The dissertation consists of a critical preface and excerpts from the novel Patrol. The preface explores how the novel Patrol utilizes characters that engage with tropes of the Romantic Genius in order to establish their subjectivity while navigating the standardizing mechanisms of twenty-first century information technologies. The preface analyzes how the rise of the organic food movement, the usage of biotech genetic engineering, and the tactics of Big Data-era marketing all inform the critical underpinnings of Patrol, situating the novel in conversation with works of fiction and nonfiction that also explore the interplay of these topics with contemporary American culture. Set primarily in Cincinnati, Ohio, the bifurcated narrative of the novel Patrol enlists the perspectives of both a science-tech father from the Boomer generation, Tim Smith, and his millennial public relations-major daughter, Sarah Smith. Both work in industries that seek to utilize the concept of the individual genius in service of quantification. Tim and Sarah’s interactions with Alexandra Smith, a family member who transitions from female to male over the course of the novel, cause both protagonists to recognize that their own identities are malleable, and this discovery goads each into reexamining their career choices and personal relationships. The plot depicts the outcome of these explorations, culminating in a series of choices for Tim and Sarah that showcase the fundamental change in each character. Unable to simply quantify themselves and those around them, Tim and Sarah instead adopt a more nuanced view of the world that seeks to find a balance between the individualistic conceit of the Romantic genius and the quantifying mandates of technology.

This diploma thesis is about residents who live in the Lesser Town, the historic center of Prague. It focuses on the changes perceived by residents that took place during their lifetime. Work is based on literature and qualitative research in the form of biographical interviews. The theoretical part deals with the concepts of identity, tourism, gentrification, genius loci and ageing which are essential for understanding the changes identified in the analytical part. The analytical part is divided into seven units: changes of the atmosphere of the Lesser Town, its inhabitants, living environment, housing stock, changes of people who have shared their stories with me and more global changes that had influenced the Lesser Town. The work also describes which problems and benefits related to life in the Lesser Town do communication partners perceive.

The subject of the diploma thesis was the ideological elaboration of the architectural study of the building of the civilo temple. The proposal follows the elaborated urban concept of reclamation of the sub-castle - the territory of the historical Vydrica area and its surroundings. The building is a conceptual translation of the term profane sacrum into an architectural formalization. The main ideology consists in transforming the term profan sacrum into an object that incorporates three spirits - the spirit of the place, the spirit of the mind and the spirit of the heart. Thus, an artistic complex will be created on the historical basis of the center of gravity of Bratislava history. The spirit of the place is represented by the historical formalization of the base of the building which refers to the defunct Fish Square, the spirit of the mind represents a complex of 3 objects of self-development: object of performing arts, gallery and temple- library, and the last object which represents the spirit of the heart is transferred to the community center building. The overall ideology is to create a place that will be accessible every day and will serve to build our inner spirit. To develop internally and become a better person. A place to perceive, a place to develop oneself, a place to help each other, a place to share. A place where I will learn to play the violin and in the next phase I will organize a concert in the auditorium for the community until the phase where I will teach others. A place where I learn to cook and then sell my products on the market. A place to help each other. Better place for individuals, better place for community, better place for Bratislava.

Diploma project aims at establishing a clear urban conception of city part "Ponava". Priority is maintence of sport`s function based on historical tradition and "genius loci". Project specifically solves the proposal for a new football stadium."

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Genius loci has been described as "the spirit of place". The main interest in considering an urban monastery program is to create a place that embodies the spirit and culture of Tibetan Buddhism in the context of urban Washington, D.C. Given Tibet's unique culture that has developed over centuries without much Western influence, and it recent history of Chinese rule, religious persecution and infiltration of its language, culture and environment, the challenge of this program is to represent the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism in a modern language of architecture. / Master of Architecture

The concept of place is extremely important within today's contemporary society. As a result of hyper mobility, many people do not take the time to notice and understand the spaces surrounding them. A sense of place is subtle and fragile, yet can exist in the most humble of environments. In Appalachian, there are countless structures that dot the mountainous landscape symbolizing the sense of place in southwestern Virginia. The Virginia pole barn is important for the sense of place because of its direct tie to the land. Many of these structures were built from the indigenous American chestnut tree and crafted using traditional building techniques. These structures are an important contribution to the vernacular of the Appalachian region, and much of this is due to the material presence of these structures as they give balance and counterpoint to the ridges and valleys. Secondary research focused on theories about the creation of place, the spirit or character of a specific place, the role of symbols in these creations, and the importance of the American chestnut as a material. Primary research concentrated on the people who interact with these pole barns on a regular basis, the structures themselves, and the prevailing landscapes. / Master of Science

A public square provides for a social cultural life to take place. The square ought to be located in the part of the city where human activities are the most intense. The edges of the square consist of the buildings that define its space. The architectural style of these buildings shapes the character of the square and embodies the social cultural circumstances of a society. The experience of a public square goes beyond its structured aspects. In fact, each man-made place is located within a natural landscape that changes its appearances during the rhythm of the day and the seasons. It is the combination of the natural phenomena and the architecture that creates the atmosphere of a place. A total integration between these two elements constitutes the "spirit of place" or genius loci. According to Heidegger, human settlement has an enclosure and any enclosure has a boundary. This is also true for the square, the boundary of which is formed by its surrounding buildings. However, this boundary is not continuous, as it is interrupted by pedestrian paths and streets that lead to the square. The quality of a square’s enclosure is related to the characteristic of the openings. The aim of this design thesis is to conceive a public square for today’s social-cultural environment; a public square that is located within a cultural center at Shirlington, Arlington County, Virginia. The buildings of the center form an architectural unity that sets the stage for community events to take place. The articulation and the form of the buildings related to the natural environment make people feel that they were designed for them. This means a place where people can experience a strong feeling of location. / Master of Landscape Architecture

Cette thèse de recherche en art se déploie dans deux dimensions principales intimement liées, l’une épistémologique et l’autre artistique. Premièrement, du point de vue épistémologique, elle est l’expression du continuum entre théorie et pratique. Elle pose l’hypothèse que le méta-art initié par deux artistes : Adrian Piper dans les années 1970 et Jean-Paul Thibeau dans les années 1990, constitue la méthode idoine pour expliciter et analyser l’expérimentation artistique. Le programme théorico-pratique que nous avons conçu s’articule sur deux registres de textes : les récits d’expérience relatant quatre projets (Genius Loci Monflanquin, Genius Loci Aix, Genius Loci Villeneuve, Genius Loci UBUBM) et les commentaires analytiques relatifs aux récits d’expérience (« Comment représenter le mouvement ? », « Comment l’écosophie permet-elle d’éclairer les pratiques artistiques qui investissent le quotidien comme situation d’expérimentation ? », « Comment prendre une décision ? », et « Comment ménager des passes au milieu du milieu ? »). Deuxièmement, du point de vue artistique, cette thèse ouvre un espace d’expérimentation pour la création de l’Atlas Genius Loci. Les situations de chantier à partir desquelles nous avons travaillé (en particulier ceux des universités bordelaises) nous ont amené à pratiquer une recherche-création sur des terrains de vie concrets et à mettre en œuvre des processus de coopération artistique avec des maîtres d’ouvrage et des institutions. À partir d’une interrogation sur les articulations possibles entre l’art et les pratiques architecturales de l’industrie du bâtiment (Building Information Modelling), notre Atlas est devenu un « processus mésologique », un travail d’inter-relation au sein d’un milieu, construisant une présence-alliance entre une artiste et une institution. Le prolongement de cette recherche-création, où le terrain-milieu d’où l’on parle est à la fois explici-té dans sa matérialité et impliqué dans l’expérimentation, s’inscrit dans l’héritage de l’analyse institutionnelle (sociologie) et de la critique institutionnelle (art) pratiquée dès les années 1970. L’enjeu de ce travail porte sur les engagements contemporains de l’artiste dans la société, et réciproquement, sur la place que celle-ci réserve à l’art, il rend compte de la singularité de la recherche en art, et de la façon dont elle ouvre aujourd’hui des perspectives originales pour l’alliance du monde académique avec la société civile. / This research thesis in art unfolds in two main and closely linked dimensions, one epistemological and the other artistic. Firstly, from an epistemological point of view, it is the expression of the continuum between theory and practice. It hypothesizes that meta-art initiated by two artists: Adrian Piper in the 1970s and Jean-Paul Thibeau in the 1990s, defines the right method to explicit and analyse the artistic experimentation. This theoretical-practical program is carried out through the writing of two kinds of texts: the experience accounts of our projects (Genius Loci Monflanquin, Genius Loci Aix, Genius Loci Villeneuve, Genius Loci UBUBM) and the analytical comments ("How to represent movement? ", " How can ecosophy shed light on the artistic practices that take place in everyday life as a experimentation situation? ", "How to make a decision? ", and "How to build a pathway to the heart of a living environment?”). Secondly, from an artistic point of view, this thesis opens up a space for experimentation on the creation of the Atlas Genius Loci. The "construction site situations" from which we have worked (in particular those with Bordeaux universities) have led us to practice a research-creation on tangible living environments, and to pursue artistic cooperation with project owners and institutions. With the possible links between art and architecture (Building Information Modeling) as a starting point, our Atlas has become a "mesological process" claiming a presence-alliance between an artist and an institution. The extension of this research-creation, where the field-environment from where one speaks is both explicit in its materiality and involved in the experimentation, is part of the legacy of institutional analysis (sociology) and institutional criticism (art) practiced since the 1970s.The contemporary commitment of the artist in society, and reciprocally, the place that society gives to art, expresses the singularity of the artistical research, and the way that it now opens up original perspectives for the alliance of the academic world with civil society.