Teddy bears have become a universal symbol of our childhood, but we tend to forget them when we grow up. The toy industry is a growing empire where manufacturers constantly compete for consumers' attention. This results in growing waste from the toy industry and a need to find solutions to how to deal with it. This research explores repurposing possibilities of discarded stuffed animals based on their colour, form, texture, and print to create sculptural textile objects through deconstruction, patchwork, and sculpting techniques. This research was conducted by performing a series of design experiments exploring discarded stuffed animals through deconstruction and time-limited sketching. This allowed various sculptural objects to be constructed mainly by crazy pathworking and casting with different plaster materials or teddy bear filling. The outcome is a collection of 7 textile objects with a suggestive function, but the material it is constructed in challenges it. They extend from recognisable vase forms to forms that almost are unrecognisable. These objects place themselves in the field of not only textile design but also functional art. This research contributes to the field of textile design by suggesting a new usage for an atypical material, discarded stuffed animals. Furthermore, the collection Teddy Vessels [also known as our former best friends] proves that discarded stuffed animals still have a place in our lives even though we have forgotten them.

The reception of deconstruction in recent art historiography The aim of the presented master thesis is to outline the reception of deconstruction in the contemporary art historiography and the introduction of its effects on the discipline of art history. The work deals with the term deconstruction in the sense of (1) the original philisophical and critical writing of Jacques Derrida, and (2) the method, which was implemented to literary studies at the end of the 70s and later on to other humanities, including the art history. First, theoretical part of the thesis introduces Derrida's thoughts, epistemology and the strategy of deconstruction. Second part reflects the epistemological changes a implementation of the deconstructive criticism into the art history. After imbedding the "deconstructive" current into the broader development of art history and reading of some methodological handbooks, we turn to concrete works of some art historians and their individual uses of the deconstructive implulses, namely Donald Preziosi, Norman Bryson, Michael Ann Holly, Keith Moxey, and to a lesser extend also W. J. T. Mitchell, Craig Owens, Rosalind Krauss, Stephen Melville, Donald Crimp, David Carrier and Victor Burgin. As opposed to the original derridian deconstruction, in its aplied form (art history,...

Today’s world has undergone through a variety of changes shifting from metaphysical way of thinking into postmodernism which has left its footprint in the aspects of literature, art and theatre. But architecture doesn’t reflect those changes in the theatrical world because buildings are not adjusted to the postmodern performances. In this research I made a journey through postmodern philosophy, literature, art, architecture, and theatre and tried to analyze the main tools of postmodernism, such as deconstruction of narrative, displacement etc. Then I applied them into my project which makes an attempt to translate the postmodern mind into a physical space and create a theatrical area. It tries to answer the question whether architecture is able to accommodate postmodern conceptions and performances where the audiences are the creators and active participants of their own narratives. The case study of the performance Sleep No More has become the concept for my design proposal where I also used displacement to combine several objects in a new context. The analysis and the design method have shown that architecture can accommodate all the cultural developments and can transform from postmodern conceptions into a physical space with the help of the same tools that are used in postmodern literature, art and philosophy. A building can become the embodiment of a post modernistic idea.

Ce travail présente la manière dont William Faulkner réfléchit la fonction identitaire de la narration dans plusieurs de ses romans : The Sound and the Fury, As I lay Dying, Light in August, Absalom, Absalom! et Requiem for a Nun. L’appartenance des personnages du corpus au Sud des États-Unis exacerbe leur faille constitutive, qu’ils cherchent alors à compenser par la médiation du récit. Cette thèse étudie, à travers le prisme de la théorie de la mimèsis de Paul Ricœur, comment ces personnages configurent leur temps vécu et se projettent mimétiquement dans leur récit afin de procéder à une herméneutique de soi et atteindre ainsi l’appropriation de soi qu’ils recherchent. Cependant, les narrateurs sont tous saisis d’un élan déconstructeur qui met en lumière l’irrésolution du langage grâce auquel ils essayent de se créer une identité de substitution. Ils prennent alors conscience que le langage se dissémine et que la présence qu’ils tentent de faire advenir se dérobe dès qu’elle apparaît. / This dissertation studies the issue of identity in several of William Faulkner’s novels (The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Light in August, Absalom, Absalom! and Requiem for a Nun) and how characters attempt to retrieve a sense of self through narration. The characters’ belonging to the American South exacerbates their inner gap, which they then try to fill thanks to their story-telling. This study examines, through the prism of Ricoeur’s theory of mimesis, how these characters configure their world of action and project themselves mimetically into their narratives so as to achieve self-understanding through a hermeneutical process. However, the narrators under study are overwhelmed with a deconstructive impetus which sheds light on the indecisiveness of the language thanks to which they are trying to create a substitute identity. They thus become aware that language disseminates itself and that the presence they are attempting to create gives way as soon as it appears.

Purpose: This study aims to identify obstacles and challenges that prevent the reuse of building materials and bring forth possible solutions. But also to examine the technical-, economic- and environmental advantages and disadvantages of using reused building materials. Method: The study is based on literatures that have been sustained from scientific articles, interviews and analyses of reference objects. The main study mainly consists of information gathered from scientific articles that have been analysed in a literature study. Information was also gathered from nine interviews that have been done with various professionals that works in the construction industry. Results: Several obstacles that arise when reusing building materials were identified. One of the major barriers is logistics and storage of recycled materials. Furthermore, legal and official requirements, the demolition process, guarantees, quality of the material and insufficient knowledge of those who work or want to work with recycling and material reuse. Based on the reference objects, the survey shows large environmental savings in both reduced carbon footprint and reduction of large amounts of demolition waste. Based on the literature analysis, proposals for solutions have been develop to all the obstacles and risks that have arisen. Conclusions: Finally, there are several obstacles that make it difficult to reuse in the amount that actors desire. Over time, recycling will increasingly become more common, and solutions will come along with it. But more research and more pilot projects will develop knowledge in recycling and facilitate development in general. New legislation promoting or forcing recycling projects will also be needed.

This dissertation critically examines the ontological and epistemological significance of the concept of violence in French philosopher Jacques Derrida’s essay “Violence and Metaphysics” (Chapter 1), dialogues between Mennonite philosophical theologians who represent the Radical Reformation and John Milbank’s Radical Orthodoxy (Chapter 2), and the Death and the Displacement of Beauty trilogy by feminist philosopher of religion Grace Jantzen (Chapter 3). Although Derrida, Jantzen, and certain Mennonite philosophical theologians approach the problem of violence with very different concerns and frames of reference, each understand violence to have a distinctly ontological and epistemological character, while also suggesting that ontology and epistemology themselves are profoundly vulnerable to charges of violence. In Derrida’s essay “Violence and Metaphysics” language itself is imbricated in violence, and in their responses to John Milbank, Mennonite philosophical theologians Peter C. Blum and Chris K. Huebner situate their work both with and against Derrida’s supposed “ontology of violence” as they apply Christian pacifism to epistemology and seek to articulate an “ontology of peace.” In her late work in the Death and the Displacement of Beauty project, Grace Jantzen develops an epistemology that is similar to that of Blum and Huebner, while critiquing what she understands to be Derrida’s equivocation of linguistic with physical violence, all as part of her argument that the cultural habitus of the west is founded on an obsession with death that violently displaces natality with mortality. In bringing together these three sources, this dissertation uses “violence” as a diagnostic concept to assess the priorities and values of its users. Considering violence to be defined by the violation of value-laden boundaries, this study of three ontologies of violence interprets and critiques the values that Derrida’s deconstruction, philosophical Mennonite pacifism, and Jantzen’s critique of displacement seek to further and protect against violation. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This dissertation examines the early work of French philosopher Jacques Derrida (Chapter 1), debates between Mennonite philosophical theologians and John Milbank’s Radical Orthodoxy (Chapter 2), and the Death and the Displacement of Beauty trilogy by feminist philosopher of religion Grace M. Jantzen (Chapter 3). For Derrida, Jantzen, and certain Mennonite philosophical theologians the term “violence” is used to name ways of thinking, knowing, and speaking, rather than being restricted to the sphere of physical violations. This dissertation shows how these three sources each consider violence to be something that can inhere in ways of thinking about the world and our relation to it.

In this thesis I attempt to trace the origins of spectrality in Jacques Derrida’s philosophy. While it is true that the spectral is introduced properly in The Specters of Marx, published in 1993, Derrida indicates, in The Specters of Marx and elsewhere, an affinity between spectrality and deconstruction and explains that this affinity pertains to a form of disjointed temporality which is characteristic of haunting as well as the deconstructivistic understanding of a constitutive deferral and delay. The challenge is then, firstly, to show how concepts that are central to deconstruction such as difference, trace and the other, all of which arise in and through the deconstruction of Husserls concept of temporality, anticipate the appearance of the spectral in later texts by Derrida. The affinity between the spectral and deconstruction is rarely recognized, much less elaborated upon. Even less recognition is given to the fact that his understanding of concepts such as responsibility, legacy, inheritance and the ethics of mourning is heavily influenced by his interpretations of the work of Nicolas Abraham and Maria Torok, published around the same time as La voix et le phènomene, L’écriture et la difference and De la grammatologie, published in 1967, in which deconstruction is first introduced. The introduction of the spectral, in The Specters of Marx, is sometimes considered a turning point towards a more ethically oriented philosophy than in his earlier work. If deconstruction is haunted by the spectral from its moment of conception, then the notion of such a turn is jeopardized since the ethicality of mourning, responsibility, legacy and inheritance adhere to the spectral. In this thesis I argue that deconstruction has always been haunted by the concept of spectrality. The question then is not if deconstruction has an ethical aspect but how we should understand the implication that deconstruction has always been an ethical endeavor.

This thesis investigates the possible utilization of reclaimed bricks within the framework of circular economy (CE) and sustainable construction approaches, with a particular emphasis on Pakistan's construction industry. The research is based on the theoretical foundations of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) and Resource Efficiency concepts. Qualitative methods were used to collect data, and a thematic framework was employed to analyse the results. The findings indicate that Pakistan's reclaimed brick sector aligns with the principles of the TBL theory, supporting sustainability in its social, economic, and environmental aspects. Through waste reduction, material reuse, and resource conservation, the industry demonstrates its commitment to environmental preservation. Furthermore, it plays a significant role in the economy by providing affordable infrastructure solutions and contributing to the growth of the construction industry. Additionally, the industry promotes social well-being by providing employment opportunities and financial stability. The study illustrates how Pakistan's reclaimed brick operations effectively integrate social, economic, and environmental factors to create a more environmentally friendly built environment. In summary, reclaimed bricks present a sustainable and resource-efficient alternative for the construction industry, in line with the principles of resource efficiency, preserving resources, minimizing waste, and promoting circular economy practices. The adoption of reclaimed bricks can help Pakistan and other countries achieve their sustainability objectives, reduce environmental impact, and construct structures that are longer-lasting and resource-efficient.

In this essay, I examine the role of material culture in Marilynne Robinson's novel Housekeeping (1980) to understand how the prominent presence of material culture introduces complex questions about the relationships among objects, reality, and the self. By recognizing objects' fluidity of meaning, Housekeeping offers its characters a way to see their individuality and conceptions of reality in a similar state of flux. Significantly, it is in the act of recognizing that the socially accepted uses of objects are not necessarily "natural" parts of existence, and, like elements of the natural world, the meanings and uses of these items are susceptible to change and decay that an individual is able to recognize that the self is similarly fluid and moldable, which creates room for both imagination and for the possibility of change.

Originated by Jacques Derrida, deconstruction analyzes the relationship between text and meaning. This thesis applies Derrida's theory of deconstruction to three early American Puritan figures: John Winthrop, Mary Rowlandson, and Anne Bradstreet. By questioning the conceptual distinctions known as oppositions in Puritan ideology through the works of these aforementioned individuals, this thesis questions and corrupts the binaries within each text used. The emergence of new meaning through a deconstruction of Puritan ideology establishes a valid site from which to explore radical, repressed, historical, cultural, and theological narratives of religious prosperity. By enforcing narratives from Derrida's Of Grammatology, post-structuralist ideology will presume no absolute truths within a text; therefore, ambiguity is pertinent in a deconstructive critical examination. The argument in this thesis is then—through a deconstructive critical examination of Puritan ideology, are similarities present though different mediums of linguistic discourse, and can this thesis formally decenter the transcendental signifiers present. The critical approach to deconstructing each medium of discourse analytically breaks down the systematic organization of language as a whole and overturns structuralist oppositions—as to displace the authority, and formally find new importance in a text.