Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard University, 1983. / Includes bibliographical references. Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard University, 1983. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

The writer could not blame the reader for finding the title to this essay couched in somewhat academic terms. It must be said immediately that the title is a fake -- or that the following essay is a fake; the title has pretensions to the academic -- the essay has not. All academicism no longer has an independent existence -- it operates by formulae, is mechanical, uses faked sensations and vicarious experience and borrows its tricks and themes from a mature, established culture close at hand. This ' culture's life's blood is looted, given new twists, watered down and served up in academic terms. For these reasons, academicism and Kitsch are the same -- both change according to style and yet are always the same; both are the epitome of all that is spurious in our time. So, academicism could be said to be the 'stuffed shirt-front' for Kitsch. Preamble, p. 1.

This dissertation partial 2 and photographic documentation was produced in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town. In my undergraduate study I was interested in the way in which familiar objects changed their meaning in different contexts. In this study, my focus of attention has been on the transference of meaning associated with the conventionalised language of historical ornament. This has involved a process of incorporating 'found' imagery into composite images of a fantastical nature. The use of ornament as a source material posed problems. The original symbolic function and communicative power of many ornamental motifs and images has been undermined by constant use. As such they have become cliched. I have attempted to revitalise these tired forms through a re-assessment of their value as 'sculptural' elements and by an ironical examination of their past associations. Before re-contextualising the work in a contemporary dimension, it was necessary to undertake a survey of the historical antecedents of revivalism and other forms of aesthetic eclecticism. Although schematic, this overview was important to my understanding, and I have devoted a full chapter of the dissertation to this section of the study. A discussion of current Post-Modern debates is included and forms a central part of this section.

<p>There is growing acceptance in interactive systems design for research approaches built on Phenomenological foundations. These approaches, which include methods such as Ethnomethodology and Participatory Design as well as techniques such as Personas and Cultural Probes, concern themselves with the lived experience of real people. They give insight into subjective experience&mdash;what it is like to be a particular person in a particular situation engaged in a particular activity. With greater insight into subjective experience should come greater ability to construct systems which fit into the worlds of users </p><p> However, insights into subjective experience are not always effectively sustained throughout systems development. Such findings do not blend smoothly with typical systems-development mechanisms for organizing and analyzing information, which work from an epistemology base more akin to Cognitive Science then Phenomenology. In contrast, narrative techniques, like scenarios and storyboards, tap human beings' basic abilities to use stories to understand the subjective worlds of others. But this primal nature makes narrative untrustworthy; good fiction reads like fact. To be trusted, stories for technology development must be built on a visible scaffolding of empirical data. </p><p> This research presents the Contextual Scenario Platform (CSP) design support tool. The CSP helps designers write scenarios about hypothetical people, in hypothetical situations, with thoughts, feelings, perceptions and choices for action based on empirical research. Underlying the CSP is an information framework whose structures reflect Phenomenological models of conscious experience. When encoding information into the CSP, researchers describe situations as collections of small situation-description components. Scenario authors use the same situation-description components when writing scenarios to describe each character's situation. Where these description sets overlap, the empirical finding applies to the hypothetical character. </p><p> Two case studies demonstrated the CSP's capabilities for encoding research findings and delineating complex situations with simple components. Designers in a subsequent study created scenarios using two approaches: CSP as auditor, restricting deviation from the empirical while constructing the hypothetical; and CSP as improvisational partner, with empirical data serving as catalysts for creative scenario construction. </p>

The purpose of this creative project was for the artist to design a series in clay, construct them, and write a thesis about the series concerning the ideas and imagery. The artist chose sealife imagery as a focal point for the series because the shapes of their fins and curves of their bodies create a feeling of movement. Ten images were chosen for the design of the diptych sets. The negative space between the two diptychs made reference to the varied fish forms and sealife. The surface of these pieces have a highly textured appearance reflecting impressions of intrinsic detail of vegetation, coral, fin, and tail-like shapes. The color of the sculpture diptychs will relay to the viewer the feeling the artist desires. For example, a shark image would have black and dark blue on the sculpture to represent unknown threats and anxiety from this ominous form lurking amidst them. The construction of the diptychs was cardboard template and slab method. The artist rolled out clay slabs, with shaped cardboard templates, transfering an image to the clay slabs. This gave the sculpture temporary stability while it was being constructed. The cardboard was removed after the form was dry enough to be stable. After stabilizing, the form had reinforcement coils added. This also gave the form stability to stand on it's own. Then it was ready for the additive and subtractive process to create the fins and tail shapes on the positive forms. Wavy lines were then carved into the forms to add movement to the diptych set. Texture was added by pressing shells and coral into the clay to add to the imagery. The forms were then allowed to dry completely. The first firing was the bisque firing to cone 010-04 (1641-1940 F).. Cone 04 allowed for a more stable form. After the bisque the diptychs were glazed with Reward Underglaze, Reward Glaze, Duncan Underglaze, and Duncan Clear cone 05-06 (1915-1830 F). The clear was applied in a wave like affect giving the surface a wet look where applied.The creative project was a chance for the artist to push the media of ceramics, and to learn the limits of the medium. The artist has also opened a new door in her own personal experiences through exploration in the use of negative space as the image and the clay forms, or positive space as the area around the image. / Department of Art

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, 2007. / Title from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 25, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-02, Section: A, page: 0705. Adviser: Henry Glassie.

<p> The scenic design for <i>By the Bog of Cats,</i> a University Players production in Spring 2014, created the world of the bog by utilizing the visual language of a crash site coupled with the feeling (and furnishings) of a home. As a way to connect to the story, personal experience was used. To create the visual language of the bog, crash sites were studied. Using old furniture and aged tree branches that were found on the side of the road, or in alleys, the set was aged naturally. Through collaboration between all designers and the director, the production of <i>By the Bog of Cats</i> was a success in bringing the audience into the crash site where the story takes place.</p>

<p> Jane Austen&rsquo;s <i>Emma</i> as adapted by Michael Bloom was staged at the George Washington University in the spring semester of 2013. Under the direction of Alan Wade, it opened on March 28th in the Dorothy Betts Marvin Center Theatre on the George Washington University campus in Washington DC. The lighting designer was Eva Gonz&agrave;lez and the costumes designer was Basmah Alomar. </p><p> This thesis opens by discussing the overall mission, which for this project was to design and create a set for <i>Emma</i> while dealing with a department with fluctuating levels of staffing. Additionally discussed are two major logistic difficulties: the first relates to the problem of working with a non-permanent Technical Director who has less experience operating within GWU&rsquo;s educational system and organizational culture; the second discusses the lack of an Assistant Technical Director to work with closely leading to the build process, and how this affected the design development. </p><p> Chapter two explores the life of Jane Austen, as well as the narrative structure of the novel and Michael Bloom&rsquo;s adaption. These are important as they show a background to the author as well as how she wrote in a variable narrative structure, and subsequently how Bloom adopted this irregular structure using theatrical elements such as the aside and the use of the main protagonists&rsquo; &ndash; and in the novel, Austen&rsquo;s thoughts &ndash; to tell the story of <i>Emma</i>. </p><p> Chapter three discusses the geopolitical overview of the time in which Austen lived. This is important because her life took place within a rapidly changing global atmosphere, beginning with American Revolution and ending with the finale of the Napoleonic Wars. This chapter also focuses on the Regency period and how the changing world affected interior and architectural design in England and subsequently around the world. </p><p> Chapter four and five follow the design from concept to completion and explores the need for effective communication as being key to any successful design. </p><p> Finally, the analysis chapter explores the problems faced during the process as and discusses how they may have been avoided and/or mitigated. This specifically focuses on the problems that a changing educational department can have on a design and the design process.</p>