Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [55]-58).

Thesis (B. Div.)--St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, 1973. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-88).

Thesis (B. Div.)--St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, 1973. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-88).

This essay is an effort to write my thoughts and reflections on my art practice, focusing on the work to-be-realized for my solo show in March 2021 at Galleri Mejan in Stockholm. I’ve had the intention to complement and stabilize my imagined-artwork with my writing, only to realize such a task’s difficulty. Firstly, because language itself can be unstable. Secondly, fear of losing a quality in art that is unstable in its nature. The essay consists of three sections: In the first one, I tell how I think and feel through my art practice. I also propose making space for new knowledge: In my art practice, I lean on magical thinking to stimulate bodily movements.1 I think that we need to balance ourselves between rational thinking and other modes of thinking, and this in-between-space requires continuous negotiations of different kinds. In section two, I explain how I think of images and share how I process them through my work. Then I share stories of entangled images that I’m using as source images in my current work. In the third and last section, I delve into my deep desire to control images. I challenge told narratives and reflect on creative practices of destruction and reparation. / @ Galleri Mejan, Exercisplan 3, March 2021 Media: installation and a video projection. Materials: Clay, ceramic, plaster, linen, and mixed media.   The Making and Breaking of an Icon is a long-term project: I repeatedly destroy and repair a self-made ceramic sculpture. The faceless figure has multiple arms and hands that seem to be hugging or containing the body. At the moment of showing the work at Galleri Mejan, the sculpture was broken, and in process of reparation. Fragments of the sculpture were laying on the ground, I continued to glue them up during the show. A shelf placed up high in the same room displays 7 small plaster replicas of the same figure, but with the addition of a horned cap on their heads. one of the replicas is broken on the ground underneath the shelf. The mold reproducing the plaster pieces is shown by the corner and seems to be in the action of production.  By the entrance, a fetus-like ceramic sculpture is opening both arms. In the other room, the video work "Falling for the Narrative" is showing a performance I did earlier with the sculpture. In this performance, dressed in a self-made costume, I interact with the sculpture as a living thing: I project veneration and aggression on it. The costume that is made of linen, has carrier sacks sewed in the back, filled with rice and coins. the costume weighs around 4kgs. In the corner of the room, a pile of dust is formed on the ground.

It is not an everyday event for an artwork in a museum or gallery to be harmed deliberately by a member of the public. Such acts of iconoclasm do occur more regularly than many people might assume though, and when attacks take place the repercussions can be serious. This thesis examines the ways in which cultural institutions react to this phenomenon, investigating how responses could be improved to tackle it more effectively. The first chapter establishes the context to the discussion by categorising and rationalising the various motives behind iconoclastic crimes. The next chapter concentrates on historical trends of response, using the case of the suffragette iconoclasts to illuminate reactions from across society, before assessing the effects of their endurance. The third chapter broaches new ground in the field of prevention by exploring the access and education approach: a means of forestalling destructive compulsions among the public by promoting engagement with cultural institutions and works of art. The fourth chapter looks at security enhancement: the more traditional answer to iconoclastic offences. It evaluates the options open to museums from a defensive standpoint, but it also discusses the wider impact of implementation on accessibility. The final chapter presents the findings of a postal survey of 250 British museums and galleries undertaken in 2006. The purpose of the survey was to gauge the current nature and extent of the problem, and to determine how contemporary museum professionals deal with it. Although some cultural institutions respond to iconoclasm with considered, sustainable and effective tactics, others would be wise to revise their conduct. This thesis concludes that while instances of iconoclasm will never be eradicated from galleries completely, the threat could be curbed significantly if the museum sector was to make a concerted effort to study its own responses and introduce necessary changes.

L’étude de l’iconoclasme byzantin, cette crise théologique ayant pour cause l’essor du culte associé aux images religieuses, a été un exercice ardu pour les historiens. En effet, les maigres sources disponibles pour cette période sont toutes favorables au culte des images. Bien qu’écrite par un iconodoule convaincu et hostile aux empereurs iconoclastes, la Chronographie de Théophane le Confesseur ne mérite pourtant pas ses étiquettes contemporaines de pro-iconophile et d’anti-iconoclaste. Le présent mémoire propose donc de revoir et de nuancer les écrits de Théophane en ce qui a trait au pouvoir impérial. Il s’agira de démontrer que la place des empereurs sur l’échiquier théologique n’a aucune influence sur la représentation du pouvoir, voire et de ceux qui l’exercent, dans la Chronographie. En effet, une analyse rigoureuse des empereurs de la période iconoclaste (717-780) et de la période iconodoule (780-815) prouvera que pour Théophane, rien n’est absolu : les iconoclastes ne sont pas dépourvus de vertu et les iconodoules peuvent agir de façon tyrannique. La Chronographie propose ainsi une image complexe du pouvoir impérial, qui oblige à reconsidérer les frontières entre légitimité impériale et tyrannie. -- The study of Byzantine iconoclasm, a theological crisis caused by the emergence of religious practices centered on divine images, has proven to be a difficult endeavor for historians. Indeed, the few available sources which discuss this period are clearly favorable to this cult of images. Despite having been written by a convinced iconodule who was also hostile to iconoclastic emperors, the Chronicle by Theophanes the Confessor should not be labelled as purely pro-iconophile and anti-iconoclastic. As such, the present thesis will seek to review and relativize the writings of Theophanes with regards to imperial power. This will attempt to demonstrate that in the Chronicle, the place of emperors on the theological playing field has no impact on the representations of power or those who exert it. In fact, a rigorous analysis of emperors from the iconoclastic period (717-780) as well as the iconodule period (780-815) will show that inTheophanes’ mind nothing is absolute: iconoclasts are not devoid of virtue and iconodules can be tyrannical. Hence, the Chronicle presents a complex image of imperial power, one which demands a reconsideration of the boundaries between imperial legitimacy and tyranny.

In march 2001 and fourteen years later in march 2015, destructive acts were carried out against some of our most revered and treasured religious sites. These cultural heritages were demolished in modern iconoclastic acts by extremist groups in Afghanistan and Iraq. This essay examines the demolition of the two statues depicting the Buddha as well as the events in Iraq during 2015. Specifically the destruction of the museum of Mosul, the ancient city of Nimrud as well as other sites of cultural heritages. The acts were carried out by two groups who in very different ways revere their actions as connected to the sacred. On the one hand this was done to communicate devotion towards the divine. The other action was done in order to destroy the sacred of the perceived enemy as well as to enhance the iconoclastic groups' own theocracy. The two groups have a sense of historical connection with similar acts of iconoclastic destructions. Historical events will be discussed in relation to their modern counterparts.                       This essay attempts to locate the theoretical core of these events and tries to explain why they might be regarded as emanating from the theocratic functional systems' need to restore and reproduce itself. I will also, like the responsible groups themselves, set the actions in relation to the relevant international context as well as the historical parallels of iconoclasm. The tendencies to regard these matters as a destructive act based upon absolute reverence to the divine are the most frequent reactions usually brought to the surface regarding these actions. This essay describes the relevant context regarding the destruction of these religious monuments and determines what type of binary codes these actions revolves around. I also add a possible environment of the recipient, which can either be profane or transcendent. The conclusion is that the events in Bamiyan, March 2001, are best viewed as instrumental orientations of actions where the greater goal is the purpose of the act. The environment which the actors attempts to communicate with is the international community and therefore the profane. The events in Mosul/Nimrud on the other hand might more accurately be described as expressive actions where the purpose of the actions are fulfilled by the act itself. The environment which the act attempts to communicate with is in this case a divine entity and therefore the sacred.

Thesis (PhD (Philosophy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Utopie is dood. Daar is geen meer hoop dat die toekoms radikaal anders of moreel meerwaardig kan wees gemeet teen die hede nie. Om utopiese alternatiewe tot ons huidige samelewingsrangskikking te verbeel is onrealisties, en selfs gevaarlik. Daarom lewer die utopiese verbeelding vandag slegs distopieë – as ons vandag 'n andersoortige samelewing verbeel kan ons slegs dink dat dit 'n nagmerrie moet wees. Die resultaat is politieke apatie en 'n gewilligheid om onsself te versoen met die status quo. As teenvoeter vir die bogenoemde politieke apatie vra ek in hierdie proefskrif of dit vandag nog moontlik is om utopies te dink. Om hierdie vraag te beantwoord ondersoek ek eers die sogenaamde "einde" of "dood" van utopie. Utopie is vandag dood omdat die metafisiese onderbou daaran verdag geraak het, en omdat 'n utopiese gees aktief onderdruk word via 'n verskeidenheid ideologiese strategieë. Ten spyte van hierdie probleme is 'n andersoortige en postmetafisiese utopisme wel vandag moontlik, en die kontoere van hierdie nuwe utopiese rasionaliteit word nagespoor in die werk van eietydse filosowe soos Richard Rorty, Gianni Vattimo, Fredric Jameson, Slavoj Žižek en Jacques Derrida. In hulle werk herleef 'n utopiese gees wat nie meer gebonde is aan ons metafisiese filosofiese erfenis nie. Hierdie gees manifesteer ook nie (slegs) in die vorm van sketse van ideale samelewings nie, maar eerder as hermeneutiese praktyke wat die koms van sosiale alteriteit fasiliteer. Hierdie utopiese gees, in voeling met 'n postmetafisiese intellektuele klimaat, bied ek aan as 'n noodsaaklike voorwaarde vir sosiale hoop. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Utopia is dead. There is no hope today that the future will be radically different from, or ethically superior to the present. To dream up utopian alternatives to our society is unrealistic, even dangerous. It is no surprise, then, that the existing utopian imagination produces only dystopias – if we think at all of a radically different society, we can only imagine something nightmarish. The result: a political apathy and a willingness to reconcile ourselves with the status quo. To counter the abovementioned political apathy, I ask in this dissertation if it is still possible to think in a utopian fashion. In order to answer this question I start off by examining the so-called "end" or "death" of utopia. Utopia is dead today because of its questionable metaphysical foundations, and because of an active ideological repression of any utopian impulse. In spite of these problems a new and postmetaphysical utopianism is possible. The contours of this new utopianism can be extrapolated from the work of contemporary philosophers like Richard Rorty, Gianni Vattimo, Fredric Jameson, Slavoj Žižek and Jacques Derrida. In their work a utopian spirit is revived – a spirit no longer constrained by our metaphysical philosophical heritage. This spirit is manifested, not (only) in sketches of ideal societies, but rather in hermeneutic practices that facilitate the arrival of social alterity. I present this utopian spirit, in touch with a postmetaphysical intellectual climate, as a necessary condition for social hope.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:27:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Saverio Licari.pdf: 2801424 bytes, checksum: 7748a79f4fa18f9d525296eb14443c55 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-20 / The following essay has as its main point to present an analysis about the influence and importance of the Christian icon on the history of Christianity. It is around the logos that Christianity will form its theological reflection. However, the image, even when subordinated to the word, has never ceased to influence valuably the mind of men. On this essay, will be enhanced the vigorous role that Christian icon (as a visual word) has on cultural and religious context since the beginning, in parallel and at the same time that the Holy Scripture (as written word). The hypothesis consists in an association between the written word (Holy Scripture) and the not written or visual (icon) and if it's possible that both of them would be equally valid ways to transmit the only Divine Revelation. The research is based on specialized texts about the theme. The photographic attachment contributes to attest the importance of the icon since the origin of Christianity. The trajectory of the image was submitted through the sieve of Iconoclasm, a strong movement overall on the VIII and IX centuries, that wanted the destruction of all symbols considered dead idols. At last, the final chapter is the analysis aesthetic-theological of the Christ Incarnation s icon proving the hypothesis of this essay / A presente dissertação tem como objetivo apresentar um estudo sobre a influência e a importância do ícone cristão na história do cristianismo. É em torno do logos que o cristianismo formulará a sua reflexão teológica. Mas, a imagem, mesmo subordinada à palavra, nunca deixou de exercer uma valiosa influência no pensamento do homem. Nesta dissertação se quer destacar a função vigorosa que o ícone cristão (Palavra visual) exerceu no contexto cultural e religioso desde o início, paralelamente e juntamente à Sagrada Escritura (Palavra escrita). A hipótese consiste em comparar a equivalência entre a Palavra escrita (Sagrada Escritura) e a palavra não escrita ou visual (ícone) e se estes podem ser considerados como dois caminhos válidos para a transmissão da única Revelação Divina. A pesquisa se baseia nos textos especializados sobre o tema. O anexo fotográfico contribui para atestar a importância do ícone desde a origem do cristianismo. A trajetória da imagem passa pelo crivo do iconoclasmo, movimento muito forte, sobretudo, dos séculos VIII e IX, que queria a destruição das imagens consideradas ídolos mortos. Finalmente, o último capítulo consta da análise estético-teológica do ícone da encarnação de Cristo comprovando, assim, a hipótese da dissertação

Em nossa dissertação de Mestrado analisamos o conjunto de quatro pinturas retabulares encomendadas na década de 40 do século XVII para ornar a capela do hoje extinto Convento dos Capuchinhos da Paciência de Cristo de Madri (1651-1836). Estas pinturas narram a lenda que ficou conhecida como a do Santo Cristo da Paciência ou do Cristo das Injurias, e figuram o ataque de um grupo de pessoas a um crucifixo que, enquanto sofre tal desacato, expressa o seu poder milagroso através da fala e do jorro de sangue. Nosso objetivo foi, por meio da análise dessas pinturas, entender o significado das imagens religiosas para a cristandade espanhola deste período e o quanto os ataques iconoclastas preocupavam os membros da Igreja católica e seus fiéis de modo geral, a ponto de gerar a encomenda de tais obras. Para tal, investigamos este corpus de imagens em dois níveis fundamentais: analisando seus elementos formais e temáticos; e sua relação com o cristianismo a encomenda e o debate sobre as imagens, sobre seus usos e funções nas práticas cultuais do catolicismo na Espanha do século XVII. / In our master dissertation we analyzed the group of four altarpieces commissioned in the 1640s to decorate the chapel of the extinct Capuchin Convent of Patience Christ of Madrid (1651-1836). These paintings ndepict the legend that became known as the Holy Christ of the Patience or Christ of the Injuries, and represent the attack of a group of people to a crucifix which, while suffering such disrespect, expressed his miraculous power through speech and the blood gush. Our aim was, through the analysis of these paintings, to understand the meaning of these religious images for Spanish Christendom in this period and how the iconoclastic attacks were a source of worry for the members of the Catholic Church and the faithful in general so as to generate a commission for such works. For this purpose, we investigated this corpus of images on two fundamental levels: analyzing their formal and thematic elements; and its relation to Christianity - the commission and the debate about images, their uses and functions in cultual practices of Catholicism in seventeenth century Spain.