This thesis project was an experiment in thinking/making. Borrowing from the Renaissance Hermetic Tradition of power magic in the work of Dr. John Dee, it began in contemplative research mode in order to find sources for action. The project had its final goal, a theatrical performance (masque) to be delivered as an act of inter-subjective exchange extending beyond solipsism by means of thinking through actions and things. The interdisciplinary nature of the event spoke of architecture's ability to bring together various modes of abstract expression (literature, theatre, theory, music, etc.) without attempts at explicit meaning but by searching for implicitness in the juxtaposition of messages and mediums. In its historical survey from ancient Greek sacrificial rituals to present butchering practices, the thesis project presents as a crosscurrent a critique of power and its contemporary implications. / This document is a record of the events and actions which led up to the construction and performance of "Theseus Re-membered" on the 11th of June, 1992.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 1998. Graduate Programme in Sociology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 224-230). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL:http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ27323.

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This thesis project consists of twenty oil paintings and watercolors. It is a series of visual problems based on work from direct observation as opposed to work from imagination. The concern is to show how the works from observed nature affect the imaginary pieces and how the imaginary works lend unexpected elements to the observed works. With a particular interest in color, visual energy, and painterly form, the project shows how these two avenues of exploration start out separately and eventually blend.

The Dee estuary, one of the most important British estuaries in terms of size and conservation value, has been subject to extensive colonisation and development of intertidal mudflats by salt marsh vegetation. In the last century, acceleration of this process has been attributed to the ability of Spartina anglica C.E. Hubbard to colonise bare sediment. The research in this thesis aims to investigate the ecological patterns and processes involved in the development of salt marsh vegetation. These have been examined using a large-scale approach involving remote sensing techniques and a small-scale approach to examine ecological processes at the level of the individual plant and species. Large-scale temporal patterns in the distribution were investigated by analysing a sequence of monochrome aerial photographs dating from 1955 to 1997. At the marsh apex, initial rapid colonisation was followed by a decreased rate of expansion and a reduction in the pioneer zone. This suggested a steepening of the marsh elevation gradient, which is interpreted as the marsh approaching its natural limit of expansion. The rate of salt marsh expansion was consistent across the time sequence for the second target area, a cross-section of the marsh gradient, but with S. a«g/zca-dominated colonisation of mudflats changing to colonisation by a pioneer community co-dominated by S. anglica and Salicornia europaea. Large-scale spatial distribution patterns were further investigated using multispectral remote sensing data from 1997. Radiometric data were used to define the spectral characteristics of the major types of salt marsh vegetation. Airborne Thematic Mapper data were used to classify the reflectance data from the whole marsh to determine the spatial distribution of plant communities based on their spectral characteristics. Mapping of these communities provided a baseline that will be a useful tool for future management of the salt marsh. An experimental approach was used to examine the role of abiotic and biotic factors on the growth and interactions between S. anglica and Puccinellia maritima (Huds.) Parl. In two series of competition experiments, P. maritima exerted a one¬way effect over S. anglica. The intensity of this interaction was increased in environmental conditions favourable to P. maritima, and was greater in terms of above-ground than below-ground biomass. In both experiments, S. anglica exhibited a disproportionate reduction in below-ground competitive interaction in abiotic conditions less favourable to P. maritima. A corresponding increase in rhizomes suggested that this is a potential mechanism by which S. anglica may evade competitive neighbours at low marsh elevations. An appreciation of the importance of scale has led to a multi-scaled and holistic view of the ecological process of salt marsh colonisation and development. Integration of both large and small-scale approaches has provided valuable information on the ecological patterns and processes, and has important implications for current and future management of salt marsh in the Dee estuary.

Book Summary:The African American Experience: The American Mosaic encompasses the myriad contributions of individuals from the African American community who achieved prominence in the arts, entertainment, the sciences, business, the military, and politics as well as nameless others who endured the travails of slavery and institutionalized discrimination. Through primary sources and the lens of prominent scholars, this database gives voice to the African American experience from its African origins to the present day. Coverage ranges from detailed accounts of defining moments and movements to critical perspectives on timely and enduring topics such as stop-and-frisk, educational desegregation, and voting rights. Through daily content updates, this database keeps pace with the ongoing evolution of the African American story via the most current literature in the field.

Book Summary:Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas applies an academic lens to the seemingly everyday aspects of American life and interest to facilitate meaningful sociological and historical insights. The database is organized chronologically from 1900 through the new millennium, with each topic center devoted to a unique decade in American history. The primary sources in each topic center—including photographs, video, and audio—give life to the names, moments, works, and trends that have defined American pop culture, from the Gibson Girls of the Gilded Age to the social media of the 21st century, while expertly authored secondary sources—including original journal articles—explore the role of popular culture in American history. Through the guidance and involvement of an advisory team of leading historians, Pop Culture Universe is continually updated to reflect its ever-evolving subject matter.

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The work of John Dee (1527-1608) posits an approach to architecture based upon the concept of wonder. Sympathetic correspondences permeate Dee's disparate practical activities and architectural discourse. His contributions to astronomy, alchemy, cartography and navigation are grounded in the intersubjective cosmology of the Renaissance. It is in Dee's Mathematicall Praeface (1570), which promotes mathematics as a natural philosophy, that the architect's metier is aligned with the marvellous and established as an art encompassing numerous disciplines. Dee's syncretic formulation of architecture is distinctly attuned to the alchemical and magical discourses pervading the Renaissance and established in relation to his hieroglyphic "Monas" symbol. This emblematic device, discussed in the Monas Hieroglyphica (1564), exemplifies the link between architecture and writing. The Monas symbol permits the architect-as-alchemist to contemplate marvels and effect them in practice. In addition to positioning wonder in human activity, as a navigational beacon guiding the work of the architect, Dee signals the possibility of restoring conjuring-the dangerous and denigrated art of sixteenth century England--into architectural practice.