Biennials, both historically and in the present, form a significant part of the contemporary art world. However, beyond simply acting as platforms for contemporary art, these extensive, recurring international exhibitions also facilitate complex dialogues involving a variety of agents, both cultural and political. With the inherently political nature of these exhibitions in mind, this thesis examines Canadian participation in the Venice and São Paulo biennials from 1951 to 1958. By examining what I identify as the triple purpose of the biennial - the exhibition of contemporary art, the facilitation of cultural diplomacy, and the creation and reinforcement of cultural nationalist narratives - this paper further explicates the National Gallery of Canada’s role in defining Canadian culture and the relationships between visual culture, cultural nationalism, cultural diplomacy and institutional politics in the postwar era. Drawing upon Judith Balfe’s conception of the utilization and manipulation of visual culture for nationalistic or diplomatic ends, I argue that participation in the Venice Biennale served as a means of reinforcing the presence of an NGC-defined culture of Canadian art to an international audience comprised mainly of artistic and diplomatic elite. Conversely, participation in the São Paulo Bienal served primarily as a conduit for the Department of External Affairs to project a positive image of Canadian culture to other nations and foster cordial relations between like-minded nations. I contend that a comparative analysis of Canadian participation in the two biennials highlights the complicated relationship between the NGC and the Department of External Affairs as well as the ideological adherence of both institutions towards liberalism and liberal democracy. / Thesis (Master, Art History) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-26 16:43:34.318

No description available.

Ovaldrehen ist eine alte Drechseltechnik.<br/>Sie wurde seit einigen Jahren durch neue Ovaldrehmaschinen wiederbelebt. Diese Maschinen und ihr Zubehör sowie ihr Gebrauch werden beschrieben. Die Grundlagen bilden getriebetechnische und geometrische Analysen. <br/>Eine Galerie ovalgedrehter Gebrauchsgegenstände zeigt die Vielfalt der Anwendungsmöglichkeiten.<br/>Am Schluss steht ein Verzeichnis relevanter Literatur, Videos und Adressen im Internet und von Ovaldreh-Praxen.

Ovalturning is an ancient woodturning art, recently revived by new ovalturning lathes designed and tested by the author. These lathe, their accessories and their usage and application are described in detail. The fundaments are kinematical mechanism analysis and the ellipse geometry. A gallery of oval turned items for usage shows partially the variety of ovalturning application. At the end is given a list of relevant literature, videos and addresses in the internet and of ovalturning practioners and schools. Second edition

The aim of this dissertation is to contextualise the use of porcelain by the South African ceramist Thelma Marcuson (1919-2009). This paper focuses on her ceramics in the Tatham Art Gallery’s Permanent Collection in Pietermaritzburg. I hope to give recognition to Marcuson as she is considered one of the pioneer South African studio potters by Garth Clark and Lynne Wagner’s in Potters of Southern Africa as she is ranked amongst the top fifteen in that distinct group (appendix 4: Potters’ art demo). This dissertation is divided into three chapters. Chapter one primarily focuses on the influence of contemporary European studio potters on Marcuson’s work, in particular that of Lucie Rie, Mary Rogers and Ruth Duckworth. This chapter also examines the development of ceramics from industrial ceramics, involving mass productions in factories, to the modernist revival of studio ceramics by Bernard Leach, where each piece was handmade and often regarded as an art form, as in the work of the twentieth century British ceramist William Staite-Murray. Chapter two focuses on Marcuson and South African studio ceramics and considers South African potters who had an influence on Marcuson’s early training, and also looks at her involvement with the Association of Potters of Southern Africa (APSA) founded in 1972. In the last section of this chapter I will discuss ceramic practices and technical issues about porcelain and high-firing glazes, specifying how they are made and used, with particular reference to South African developments and local studio potters. As Marcuson was particularly interested in porcelain, this chapter also outlines glaze applications with specific reference to porcelain and firing methods. Chapter three focuses on Marcuson’s ceramics and offers in particular an analysis of the nine pieces of her work in the Permanent Collection of the Tatham Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg. Through my research I was able to acquire photographic documentation from other South African museums for comparative purposes, such as the Durban Art Gallery and the William Humphreys Art Gallery in Kimberley, as well as some private collections (see appendix 1). / Thesis (M.A)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

[Truncated abstract] This thesis is split into two parts. In part one; A 50 K dual mode oscillator, the aim of the project was to build a 50 K precision oscillator with frequency stability on the order of 1014 from 1 to 100 seconds. A dual-mode temperature compensation technique was used that relied on a turning point in the frequency-temperature relationship of the difference frequency between two orthogonal whispering gallery modes in a single sapphire crystal. A cylindrical sapphire loaded copper cavity resonator was designed, modelled and built with a turning point in the difference frequency between an E-mode and H-mode pair at approximately 52.5 K . . . The frequencies and Q-factors of whispering spherical modes in the 3-12 GHz range in the fused silica resonator are measured at 6, 77 and 300 K and the Q-factor is used to determine the loss tangent at these temperatures. The frequency and Q-factor temperature dependence of the TM2,1,2 whispering gallery mode at 5.18 GHZ is used to characterise the loss tangent and relative permittivity of the fused silica from 4-300 K. Below 22 K the frequency-temperature dependence of the resonator was found to be consistent with the combined effects of the thermal properties of the dielectric and the influence of an unknown paramagnetic impurity, with a spin resonance frequency at about 138 ± 31 GHz. Below 8 K the loss tangent exhibited a 9th order power law temperature dependence, which may be explained by Raman scattering of Phonons from the paramagnetic impurity ions. A spherical Bragg reflector resonator made from multiple concentric dielectric layers loaded in a spherical cavity that enables confinement of field in the centre of the resonator is described. A set of simultaneous equations is derived that allow the calculation of the required dimensions and resonance frequency for such a resonator and the solution is confirmed using finite element analysis. A spherical Bragg reflector resonator is constructed using Teflon and free-space as the dielectric materials. A Q-factor of 22,000 at 13.87 GHz was measured and found to compare well with the design values.

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 88-89).

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Freiburg, 2001. / Mixed media. Includes bibliographical references and register.

Depuis près d’un siècle et demi, près de quatre cent cinquante sépultures collectives ont été découvertes dans le Bassin parisien. L’information archéologique à disposition y est largement lacunaire. La connaissance des groupes chrono-culturels de la fin du Néolithique a tout de même été enrichie grâce au mobilier funéraire. Il a permis de définir une phase de construction et d’utilisation commune pour une grande majorité de sépultures collectives au Néolithique récent 2 (3350-3000 av. J.-C). Une minorité d’entre elles a été utilisée au Néolithique final 1 (2900-2550 av. J.-C.), voire jusqu’au début de l’Âge du Bronze. Malgré un horizon chronologique commun, les sépultures collectives du Bassin parisien présentent une étonnante diversité architecturale. Deux grands types de monuments ont été identifiés : les allées sépulcrales et les hypogées. Ils coexistent avec un ensemble de sépulcres anciennement appelés « dolmens » ou « sépultures en fosse », deux termes qui sont aujourd’hui à bannir. Chaque type architectural se caractérise par des techniques de construction, une répartition géographique, une logique d’implantation, une durée d’utilisation et une concentration de mobilier qui lui est propre. Cette diversité est-elle renforcée par des divergences au niveau des pratiques funéraires ? Les différents types de sépultures collectives du Bassin parisien se distinguent-ils également par leurs modes de fonctionnement ? Peuvent-ils constituer des caractères culturels originaux ? / For one century and an half, around four hundred and fifty collective burials had been discovered in the Paris basin. The archeological information is widely lacunar. The knowledge of the chronological and cultural groups of the end of the Neolithic had been enhanced thanks to the burial deposit. It permitted to define a common phase of building and use of a large majority of the collective burials during the recent Neolithic (3350-3000 av. J.-C). A minority of them had been used during the final Neolithic(2900-2550 av. J.-C.), or even till the beginning of the Bronze Age.In spite of a common chronological horizon, the collective burials of the Paris basin presents a suprising architectural diversity. Two main types of monuments had been identified : the sepulchral galleries and the hypogeums. They coexist with a group of burials formerly named “dolmen” or “burial grave”, two names that we could not use any more. Each archictectural type is characterised by his own building technique, geographical distribution, implantation logic, useful life and deposit concentration. Is this diversity reinforced by some differences on burial practices ? Are the different types of collective burials of the Paris basin distinguished between as well by their functioning ? Could they constitue original characteristic cultural ?

Cette thèse examine les convergences et divergences le long de l'histoire de la documentation muséale dans trois galeries nationales en Angleterre, au Canada et aux États-Unis. Elle met en évidence un modèle commun, émanant plus particulièrement des deux types d'institutions apparues en Angleterre au 17e siècle : les musées publics, fondés sur des principes scientifiques et populistes, et la galerie privée, ancrée dans des traditions élitistes. Les galeries nationales analysées constituent un modèle hybride, en conflit avec ces deux formats antagonistes, mais leurs similitudes les plus frappantes résident dans l'évolution de leurs pratiques respectives de la documentation des œuvres d'art. La lutte continue afin d'intégrer véritablement la technologie dans la documentation d'art trahit l'héritage difficile entre ces deux modèles opposés. Tout au long des trajectoires uniques à chacune des institutions étudiées, peu de preuves montrent que les technologies optiques ou numériques ont eu des répercussions importantes sur les méthodologies ou les philosophies de la documentation des œuvres d'art. Au contraire, on observe que la documentation de forme numérique repose toujours sur une approche minimale de recueil de données, sur un groupe restreint de personnes habilitées à les collecter et sur un accès limité à ces données. Cette recherche renforce l'argumentation pour une redéfinition de la documentation des œuvres d'art pour repenser ses stratégies et ses philosophies directrices, pour poser un nouveau regard sur la recherche dans les collections et pour élargir l'intégration des technologies numériques dans ces processus. / This research examines the divergences and convergences across the histories of three national galleries, in England, Canada and the United States, providing evidence of a common model that emanates particularly from two types of institutions that appeared in England during the 17th century: public museums founded on scientific and populist principles, and private art galleries anchored in elitist traditions. The national galleries compared in this study constitute hybrids in conflict with the original antagonistic models. But their most striking similarities reside in the evolution of their respective documentation practices. The continued struggle to truly integrate technologies in the documentation of art betrays the difficult heritage between these two opposing models. Throughout the unique historical trajectories of these institutions, there was little proof that optical or digital technologies had had important repercussions on the methodologies or the philosophies of the documentation of works of art. On the contrary, it was observed that documentation, even in digital form, continued to rely on minimal standards of data gathering, restricted groups of persons trained to collect data, and limited access to any data captured. This research reinforces the need to redefine museum documentation in order to rethink its strategies and guiding philosophies, to enable new research into museum collections, and to enlarge the integration of digital technologies into the process.