No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

<p> Using collage and other material processes, I transform the iconic image into a more complex reading. By appropriating found images within a specific urban area, my work exposes particular histories of class discrepancy. Filtered through my personal experiences, narratives are formed using signifiers like flags, pidgin languages, and professional sports. Pictorially, I use the grid to reference the layout of the dense urban environment. This formal structure is capable of hosting a range of disparate images and mediums. My exhibition <i>Private Signals</i> refers to the development of personal relationships that are formed through the manipulation of public images.</p>

<p> Kaitlin, my 20-year-old sister, was diagnosed with Rett syndrome when she was 8 years old. Rett Syndrome is a neurological developmental disorder that affects one's ability to use their hands and language and eventually leads to developmental regression. The best way to describe the syndrome is to imagine that a little girl has cerebral palsy, autism, anxiety, Parkinson's and epilepsy. </p><p> In this body of work I am thinking about my sister and the people closest to her, who take care of her, who love and are loved by Kaitlin: my Mother, myself, and my fianc&eacute;. I am trying to understand Kaitlin's view of the world, the world's view of her and, by extension, how she is perceived through this series of photographs. In making these pictures, I am addressing the nature of relationships, consciousness, normalcy, and the role of treasured objects in one's life. In the collages, I use the books that Kaitlin has torn and chewed. In these I am experimenting with the idea that she and I can collaborate in the art making process.</p>

<p> Being able to live together with another species in a way that is mutually beneficial is magical. Animals can have distinctive personalities and are often irreplaceable to the people who love them. They can be so genuinely loving and at times silly but then can instantly shift into being demanding and emotional. The interactions that people have with animals have universal consistencies but at the same time are very personal and individual relationships.</p><p> The artwork in my thesis exhibition, <i>Please Don't Touch the Bunnies, </i> explores traditional and non-traditional death rituals as well as the relationships people have with their pets. Mourning and peoples' respect for the dead are very important themes in my work. When my pet rabbits Alice, Osiris, and Flea died I experienced feelings of pain and sadness that are common for a person who has lost a loved one and decided to commemorate them with my art.</p>

No description available.

This thesis concerns the study and development of design evaluation methods applicable to conceptual design. The initial research reveals that the techniques and methodologies currently available for evaluation are useful for selecting preferred concepts from a number of candidate solutions during the early conceptual design. However, the later concept development stage does not have well structured techniques or methodologies to assist in evaluation of design proposals as definitive layout drawings are developed. It is clear that the end of the concept development stage is a crucial point in the design process since any design work beyond this point marks the beginning of detail design, incurring higher cost and more limited opportunities for design changes. At this point a structured approach which would help to update the product design specification and enhance the evaluation process by identifying design weaknesses and conflict would lower the risks of ultimate design failure. To achieve this goal, an evaluation technique based on the differentiation of design contexts has been proposed and tested to provide the basis for a design evaluation enhancement method potentially or real value to academia and design practitioners. The work covered in this thesis is based on the hypothesis that evaluation within distinct design contexts will be more effective than use of checklists composed of mixed criteria as currently employed. The hypothesis was tested by experimentation with Masters and PhD engineering design students as participants. This was followed by interviews with experienced designers. Evidence from the tests and interviews supported the hypothesis.

No description available.