This thesis analyses the Funnel Beaker Culture on the island of Gotland. Since no comprehensive studies of the remains of the pottery have been made, this is one of the reasons why I chose to study this topic. The purpose of this study is to analyze the pottery and to discuss the chronological and spatial implications. Four sites from the Funnel Beaker Culture on Gotland are studied; Mölner/Gullarve, Gräne, Ardags and Suderkvie. Ceramic samples are analyzed with respect to its ornament and it is discussed if the pottery found at various sites are contemporary. This is done by comparing with pottery from Funnel Beaker sites in Scania. A comparison with Öland is also made, mainly with the site of Runsbäck. Another well excavated Funnel Beaker site is discussed, Skogsmossen in Västmanland. Finally, I have done a detailed spatial analysis of the site Mölner/Gullarve, with focus on the area of Gullarve, to understand the distribution of the ceramics and some of the flint material. This is an attempt to discuss the relations between Gullarve and Mölner, as well as all the sites regionally and their possible interregional relationships with Öland and the Swedish mainland. This thesis has shown that it is possible that the site of Mölner/Gullarve might belong to the earlier part of the early Neolithic era whilst the sites Gräne and Suderkvie might belong to the later part of the same period. Ardags has been a complicated site to date and seem to have been of importance to the people for a long time. The spatial analysis of Mölner/Gullarve has shown that some flint-artifacts have seemingly been more common on Gullarve whilst ceramics seems to have been more common on Mölner. Other things that have been discussed is the possibility of a megalithic tomb near the site of Suderkvie and that the site of Ardags should be further discussed out of a perspective of possible ertebølle-pottery. / Skärvor av en forntid

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Anthropology, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard University, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 268-274).

This paper presents an investigation in stages of transformation between body and ornament to show upon their fluid relationship and their role for the creation of human identity. I see the act of adorning the body as an act of desire, in which we take part to become something more elevated than our original state of being. I use my background as a jeweller and the body as the territory for investigating these acts of transformation. Through material explorations I examine how we mirror ourselves in the things we make and how we reinvent our bodies through making. I compare the role of the maker with the scientist and discuss the increased interest in the body and its relation to a more and more virtual reality. I make links between ancient body modifications and human enhancement within new technology and throughout the paper I discuss my work in relation to other artists work and theorists relating to visual practices.

Målet med det här examensarbetet är att utforska hur jag som möbelsnickare kan använda mig av dekorativa element. Dessutom vill jag söka svar på frågan om hur utvecklingen mot den minimalistiska estetik vi ser idag sett ut och vad den fått för konsekvenser. Undersökningen görs i form av en litteraturstudie där jag tar avstamp i ett källmaterial och diskuterar dekorativa element från flera perspektiv. Litteraturstudien innehåller bland annat en analys av dekorationer ur ett genusperspektiv, en undersökning av begreppet smak samt en reflektion kring hur ornamentik påverkar ett föremåls estetiska hållbarhet. Vidare använder jag mina hantverkskunskaper till att undersöka ämnet genom en fysisk gestaltning. I min gestaltning låter jag det avskalade i dealet representeras av ett bord från IKEA och genom att dekorera det med intarsia möts det minimalistiska med ett mer expressivt uttryckssätt. Min slutsats är att dekorativa element ger en större möjlighet för känslomässig anknytning till ett objekt och att vi hantverkare har chansen att tillfredsställa detta behov. Diskussionen om dekorationers vara eller icke vara är angelägen och bör fortsätta föras och nyanseras inomformgivnings- och hantverkssfären. / The aim of this thesis is to investigate how, in my role a a craftsman, I can use decorativeelements in my work. Furthermore, I seek to answer the question about how the development towards today’s minimalist aesthetics has evolved and what the consequences of this has been. This examination consists of a literature study where I use different sources to discuss decorative elements from a range of perspectives. The study includes an analysis of decoration from a gender perspective, an investigation on the term taste and a discussion on how ornamentation influences the aesthetic s ustainability of an object. Moreover, I use my craftsmanship skills to examine the subject through designing and constructing a physical object. In my design process, I merge the minimalistic ideal as represented by an IKEA table with a decorative element in the form of marquetry. My conclusion is that decorative elements have the possibility to enable emotional connection with an object and a s craftsmenhave the opportunity to satisfy this need. The discussion about the existence of ornamentationis important and should keep being held in the design and craft community.

Barn ska få möjligheten att växa upp med, och uppleva, vuxna sammanhang samt visuell komplexitet i sin omgivning. Utan dessa utbyten och objekt i sin omgivning utvecklas barns delaktighet i samhället som ansvarsfulla medborgare långsammare. Detta är projektets utgångspunkt. Förskolan Bullerbyn är, precis som namnet tyder på, en liten by med olika verksamheter där förskolan ligger i fokus med en central gård. Barnen kommer i kontakt med vuxna som arbetar i byggnaderna intill: bageriet levererar bröd och fika, restaurangen lagar mat till lunchen, ett snickeri delas med ateljéerna, utställningslokalen drar till sig både vuxna och barn i sin verksamhet och kontorsfolket kommer och går genom uteplatsen. Den samhällskomplexitet som barnen förtjänar och växer av finns genom denna variation.   Den visuella uppbyggnaden av byn bygger på samma idé, att komplexitet är något som barnen behöver för att växa och förtjänar för att må bra. Med hjälp av platsens historiska kontext skapas en by med en basal men även abstraherande ornamentik för att dels fånga barnens intresse och dels skapa lager av ornament som leder till flera tankar och utforskningar. / Children should be given the opportunity to grow up with and experience an adult context and visual complexity in their surroundings. Without these exchanges and objects in their surroundings, the children’s ability to partake in society as responsible citizens is considerably diminished. This is the projects starting point. Kindergarden Bullerbyn is, just as the Swedish name Bullerbyn entails, a little village with different types of occupants and agencies where the kindergadren is the central occupant along with the large central square. The children come in contact with the adults that work in the adjacent buildings: the bakery comes with bread and snacks (fika), the restaurant prepares the food for their lunch, the woodshop is shared with the ateliers, the exhibition space draws in both adults and children to its happenings and the office workers come and go through the central space. It is through this variation that the children are given the societal complexity that they deserve and thrive in.   The visual composition of the village builds upon the same idea, that complexity is something that the children need to grow and deserve so that they can be glad. Through the use of the locations historical context, the village is created with a combination of abstract ornamentation to firstly interest the children and secondly to create several layers of ornamentation that lead to further thoughts and explorations of the space.

The dissertation thesis, Ornament in Nature, Science and Art, deals with the theme of ornaments in contemporary art, design and architecture. Individual chapters are dedicated to exploring nature and science as sources of inspiration for contemporary art. The chapter, Body and Ornament, is about ornaments for the human bodies and patterns created from the form of human bodies. Art creations by the author and her students make up an integral part of the main text. An individual chapter is dedicated to the Bodyornament project. Bodyornament is a project involving artistic, educational and research elements. Its primary body of work took place as an art performance in the Veletržní palace in Prague. Through the active participation of the students, patterns and ornaments made from their bodies were created. The process was documented by means of photography. The photographs together with the students' written reflections about the experience comprise the primary research documents. In this dissertation, these documents were analyzed and interpreted by using a combination of specific forms of qualitative research and art-based research. Our research model was based on three degree reflexive analysis according to Donald Schön. Through interpretation of the research results, thoughts of possible...

Architectural ornamentation has historically been referred to as feminine, making out the non-structural surplus but also the sublime beauty in a building. By gendering the ornament female, it has become subjected to the same sets of prejudices and moralization as the women of the time.  Modernism escalated the misogynist rhetoric regarding ornamentation to such a degree that it was abolished from the architectural practice. Their dismissal of ornament painted the will to adorn as both infantile projection and erotic deception, the same clashing dualities found in female stereotypes.The contemporary discipline is still affected by the constraints introduced on aesthetics a decade ago and attempts of reclaiming the ornamental have been met by contradicting critique on if- and what contemporary ornamentation should be.  The thesis examines the contemporary debate regarding the definition, utility and application of ornament, as well as a brief historical background focused on late 19th and early 20th century architecture. By examining the decade before ornamentation became taboo, the research highlights the correlating evolution of female archetypes and ornament and how these reacted to the moralization of beauty, leading up to the abolishment of the ornament through Adolf Loos' Ornament and Crime. Reviewing a wide selection of literature on taste, ornamentation and gender, the thesis argues for the return of ornamentation as a tool in a feminist architectural practice. Through the feminized ornament, the project hopes to initiate a discussion on how one could emasculate architectural aesthetics by promoting a more inclusive and diverse morphology. Such a development would not only benefit the built environment cosmetically but improve the visual legibility and create less stress-inducing spaces.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment in compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Fine Art, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / This paper documents and evaluates the use of ceramics as an aesthetic architectural element in Durban from 1914-2012 with special reference to James Hall (1916-2006), Andrew Walford (b.1942) and Jane du Rand (b.1969). These artists were selected because their work demonstrates a wide range of the use of decorative tiles and mosaics as aesthetic elements in Durban architecture over a period of more than fifty years. Reference is made to the historical use of tiles and mosaics as aesthetic architectural elements in Durban from 1914-1955 in order to provide a context to an investigation and evaluation of the contribution of Hall, Walford and du Rand to the use of tiles and mosaics as an aesthetic architectural element in Durban. The paper begins by highlighting the importance of this study, discusses the role of ceramic architectural adornment and defines terminology for the purpose of this research. In addition an explanation of the research methodology used, research questions and literature review is provided. The study is contextualised through an overview of the historical background of the use of ceramics (tiles and mosaics) as an aesthetic element in architecture. The importance of the use of ceramic elements in relation to architecture, as well as the different techniques and methods of production, are highlighted and related to contemporary practice. The overview provides insight into how the use of ceramic elements in the past has influenced the approach of contemporary practice. My contribution to the use of mosaics as an aesthetic architectural element in Durban and my art practice, in the form of an installation titled passage is discussed and evaluated. The paper concludes by noting that the historical use of tiles and mosaics as aesthetic elements in architecture persists in contemporary art practice. However, the methods of tiled mosaic production and tiled mosaic techniques have been revolutionised extensively. It is evident that, the use of ceramics as an aesthetic element in Durban architecture reflects, both a strong European design influence and a distinctive local identity. / Durban University of Technology Postgraduate Development and Support Directorate

This thesis examines the effects that the religious changes heralded by the Counter Reformation and the decrees regarding religious imagery and the Eucharist promulgated at the Council of Trent had on the decoration of Venetian churches from the close of the Council in 1563 until the first years of the seventeenth century. Although politically Venice shielded her independence from the power of the Papacy, she nonetheless responded in conformity to the Tridentine decrees and played an important role throughout the Cinquecento as a centre for religious renewal. In turn this had an important impact on the fabric and decoration of the city’s churches, particularly in the last two decades of the Cinquecento. Focusing on four Venetian churches that were the objects of extensive decorative programmes during the late Cinquecento; San Giacomo dall’Orio, Santa Maria dell’Umiltà, the Redentore and San Giorgio Maggiore, this thesis combines archival and visual evidence to reach a deeper understanding of how the decoration of the Venetian church changed in this period. The central tenet of this thesis is that Venice made an important and early contribution towards developing the ‘ideal’ visual response required by the Council of Trent. In the immediate aftermath of the Council of Trent until the end of the century Venice enjoyed a period of important artistic renewal and achievement. This ‘golden age’ emerged in the years following Trent and in a period characterised by ongoing war and ravaging pestilence. Yet far from discouraging creative genius, the contemporary religious and political upheaval appears to have challenged artists and patrons to ever greater achievements. It thus appears that the conditions imposed by the Council of Trent created a framework within which artists could better represent the values of the renewed Catholicism of the late sixteenth century.