movement, ageing. I will then investigate three examples of how impermanence can be utilised in art. The first case is the representation of impermanence in Jackson Pollock’s abstract paintings, for which I argue that what makes it possible is the inherently unstable appearance of the pieces combined with the artist’s intention and other variables. The second case is that of Anicka Yi’s exploitation of impermanence as a medium for her installations, borrowing Sherri Irvin’s comprehensive definition of medium. I will explain how Yi uses impermanence inside her art, and how she employs the quality in the piece in an effort to achieve her purpose, that of communication. The third and last case concerns the acceptance of the impermanent nature of the medium in street art, which will be pivotal in the achievement of the goal of subversiveness.

Tema amplamente discutido e difundido pelo sociólogo Florestan Fernandes, entre outros autores, o problema da integração do negro à sociedade brasileira e, em menor escala, à sociedade paulistana, já aparecia para o meio negro letrado desde os primeiros anos do pós-abolição. Preocupados com a ausência de um projeto desenhado para atendê-los, esse meio negro constituiu associações, grêmios e uma imprensa que não apenas olhou para o problema, mas buscou soluções para que essa integração se realizasse efetivamente. Nesta tese volto ao tema da integração social do negro no Brasil, olhando-a como uma expressão potente para proceder a uma análise antropológica dos materiais acumulados no arquivo pessoal de Nery Rezende (1930-2012), mulher negra das camadas populares, de quem traço um percurso biográfico, que deixou um acervo documental de 18 mil itens, entre impressos, manuscritos, imagens fotográficas e objetos tridimensionais acerca de si mesma, de sua família, de seus amigos, de suas relações de trabalho e lazer. A tese sugere que, para além de documentar uma experiência social pregressa, seu arquivo projeta um desejo de integrar sua história na memória da própria cidade que a acolheu, desde que Nery nela desembarcou em 1942. / A theme widely discussed and disseminated by the sociologist Florestan Fernandes, among other authors, the problem of the integration of blacks into Brazilian society and, to a lesser extent, to the society in Sao Paulo, had already appeared for the half black scholar from the early years of the post-abolition. Concerned about the absence of a project designed to serve them, this half black constituted associations, unions and a press that not only looked at the problem but sought solutions so that this integration could happen effectively. In this thesis I return to the theme of social integration of the black in Brazil, approaching it as a potent expression for the anthropological analysis of the documentation accumulated in the personal archive of Nery Rezende (1930-2012), a black woman coming from the popular strata, one I draw a biographic who left a documentary collection of 18000 items, including printed writings, manuscripts, photographic images and three-dimensional objects about herself, her family, friends etc. The thesis suggests that, in addition to documenting a former social experience, her collection projects a desire to integrate her story to the memory of the the city which welcomed her since 1942 when Nery landed there.

Videogame tinkerers, players, and activists of the 21st century are continuing, yet redefining, the avant-garde art and literary movements of the 20th century. Videogames are diverging as a social, cultural, and digital medium. They are used as political instruments, artistic experiments, social catalysts, and personal means of expression. A diverse field of games and technocultural play, such as alternate reality games, griefer attacks, arcade sculptures, and so on, can be compared and contrasted to the avant-garde, such as contemporary tactical media, net art, video art, Fluxus, the Situationists, the work of Pollock or Brecht, Dada, or the Russian Formalists. For example, historical avant-garde painters played with perspectival space (and its traditions), rather than only within those grid-like spaces. This is similar in some ways to how game artists play with flow (and player expectations of it), rather than advancing flow as the popular and academic ideal. Videogames are not only an advanced product of technoculture, but are the space in which technoculture conventionalizes play. This makes them a fascinating site to unwork and rethink the protocols and rituals that rule technoculture. It is the audacity of imagining certain videogames as avant-garde (from the perspective of mainstream consumers and art academics alike) that makes them a good candidate for this critical experiment.

<p>Opponent: Anthony Allen Öhnström</p>