Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-95). Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (M.S.)--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (ℓ. 44-47)

This thesis arose from a need for a re-evaluation of opus Anglicanum, a somewhat discounted art form which was nevertheless central to the cultural output of medieval England. It is concerned with looking closely at a couple of important aspects. First, the available evidence is considered, with a view to exploring whether long-held assumptions about the subject can actually be substantiated; second, a detailed study of iconography is made, in an attempt to find an explanation for particular choices. Among the extant English medieval ecclesiastical embroideries the great copes, covering the period from c1270 to c1330, offer the most fruitful opportunities for study. Thus, the focus is on these for general concerns and for more particular issues four "narrative" copes have been examined in detail. Early assessment of the gamut of imagery disclosed certain striking features--the individuality and doctrinal exactitude of the various iconographic programmes, the singular absence of some central theological themes and the ubiquitous nature of the angelic presence among the representations--which indicated lines of enquiry and determined the parameters of study. In the course of laying out the evidence such primary sources as there are, are reviewed and assumptions regarding possible workshop practices and issues of patronage are examined. On the technical side, the manufacture of these precious embroideries is explored and the vexed question of who was responsible for the designs is considered. The findings reveal that, contrary to widely held opinion, the luxury copes were liturgical vestments, with a crucial role to play both within the service and the meaning of the High Mass itself The cherished belief that the twenty processional vestments which are known today represent a mere fraction of the original output is challenged and a diametrically opposed view is put forward - that what there is, is the greatest part of what there was.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-91).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Delaware, 2009. / Principal faculty advisor: Linda Eaton, Winterthur Museum. Includes bibliographical references.

There is always a moment, within the act of work, when the decision comes into question; the mind is aware of the goal, seeking out the destination, but the body brings the reality of the task to light, at first whispering its doubts, then speaking in full volume. The physical intensity of the creation of my work enlivens this debate between the consciousness of my intellect and the limitations of my being. The act of defining myself as an artist serves as a challenge to my body’s capabilities as a maker. Through this relationship with my work, I have become deeply intimate with the term labor. My thesis aims to contextualize my engagement with labor within the universal understanding that human beings possess an inherent need to work. While the interchangeable use of terms such as work and labor is highly disputed, I have found that my role as artist, actions as maker, and identity as worker persuade me to define my work as labor and my labors as work. This subsequent body of work serves as a record of the actions of the laborer. A floor sits; frozen in the process of installation, it awaits the return of the laborer to complete the work. Through the cyclical conversation between the workers’ voices embroidered upon the wall and the work being performed on the floor, the installation serves as the preserved space of the anonymous laborer.

The evolution of technology in the textile industry reached the design of embroidery patterns for machine embroidery. In order to create quality designs the shapes to be embroidered need to be segmented into regions that define different parts. One of the objectives of our research is to develop a method to automatically segment the shapes and by doing so making the process faster and easier. Shape analysis is necessary to find a suitable method for this purpose. It includes the study of different ways to represent shapes. In this thesis we focus on shape representation through its skeleton. We make use of a shape's skeleton and the shape's boundary through the so-called feature transform to decide how to segment a shape and where to place the segment boundaries. The direction of stitches is another important specification in an embroidery design. We develop a technique to select the stitch orientation by defining direction lines using the skeleton curves and information from the boundary. We compute the intersections of segment boundaries and direction lines with the shape boundary for the final definition of the direction line segments. We demonstrate that our shape segmentation technique and the automatic placement of direction lines produce sufficient constrains for automated embroidery designs. We show examples for lettering, basic shapes, as well as simple and complex logos.

Recollecting Place is the product of an experiential approach to Landscape Architecture. It is at once the re-telling of a place that is expected to be quite foreign to the reader as well as an examination of the method by which landscape architects assume truth of a place. As professionals, we develop a method by which we examine a site, re-tell its truth and then alter it somehow. Recollecting Place is the story of how the teller’s connections with the place in questions offer a version of the truth that can inform the design in a way that is different, and arguably more appropriate than if the site had been investigated by more traditional methods.

The evolution of technology in the textile industry reached the design of embroidery patterns for machine embroidery. In order to create quality designs the shapes to be embroidered need to be segmented into regions that define different parts. One of the objectives of our research is to develop a method to automatically segment the shapes and by doing so making the process faster and easier. Shape analysis is necessary to find a suitable method for this purpose. It includes the study of different ways to represent shapes. In this thesis we focus on shape representation through its skeleton. We make use of a shape's skeleton and the shape's boundary through the so-called feature transform to decide how to segment a shape and where to place the segment boundaries. The direction of stitches is another important specification in an embroidery design. We develop a technique to select the stitch orientation by defining direction lines using the skeleton curves and information from the boundary. We compute the intersections of segment boundaries and direction lines with the shape boundary for the final definition of the direction line segments. We demonstrate that our shape segmentation technique and the automatic placement of direction lines produce sufficient constrains for automated embroidery designs. We show examples for lettering, basic shapes, as well as simple and complex logos.

Recollecting Place is the product of an experiential approach to Landscape Architecture. It is at once the re-telling of a place that is expected to be quite foreign to the reader as well as an examination of the method by which landscape architects assume truth of a place. As professionals, we develop a method by which we examine a site, re-tell its truth and then alter it somehow. Recollecting Place is the story of how the teller’s connections with the place in questions offer a version of the truth that can inform the design in a way that is different, and arguably more appropriate than if the site had been investigated by more traditional methods.