Over 22,000 sherds of pottery were recovered during the excavation of the small islet of Eilean Dòmhnuill in North Uist in the late 1980s. Analysis of the assemblage has demonstrated that all of the main vessel forms and decorative motifs recognised at the site were already in place when settlement began in the earlier 4th millennium BC and continued to be deposited at the site until its abandonment over 800 years later. Statistically significant stylistic variation is limited to slow drifts in the relative proportions of certain rim forms. Across the Outer Hebrides, decorative elaboration and the presence of large numbers of distinctive vessel forms would appear to mark out certain assemblages seemingly associated with communal gathering and feasting events at key locales within which a distinctive Hebridean Neolithic identity was forged. Throughout, this study takes a relational approach to the issue of variation in material culture, viewing all archaeological entities as dynamic assemblages that themselves form attributes of higher-level assemblages. It is argued that the various constraints and affordances that arise within such assemblages constitute significant structuring principles that give rise to commonly held expectations and dispositions, resulting in the kind of constrained temporal and spatial variation that we observe in the archaeological record and which in turn gives rise to the concept of the archaeological culture. / Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Bradford / Erratum: Vol. 1: 196 and Vol. II: xii and 383 It should be noted that the Unstan-type bowl recorded as being from Loch Mor is actually from Loch Arnish (Chris Murray pers. comm.). The appendices including 'An Doirlinn Report and Illustrations' and 'St Kilda Report and Illustrations' are not available online due to copyright.

This dissertation explores the process of creating and touring a community-sourced memorial quilt for the anti-mountaintop removal activist Julia “Judy” Bonds, who died in 2011. As a practice, the project positions memorialization as a possible framework for social movements to utilize when faced with loss that allows for actions that honor members of the movement while still engaging in consciousness raising and organizing efforts. From a theoretical standpoint, the practice of memorialization—especially when it is intentionally designed to align with the practices/legacy of the person(s) being remembered—is also considered through an object oriented ontology perspective, providing insight into the affective ways that a more personal/community base memorial can be considered as both a symbolic and real material representation of a person who has died.As a practice, the dissertation brings together work on object oriented ontology and travel as a way to highlight travel as a mobile object and performative practice, not just as a practice that allows for research to be presented, which can serve as a valuable site of knowledge generation and creation.Finally, this document is concerned with the materiality of textual representation, offering a series of experiments in performative writing to align with the larger goals of community organizing and environmental action, insisting that the documentation of our actions as well as the actions themselves can help to imagine new ways of being and knowing.

In 21st century Scandinavia, the use of colored paint in the built environment has decreasedconsiderably. Instead, color changing LEDs can be found in many homes. In this thesis, an experimentwas set up to investigate how these two coloring methods differ and coincide with regards toemotional response and perception of materiality. Four cubicles, two painted and two colored bylight, were evaluated by ten participants. The painted cubicles were perceived as more material intheir appearance with regards to texture and color than their counterparts. A greater feeling ofnervousness, stress, and disorientation was felt in the light-colored cubicles as opposed to aheightened feeling of inspiration, excitement and calmness in the painted cubicles. Though it isimportant to remember the difference was not significant. In addition, preconceived connotations tothe color tone could be an influencing factor and so further studies on additional tones should beconducted. Lastly, benefits and drawbacks with the coloring methods were discussed.

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“Longing for Touch” is an investigation of what makes us drawn to tactile interactions. With this project and essay I am focussing on the importance of our haptic sense and draw attention to the experiences we lack, in a world where our experiences are getting digitalized to a greater extent. I am investigating how phenomena such as pleasure and aesthetics are linked together and how they can be used to foster physical interaction. I have a fascination of how we as humans are drawn towards disgust, and I’m interested in the tension these contradicting feelings create. In this essay I present research, that shows disgust both revolts and attracts, and I go over why disgust is an effective tool to capture attention. In the studio, I’m transforming my findings from the research into physical objects. By focusing on aesthetics while playing with elements of disgust – I can create objects we are drawn to touch. / <p>Two images have been removed for copyright reasons. The source information for the images are kept - in order for reader to access the images on their own.</p>

In architecture, phenomenology refers to an approach that focuses on the lived experience of built spaces rather than purely on their functional or aesthetic qualities. It is rooted in the philosophical tradition of 'Phenomenology' which investigates the structure of human experiences and consciousness or the idea of awareness of the self, regarding one's physical environment. Awareness of the self occurs as a result of the subjective experience of individuals within a space, including how they perceive, interact with, and feel about their surroundings. Design considerations of a space like the quality of light, materiality, scale, proportion, texture, sound, and movement, as well as the cultural, social, and historical context, all contribute to the making of this space, as suggested by Juhani Pallasma "My body remembers who I am and how I am located in the world. My body is truly the navel of my world, not in the sense of the viewing point of the central perspective, but as the very locus of reference, memory, imagination, and integration." Phenomenology comes from the Greek word 'Phainomenon' meaning "that which appears" and "logos" meaning study. The thesis studies 'homelessness', a social phenomenon characterized by a physical condition wherein individuals or families lack safe, stable, and adequate housing. Homelessness can affect people of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances and leads to challenges such as poverty, mental illness, substance abuse, social isolation, and unemployment. It is observed that most of the above consequences arise due to a lack of safe and affordable living conditions that affect homeless people psychologically and physiologically. Homeless individuals face harsh and challenging living conditions in their physical environment. Most people live on streets or in makeshift shelters exposed to extreme weather conditions such as heat, cold, snow, and rain. Lack of shelter forces many to sleep in public spaces like parks, sidewalks, alleys, under bridges, or in abandoned buildings. Dwelling in such habitats exposes them to crime and assault and makes them vulnerable to health issues due to the unsanitary environmental conditions. The thesis delves into addressing the physical environments experienced by homeless people. It aims to formulate and propose urban design, and architectural interventions and strategies that prioritize the safety, dignity, and well-being of homeless individuals. The design of the housing project is based on the principles of phenomenology. It uses architectural elements as a medium to craft spaces that foster a sense of hope in its inhabitants and promote healing because of the physical space generated. The thesis also explores the idea of 'place-making through design' and uses it to enhance social connection and bring a sense of being one with nature and beyond. / Master of Architecture / The thesis investigates how we experience our physical environments through our senses and how we derive meaning from these interactions. By examining the physical conditions inhabited by homeless individuals and their psychological and physiological impacts, the research aims to understand the nature of this physical space in detail. The thesis then translates these insights into the design of a housing project, creating spaces that heal, nurture, inspire, and instill hope through the physical space created. Based on the principles of Phenomenology, the thesis aspires to formulate architecture that mediates between phenomena such as light quality, sound and material texture, and the positive human experiences these elements generate.

This dissertation traces the rhetorical history of Virginia Tech's April 16th Memorial from its earliest appearance immediately following the April 16, 2007 shootings up to its present iteration as a permanent memorial on Virginia Tech's campus. Specifically, this study reveals how the April 16th Memorial is a public memory performance that has changed (and continues to change) in its form, function, and significance across time. Based on a data set that includes archival evidence, interview data, and fieldwork, I argue that over the course of its history, the April 16th Memorial has negotiated tensions and fusions between the epideictic and deliberative genres that exist within its bounds. In doing so, the memorial asks audiences to honor and remember the dead while also compelling audiences to deliberate over the social and political issues punctuated by the tragedy. Whereas the epideictic appeals in the memorial aim to reknit the community, the deliberative appeals invite audiences to imagine a better, safer world. By tracing the intersections between these two genres, this study demonstrates how complementary and competing forces in the memorial vie over not only constructions of public memory but also the lessons we are meant to gain from the April 16, 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech. / Doctor of Philosophy / Public memory refers to the shared recollections of history among members of a specific community. Rather than individual memory, public memory is constituted by what communities choose to remember and forget and what gets retold to future generations. Specific artifacts help support the creation of public memory, including archives, museums, monuments, and memorials. Scholars tend to agree that what communities chose to monumentalize in stone often reflects a desire to shape public memory in strategic ways. This dissertation traces the history of the April 16th Memorial at Virginia Tech in order to capture how the commemorative site has influenced (and continues to influence) public memory of the shootings that occurred at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. Using archival evidence, interview data, and fieldnotes collected at the site, I argue that the April 16th Memorial asks visitors to honor and remember the dead while also compelling visitors to deliberate over the kinds of action that might prevent school shootings in the future. This study demonstrates how complementary and competing forces in the memorial vie over not only constructions of public memory but also the lessons we are meant to gain from the April 16, 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech.

Every day we encounter objects and use them for purposes related to improving our life. However, sometimes the reason these objects are manufactured is because of capitalistic gain rather than the need for improved quality of life. In fact, the more objects that are produced by American companies, the more garbage is inevitably ending up in landfills. The installation work, Ocean of Objects, arranges mundane objects in a different context within a diorama. The United States is in an age of consumerism where our relationship to the objects we buy defines the way we conceptualize our relationship to the physical environment we are in. As a theater artist, I studied scenic design and installing scenery for productions. The exhibition and diorama are created using methods of theatrical scenic design, and digital elements such as projections help reinforce the narrative setting. I sense that if people paid more attention to how things get made and then discarded and changed the perception of their environment through the objects they buy and use, then they could build a better community with each other. / Master of Fine Arts / The effectiveness of waste management impacts every person. Most people tend not to think about what they throw out once it leaves their home. To create a better ecology, it is critical to persuade people that their individual effort makes a difference. In the process of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle," individuals can try in the latter two steps. Besides recycling, people have the power to buy less and find new ways to use objects that become "disposable" after their initial use. The exhibition Ocean of Objects puts members of the Blacksburg, Virginia community in close contact with objects, and asks them to reconsider how they buy and use things in their daily lives.

Designers and non-designers alike often describe fabric in ways that are markedly different or unclear. For example, two designers might attribute qualities such as ``heavy'' to a material, but actually mean completely different things, despite using the same words. This ambiguity in description becomes more prominent when the designer has to make sense of the fabric remotely, such as shopping online. This ambiguity in description presets an opportunity to study user interface design that supports, rather than diminishes, the role of ambiguity, which is often a resource in design domains. Our most important research question was: How can we design interfaces with standard interface toolkits to help designers explore and understand material remotely? For our approach, we studied how people described distinct fabrics, from experts, novices, to everyday people and the crowdsourcing community on how they interpret fabrics. We applied that information to designs that communicated materiality and ambiguity in various ways, and studied how interfaces affected a user's process of exploring materials and negotiating the meaning of materiality. The most important findings are user interface guidelines that apply to designing technology any domain focused on description and ambiguity, such as design domains. Such design guidelines include: (1) the importance to communicate distinctions between description and category, (2) The role of ambiguity in design, while well-supported in the literature, is a value not shared among all practitioners, and (3) a better understanding of the different ways users negotiate with description and make sense of material remotely. / Ph. D.