This series of oil paintings, in a variety of sizes and orientations, explore the positive relationships between Humanity and the machines that Humanity has created. Through our use of tools and ingenuity we work to shape our world to our own design. Through dramatic and narrative representations, this theme will be presented through abstraction of forms through shadow, overexposure or merging shapes allowing the viewer to participate in the interpretation of the space. Variety is emphasized through changes in historic representation, viewpoint, lighting, composition, and visual weight. Artistic research and development of these pieces references a wide range of artists both historical and contemporary in both visual composition and technical execution. The paintings utilize an assortment of techniques from washes and glazes to working wet-in-wet / Department of Art

Thesis (M.A.)--Ball State University, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Sept. 09, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. [18]).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 270-303) Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 270-303) Also available online.

Thesis (M.A.)--Guo li Taiwan shi fan da xue, 1983. / Cover title. Reproduced from typescript. Bibliography: p. 229-239.

published_or_final_version / Fine Arts / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Palestine has one of the longest histories of archaeological exploration in the Near East "because the recovery of its material remains has "been of great value in interpreting biblical literature, which in turn has shed much light on the ancient history of the Levant in general. In order to establish the chronological setting, Sir Flinders Petrie was the first Near Eastern archaeologist to devise a system of sequence dating based upon the scientific study of pottery in its stratigraphical position within a mound. As a result of his researches in Palestine, the first systematic attempt was made to record a corpus of pottery representing all periods of occupation during which pottery occurred. The result was the publication by Duncan of the Corpus of Palestinian Pottery (London, 1930). Since 1930, the study of pottery types has been greatly refined and enlarged so that at least the general periods of Palestine's history can now be defined in some detail by known pottery types. The best modern compilation of the pottery from its beginnings in the Neolithic period to the end of the Iron Age is Amiran's Ancient Pottery of the Holy Land (Jerusalem, 1969). Many special studies of pottery, the latest being Franken's In Search of the Jericho Potters (Leiden, 1975), employ both old and new methods of typology in ceramic studies in an effort to understand more completely the cultural and chronological changes within the various periods of Palestinian history ... [see pdf file for full abstract].

My research investigates the habitual, the non-monumental, the mundane, the ordinary and the everyday. I conceive of this as those moments in life that are not socially or culturally recognised as important. Traditionally, such moments have not been considered worthy of documentation and have been omitted or overlooked by mainstream media. This exegesis examines the importance of the everyday and considers how to make it conspicuous. Historically, these moments have been identified with the feminine, in that much theoretical and artistic work has emerged exploring women's experience of the everyday and testifying to its importance. Three spheres in particular have attracted critical interest: namely the body, the domestic and personal identity. For example, in 1966 Yoko Ono's 'No 4 (Bottoms)' brought the issue of the body and its banality onto centre stage by showing an endless parade of bottoms. In 1975, Chantal Akerman's film 'Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles', showed the everyday routines of a self-contained housewife. More recently, numerous artists have explored the politics of identity. Sadie Benning has made numerous videos that show the mundane and also reveal her personal identity, by exploring large and especially small scale details. / While conventionally newsreels and big budget documentaries have focused on 'big' events, one of the arenas that have investigated the everyday is experimental film and video. My exegesis gives a brief historical overview of this genre. Testimony in this media is often used as a voice to express the everyday. My journal entries (testimonies) deal with everyday experiences, and are interspersed throughout my exegesis. They are also the main threads in my videos. In my studio work, I use movement and dance to express in an abstract manner issues about the everyday, which include personal identity, more specifically issues of illness and sexuality / My research draws on a variety of sources including: 1970's feminist artists and filmmakers (Chantal Akerman and Martha Rosler). Many artists who were involved in the women's movement used their bodies in various art forms including performance art to make radical statements about domesticity and feminism. Contemporary artists' depiction of personal identity that mostly informed my work (in particular, queer identity) are: experimental queer film and media makers Sadie Benning, Marlon Riggs, Isaac Julien and William Yang. / Thesis (MVisualArts)--University of South Australia, 2006.