Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University, 2007. / Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 78 p. : ill. (some col.) Includes bibliographical references.

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Thesis (M.A.), History, Museum Studies--University of Central Oklahoma, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-87).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Delaware, 2009. / Principal faculty advisor: Brock W. Jobe, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture. Includes bibliographical references.

Islamic architecture is arguably one of the greatest manifestations of Islamic visual culture. One of the defining aspects of the unique, aesthetic richness of traditional Islamic architecture has been the application of ceramic ornamentation or embellishment. There is a growing concern, however, that this legacy is being eroded. The diminishing identity of Islamic visual culture is particularly evident through current architectural developments occurring in the Arab states. The building revolution in the Gulf countries has dramatically increased momentum since the onset of the ‗oil economy‘, echoing the phenomena of globalization. This research project explores these concerns, discussing the erosion of Islamic ‗identity‘ within contemporary architecture in the Gulf States and in particularly Kuwait, as well as the ensuing decline in the use of ceramics as a defining embellishment material. The research compares the aesthetics of traditional and contemporary Islamic architectural design, whilst also examining the reasons behind this erosion in traditional design style. The diminishing identity of Islamic visual culture is investigated by combining studies in the fields of art, aesthetics, design, architecture, and the social sciences, in order to understand the nature of the research problem. A series of case-studies demonstrates how ceramics may be used to re-introduce a sense of Islamic identity within contemporary architecture. This offers design proposals, new materials and technical processes that acknowledge the rich traditions of Islamic Ceramics while also being appropriate for application within the context of contemporary Islamic architecture detailing; blending contemporary aesthetics and technical thinking with traditional Islamic design. The aim of the case-studies is to offer proposals for a new aesthetic vocabulary of architectural embellishment that is both appropriate to and innovative within, the context of contemporary Islamic architecture. This new aesthetic vocabulary III specifically blends contemporary design principals, new materials and technical processes, whilst acknowledging the rich traditions of Islamic ceramics. The PhD project, applies two types of research methodology: theoretical research and practice-based research. The former focused on social sciences and applied quantitative and qualitative research approaches, including surveys and interviews undertaken within Kuwait. The findings obtained from these surveys verified the emergence of a new cultural style of contemporary architecture and shaped the practice-based element of the project; proposals for ceramic embellishment that are contemporary, while still reflecting many recognizable aspects of traditional Islamic design. The new architectural style can be attributed to factors such as globalization, the adoption of international building styles, and a seeming unwillingness to incorporate traditional styles into new building design, all of which contribute to the currently weak identity of Arabic / Islamic ceramics within Kuwait. Despite of this, the survey revealed that Kuwaiti society maintains a strong relationship and affiliation with Islamic culture, although many seemed unaware of their own rich culture and its past legacy. The practice-based research involved two distinct phases. The first phase involved the development of a large number (172) of new glazes. The glazes were intended to reflect the palette of colours used over generations of Islamic Ceramic culture, while still being appropriate for integration within the contemporary Islamic architectural environment. The second phase of practice involved a series of case studies, embracing a wide range of contemporary architectural ceramic design processes (including 2 and 3 Dimensional geometrical patterns and interpretations of contemporary calligraphic design). The case studies utilised a number of modern technologies, such as 3D Solid modelling, CNC Rapid Prototyping and Laser-cutting, to prove that modern design and manufacturing technologies can be integrated within traditional ceramic processes. The aim being to both provide ceramic products that architects and designers can use to enhance the modern IV architectural environment of Kuwait and re-establish the creative status of ceramics.

The purpose of the research described in this thesis was to develop a design methodology for Wearable Computing concepts that could potentially embody authenticity. The Wearables community, still firmly rooted in the disciplines of engineering and ergonomics, had made clear its aspirations to the mainstream market (DeVaul et al 2001). However, at this point, there was a distinct lack of qualitative studies on user perceptions of Wearable products. A review of the market research literature revealed significant consumer demand for authenticity in goods and services, and it was this need that drove the program of research. The researcher's experience as a contemporary jeweller led her to question the positivist design processes of Wearable Computers. The ‘borg'-like aesthetics that had come to characterise these products reflected their origins in the laboratory, and implicit configurations of the user appeared to be acting as a barrier to wider adoption. The research therefore looked to Craft as a creative process with a fundamentally different working philosophy to begin building a new methodology for Wearables. Literature reviews of authenticity and Craft were conducted to provide the theoretical framework necessary for a practice-led enquiry into the design process. Further empirical work was undertaken in the form of the comfortBlanket, a concept design project, and a small survey of makers to provide a set of protocols for craft informed design processes. Following this, a suite of wirelessly networked jewellery was designed for a friendship group of five retirement aged women, and built in collaboration with the Speckled Computing Consortium, Scotland. The user centred methodology is informed by Actor Network Theory to account for the agency of the researcher and the event of task based analyses, and includes lifeworld analysis techniques drawn from a range of disciplines such as psychology and experimental Interaction Design. Three data sets collected over the course of two years were analysed using Grounded Theory, and a novel visualisation tool was developed to illustrate potential commitment to the novel concept designs. The methodology revealed a story of what the women made of the jewellery, how they enacted these understandings, and where this process took place. It was found that evaluating concept designs for the everyday and for authenticity require different approaches and that the design process does not end with the user, but with a reflexive analysis by the designer or researcher. In many respects the proposed methodology inverts standard design practices, presenting as many questions as it seeks to resolve. The methodology is presented as a contribution to emerging communities of practice around Wearable Computing, and to those developers seeking to position their products in the everyday. It is a challenging process that embodies authenticity in its post-structural treatment of functionality, the user and evaluation. Finally, the implemented wireless jewellery network represented the first application of Speckled Computing, and it is anticipated that the theoretical frameworks arrived at will also be of interest to Interaction Design and Contemporary Craft.

Autour de 1900 à Paris, une génération de jeunes artistes, influencés par certains courants artistiques comme le néo-Gothique ou le Symbolisme, ont une même conception de l’art. Henri Bellery-Desfontaines (1867-1909) fait partie de cette génération d'artistes qui débutent leur carrière en tant que peintre, généralement comme peintre décorateur, mais qui s'intéressent rapidement aux arts décoratifs, attirés par la notion d’un art total. Il débute tout d’abord dans l'atelier personnel de Pierre-Victor Galland qui lui apprend la décoration, puis en 1890 dans celui de Jean-Paul Laurens à l'Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts à Paris. Après une commande de l'hôpital de la Charité où se lie d'amitié avec des médecins qui le suivront toute sa vie, Bellery-Desfontaines illustre des revues artistiques et des ouvrages littéraires. Mais l’artiste se montre davantage intéressé par les arts décoratifs que par la peinture. Il commence à réaliser des tapis, puis quelques meubles. Peu à peu, grâce à de riches commanditaires, Bellery-Desfontaines réalise des ensembles de décoration intérieure de plus en plus ambitieux, préoccupé par la notion d'un art total, mais sans jamais délaisser ni la peinture, ni l'illustration. A la fin de sa vie, il s'investit davantage dans le renouveau des arts décoratifs caractéristique de cette époque. Il laisse derrière lui une vaste production artistique, importante et hétéroclite, mais fort mal connue. Bellery-Desfontaines est un artiste complet, idéaliste, qui a l’ambition d’appliquer l’art au quotidien. Il meurt subitement à l’âge de 42 ans, trop jeune pour pouvoir asseoir une notoriété et une véritable carrière, laissant de nombreux projets inachevés. / In Paris around 1900, a generation of young artists, influenced by a variety of currents, such as Gothic Revival or Symbolism, shared a similar artistic outlook. Henri Bellery-Desfontaines (1867-1909) was part of that generation of artists who began their careers as painters, often aiming for careers in mural painting, and quickly showed an interest in the decorative arts, seduced by the idea of a total art. He started in Pierre-Victor Galland’s workshop, where he learned decoration; then in 1890, he entered Jean-Pierre Laurens’ one at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris. At the same time, he started decorating the staff room at the Hôpital de la Charité where he befriended a group of young doctors who would subsequently follow his entire career. Then, he illustrated artistic magazines and somes books. But his artistic preferences gradually shifted from painting to the decorative arts. He started designing carpets and a few pieces of furniture. Then, with the support of a few wealthy patrons, Bellery-Desfontaines began designing increasingly ambitious complete interiors, focus on the notion of total art. Towards the end of his life he took a more active part in the debate over the decorative arts, which was a hallmark of the period. His vast artistic legacy is both influential and eclectic, yet remains little known. Bellery-Desfontaines was a complete artist, as were many of the artists at the time. An idealist, whose ambition was to make art for every day life, he died abruptly at the age of forty two, far too young to complete his career and achieve fame, for many of his project remained unfinished.

La thèse traite du décor de stuc à Damas à l'époque des Zanguides et des Ayyoubides; nous avons sélectionné neuf monuments de la vieille ville de Damas et de ses faubourgs, aux décors en stuc abondants les plus marquants à cette époque. Ce sont: al-Bïmaristan al-Nürï, al-Madrasa al-Nüriyya, al-Madrasa al­Badriyya, al-Turba al-Hatünïyya, al-Madrasa al-Sâmiyya al-Barrâniyya, la Mosquée d'al-Hanâbila, la Mosquée d'al-Tawba, al-Bïmaristân al- Qaymarï et al-Turba al-Takrïtiyya. La thèse est organisée en deux volumes : un premier volume d'étude et un second rassemblant un catalogue et les illustrations. Le premier volume s'organise en trois parties. La première partie est consacrée au contexte géographique et historique de la ville de Damas, à travers son expansion intra et extra-muros au cours du temps, suivie par une présentation du stuc en tant que matériau: caractéristiques, techniques utilisées et évolution chronologique à partir du début de l'époque islamique. La deuxième partie présente une étude détaillée des monuments par ordre chronologique; chaque monument est décrit sous trois aspects: historique, architectural et surtout ornemental. Une datation approximative du décor est proposée, suite à l'analyse et à l'étude comparative du décor. Chaque panneau décoratif est détaillé en suivant cinq axes de recherches. Nous abordons en premier lieu le cadre du décor, son schéma directeur et sa composition décorative; puis, nous identifions les motifs et nous dénombrons en vue de statistiques les motifs utilisés dans chaque panneau décoratif; nous commentons ensuite le traitement intérieur des motifs. La troisième partie de notre étude aborde la synthèse, sous forme d'étude analytique comparative de chaque étape de l'étude du décor, en établissant une iconographie des différents motifs floraux à partir du répertoire ornemental des neuf monuments étudiés; ces motifs sont classés en fonction de leur forme la plus simple et de leur type. L'étude comparative a été réalisée à partir de ces monuments ou d'autres monuments de la même époque, sur différents matériaux. Nous avons abordé l'étude typologique des motifs à partir de leur origine. L'analyse comparative des procédés de décoration nous a permis de dégager certains points : les motifs floraux utilisés en soulignant les plus fréquents et les plus rares, ainsi que les écoles artistiques dominantes dans le décor de stuc de Damas à l'époque zanguide et ayyoubide. / This research deals with the stucco decoration in Damascus during the Zangid and Ayyubid period. Nine monuments have been selected in the old city of Damascus and its outskirts, because of their particular importance. These are al-Bîmaristan al-Nürî, al-Madrasa al-Nüriyya, al-Madrasa al- Badriyya, al-Turba al-ljatünîyya, al-Madrasa al-Samiyya al-Barraniyya, al-ijanabila mosque, al­Tawba mosque, al-Bîmaristan al- Qaymarî and al-Turba al-Takrîtiyya. The thesis is organized in two volumes: the first volume is dedicated to the study of the decoration, the second volume contains the catalogue and the figures. The study volume is divided into three parts. The first part presents the geographical and historical context of Damascus through its expansion intra-muros and extra-muros through the time, followed by a presentation of the stucco as a material, its characteristics, its techniques and its chronological evolution since the early Islamic period. The second part is devoted to the detailed study of the monuments in chronological order. Each monument is described through three aspects: historical, architectural and ornamental. An approximate dating of the decorations is proposed according to the analysis and comparative study. Each decorative unit is detailed according to five lines: the environment of the decoration, its design blueprint and decorative composition, the identification of decorative patterns, the statistical use of each separate pattern, and finally the inner treatment of each pattern. The third part provides a synthesis with an analytical and comparative study. A directory of the different floral patterns used in the nine monuments has been established and organizcd according to their basic type. The comparative study is conducted through these monuments and other contemporary monuments, displaying various techniques. This comparative analysis allowed to highlight some aspects such as: the most commonly used floral designs or the rarest, and the different styles dominating the stucco decoration in Zangid and Ayyubid Damascus.