My goal in this thesis is to frame, through design, an existing environment in a manner that fosters the witness and embrace of the reality and beauty of decay—which acts as a marker of the passage of time. My intent is to engage in a careful renewal of a neglected, and largely forgotten, urban landscape, which does not ignore its temporal context. My hope is to explore the full potential of the life cycle of buildings and discover the lesson of mortality in modern American ruins.Things fall apart. This is a simple truth about the physical world that humanity inhabits, which surrounds, invades and defines the human condition. Because [or in spite] of this we live in a culture that values progress, newness, and speed, that proselytizes through marketing the belief that comfort can be found in surrounding oneself with new things, pushing reminders of death away. The current world of architecture and design nurtures this mentality, selling projects through the production of sleek renderings of pristine and clean objects, a state that will only last for a short time. I argue that, in spite of this mind-set, the realization of entropic inevitability is necessary to provide a healthy temporal context through which to view daily life. Its acceptance is crucial to an appropriate perspective on life and the human condition, allowing positive forward movement in the midst of the change and deterioration that define life. I hope to show how architecture can foster this acceptance through adaptive re-use which values and interacts with the marks of time and traces of past use. The question that I am positing ultimately is this: How can new architecture breathe life into neglected spaces while also preserving the found beauty of the state of its breakdown, what one might call its ‘character’? Can architecture take cues from and be molded and enlivened by the people, events and nature that it interacts with and is transformed by? Can architecture enact a resurrection that deftly navigates between outright neglect and sterile renovation? And what is the appropriate way to do this?

The study of social memory is not purely a historical or anthropological endeavor. Archaeology can provide a considerable amount of evidence about how and why people remembered. In this case study, the Colosseum will be studied in the broader sense of being a monument of damnatio memoriae and commemorative memory; the very act of building it can be seen as a form of “recutting” the landscape to fit the image Vespasian wanted to convey of his predecessor. The Colosseum will also be studied in an even larger historical context. This will involve analyzing the manner in which it was memorialized during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and by British visitors during the Victorian era. I will end the case study with an analysis of Benito Mussolini’s use of antiquity and the Colosseum to propagate Fascism. Lastly, the concept of cultural heritage and the institutions that uphold it, particularly UNESCO, will be put into question. In illustrating the fluidity of interpretations of the past, in this case through material culture, I argue that the endeavor to codify them by establishing World Heritage sites is problematic because of their subjectivity to modern agendas. However, in order to understand changing attitudes and memories associated with a single monument, one must first explore the nature of social memory.

Elizabeth Waltenburg es una artista contemporánea argentina. En su muestra, despierta!, las obras en óleo sobre tela representan a mujeres, niños y animales en fondos extraños y deprimidos. Ella utilize simbolismo de animales y figuras femeninas para discutir el feminismo actual. Ella trabaja en un tiempo complicado por el feminismo, el postfeminismo, la critica de ambos, y un sistema de comunicación global. Su trabajo marca una tendencia hecho por la confusión de todos estos movimientos. Esta tesis discute su trabajo en el contexto de la historia de representaciones de mujeres, de niños y de animales para llegar a una mejor comprensión de los que hace ella. English: Elizabeth Waltenburg is a contemporary Argentine artist. In her show, “Wake Up!”, the oil on canvas works represent women, children and animals on strange and depressed backgrounds. She uses the symbolism of feminine and animal figures to comment on contemporary feminism. She works in a complex era marked by feminism, post-feminism, criticism of both schools and a system of global communication. Her work incorporates elements from all the issues above. This thesis discusses her work in the context of the history of representation of women, children, and animals in order to arrive to a better comprehension of the kind of work she does.

A thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy - Flinders University of South Australia, Faculty of Education Humanities, Law and Theology, June 2003. / Title from electronic thesis (viewed 27/7/10)

Essa dissertação tem como objetivo analisar as autobiografias de Maria Campbell, Halfbreed, e Sally Morgan, My Place, levando em consideração aspectos de cunho histórico, político, étnico e social do Canadá e da Austrália. Além disso, a dissertação aborda a busca das escritoras por suas identidades indígena canadense e aborígine australiana, respectivamente. Para investigação do tema escolhido realizo um estudo sobre autobiografia destacando seu contexto histórico, sua relação com o sujeito autobiográfico com base em questões de gênero e etnia. Para análise das questões de gênero uso a teoria e crítica feminista, enquanto que as questões étnicas busco fundamentar na teoria e crítica pós-colonial. Para o estudo da obra de Maria Campbell entrelaço questões de cunho autobiográfico, fatores históricos canadenses e a questão da mulher indígena no Canadá. A análise de Halfbreed também busca tratar do sujeito feminino de origem métis em busca de sua identidade, igualdade e dignidade. Quanto à My Place, o processo de análise também envolveu um estudo de autobiografia a partir de uma perspectiva aborígine feminina australiana, o que trouxe à tona questões identitárias do sujeito feminino pós-colonial e questões históricas referentes à Austrália. A análise de My Place enfatiza a busca de Sally Morgan por sua identidade e pelo passado de sua família, marcado por lembranças, estórias, dor, perda e esperança. / This dissertation aims at analyzing the autobiographies by Maria Campbell, Halfbreed, and Sally Morgan, My Place taking into consideration historical, political, ethnic and social aspects of Canada and Australia. Besides, this dissertation refers to the writers search for their Indigenous Canadian and Aboriginal Australian identities, respectively. To investigate the chosen theme, I approach the autobiographical genre emphasizing its historical context, its relationship to the autobiographical subject based on gender and ethnic issues. Concerning the analysis of gender issues it was necessary to refer to Feminist theories and criticism, whereas discussions regarding ethnic issues were based on Post-Colonial theory and criticism. In the analysis of Maria Campbells work I discuss issues related to autobiography, Canadian history and to Indigenous Canadian women. Halfbreeds analysis also considers the condition of the female Métis Canadian subject in search of identity, equality and dignity. As far as My Place is concerned, the analysis was a process which involved a study of the autobiographical genre from a female Aboriginal Australian perspective. The analysis raises questions related to the identity of the postcolonial subject and Australias historical context. My Places analysis also emphasizes Morgans search for identity and for her familys past, which is marked by memories, stories, pain, loss and hope.

Essa dissertação tem como objetivo analisar as autobiografias de Maria Campbell, Halfbreed, e Sally Morgan, My Place, levando em consideração aspectos de cunho histórico, político, étnico e social do Canadá e da Austrália. Além disso, a dissertação aborda a busca das escritoras por suas identidades indígena canadense e aborígine australiana, respectivamente. Para investigação do tema escolhido realizo um estudo sobre autobiografia destacando seu contexto histórico, sua relação com o sujeito autobiográfico com base em questões de gênero e etnia. Para análise das questões de gênero uso a teoria e crítica feminista, enquanto que as questões étnicas busco fundamentar na teoria e crítica pós-colonial. Para o estudo da obra de Maria Campbell entrelaço questões de cunho autobiográfico, fatores históricos canadenses e a questão da mulher indígena no Canadá. A análise de Halfbreed também busca tratar do sujeito feminino de origem métis em busca de sua identidade, igualdade e dignidade. Quanto à My Place, o processo de análise também envolveu um estudo de autobiografia a partir de uma perspectiva aborígine feminina australiana, o que trouxe à tona questões identitárias do sujeito feminino pós-colonial e questões históricas referentes à Austrália. A análise de My Place enfatiza a busca de Sally Morgan por sua identidade e pelo passado de sua família, marcado por lembranças, estórias, dor, perda e esperança. / This dissertation aims at analyzing the autobiographies by Maria Campbell, Halfbreed, and Sally Morgan, My Place taking into consideration historical, political, ethnic and social aspects of Canada and Australia. Besides, this dissertation refers to the writers search for their Indigenous Canadian and Aboriginal Australian identities, respectively. To investigate the chosen theme, I approach the autobiographical genre emphasizing its historical context, its relationship to the autobiographical subject based on gender and ethnic issues. Concerning the analysis of gender issues it was necessary to refer to Feminist theories and criticism, whereas discussions regarding ethnic issues were based on Post-Colonial theory and criticism. In the analysis of Maria Campbells work I discuss issues related to autobiography, Canadian history and to Indigenous Canadian women. Halfbreeds analysis also considers the condition of the female Métis Canadian subject in search of identity, equality and dignity. As far as My Place is concerned, the analysis was a process which involved a study of the autobiographical genre from a female Aboriginal Australian perspective. The analysis raises questions related to the identity of the postcolonial subject and Australias historical context. My Places analysis also emphasizes Morgans search for identity and for her familys past, which is marked by memories, stories, pain, loss and hope.

El problema a tratar o la reflexión sobre una redefinición o reestructuración de la ciencia literaria (crítica académica literaria, estudios literarios, CL) y estudios culturales (EC) es un fenómeno global obvio cuando, por ejemplo, en la propuesta para este volumen de reflexiones conjuntas, se pregunta "¿cómo reaccionar frente a la disminución de estudiantes subgraduados y graduados de literatura y al incremento de los abocados a los estudios culturales?" Esta pregunta revela un fenómeno que se está dando masivamente en todos aquellos países en cuyas universidades se han introducido los estudios culturales, así en Alemania, así en el Instituto de Romanística y en el Centro de Investigación Iberoamericana de la Universidad de Leipzig.:Introducción al problema: estudios culturales (EC) y crítica literaria (CL). - Prolegómenos: algunas reflexiones básicas. - "Hibridez" – "transversalidad" – "transmedialidad" – "cuerpo"/ "sexualidad". -

While documentation of the work of a select group of modernist landscape architects of the mid-twentieth century is available, little is known about the professional contributions of transitional landscape architects active in the period following World War II. Using selected projects framed by existing literature covering contemporary social, economic, political, and artistic influences, this study examines the career of one such transitional figure, Sidney Nichols Shurcliff (1906-1981). Project descriptions and analysis measure the scope of Shurcliff's work and the degree to which he contributed to the discipline and its transition to modernism, thereby augmenting the history of landscape architecture practice.

The larger architectural context of cities must be understood in order to effectively design buildings. If a building ignores its surroundings, it will not hold up to time and will adversely affect the city in which it stands. This can be seen in multiple of disarrayed cities and their commercial-driven building inventory. So, what makes a good city stand out, and how can this be applied to buildings? There are the four basic principles designers and planners seemed to have forgotten. The first is the layout of basic city components and their influence on current and future identity. The second is the aesthetic principles of scale and proportion. Choosing appropriate material permanence to your location is also important because it enhances or subtracts from the city’s identity. And finally, the experience of the observer must be impactful. If these principles are applied correctly and harmoniously, they can effectively heal the conflicting issues of transportation, pedestrian access, social venues, historic reverence and much more. But most importantly, they can be applied to buildings. Buildings can individually initiate the healing of an urban fabric if they are cognizant to their surroundings. Therefore in this thesis, I want to apply these four basic principles in the rehabilitation of a malfunctioning junction in my hometown of Helena, Montana. By designing a singular building with a guiding master plan, I hope to stimulate a chain reaction. This transformation would take the current issues and interweave these principles into an effective solution that will not only revitalize the area but also become a tourist destination.

This study will comprise a very limited portion of the general field of building inscriptions, the artistic aspect. This will be done by a presentation of the means and make up of inscription, the critical study of many examples, and the formulation of rules for study and design of inscriptions.