This study examines traditional and alternative citizenship models such as legal, flexible, global and cultural citizenship. These types of citizenship lay the foundation for the understanding of 'liminal citizenship.' This study identifies international students as liminal citizens and gauges the role of theatre in encouraging them to be civically engaged by creating a model for using applied theatre to 1) make international students aware of the possibilities of inclusion within their host community; and 2) empower them to become active members in it. / text

This thesis document seeks to find a common thread between three of my plays; The Tides of Aberdeen, The Death of Beth, and Highway Play, written during my MFA program at The University of Texas at Austin. Each play deals with the theme of disappearance in a different way. The lens with which I will examine each play can be defined as “the presence of absence”. I define the presence of absence as having three necessary elements; a liminal space, a palpable void and an unseen tension. The essay also deals with the presence of absence in The Walls by Griselda Gambaro. By defining the presence of absence and how it works in each of my plays I hope to develop a rewriting strategy that incorporates structuring a plot. Also included in this thesis document are the three plays I examine in my thesis, The Tides of Aberdeen, The Death of Beth and Highway Play. / text

The ten stories in this short story collection explore the liminal spaces created by certain physical spaces as well as times in the characters’ lives. The stories are largely related to a school environment, and the relationships and experiences that are unique to the players living and moving within that context. How much are the relationships and actions of the characters influenced by the setting. What weight do institutional forces and tradition carry in the characters’ lives, and how do they exploit it for their own will or conform?

Malawi is currently identified as one of the poorest countries in the world, based upon economic factors and the large dependence of the country on foreign aid. Poverty is endemic, but how does one measure factors such as happiness and contentment that exists in many communities? How does one account for cultural richness and diversity? Known as the warm heart of Africa, Malawi lives up to its reputation through the warmth and hospitality shown by its people. In spite of an absence of a strong formal architectural history, one cannot help but be impressed by the crude vernacular architecture that is found throughout the country. Together these two conditions, the warm heart and vernacular architecture lead to the question concerning the role of architecture in augmenting Malawis image globally. How can these pre-liminal conditions come together as a force that would start scripting the path of progress for Malawi as a nation? This thesis evaluates the current pre-liminal situation in Malawi through the study of its activities, events and culture. It proposes an intervention in the form of a new library which at its core is developed around the principles of liminality. From the gathering spaces to the local construction techniques and the use of shaded spaces in and around the building, this thesis is an attempt to trigger a liminal shift in Malawi. / Master of Architecture

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Master of Visual Arts / Abstract of Dissertation Where a person is situated in space and time determines the way an artwork is perceived. The result of this experience implies a relationship between the viewer and the artwork, thereby creating a liminal space. The terms liminal space and nonduality in this paper refer to the threshold, or in-between space that both separates and unites two opposing forces, creating a unique place that transcends memory and time. An artwork can serve as a mediatory object between artist and viewer because with each encounter, a unique meeting occurs. Thus, the meeting of audience and art object is transitory, ephemeral and temporal by nature and will be discussed in relation to the artwork as a vehicle to foster a subjective perception. Using my ancestral memories as a starting point, I refer to the art object as a means to explore time as a cross section of experience. Like dreams, where time is non-linear and memories exist side by side, I refer to the nondual space that exists between artist, artwork and audience as an opportunity to access an intuitive reaction to perception. The yearning to represent subjective space stems from my desire to understand perception and the brain. By presenting an overview of approaches from art history and contemporary art, this paper will discuss the various philosophical approaches that have been employed to represent space and time. I emphasise the ability of visual art to record the multifarious nature of experience, and the ability of the picture plane as a means to employ illusory and abstract space simultaneously. I have approached the research of time, memory and space through the lens of my own ancestry, which is essentially a combination of eastern and western in origin. Through this model I explore the tendencies throughout art history to depict space and time and the influences that culture and science have had upon the visual arts. My own paintings, and the work of Louise Bourgeois, Amy Cutler and Mamma Andersson are discussed with the intention of describing how the subjectivity of space can be expressed through a method that embraces the theories of nonduality and liminal space. Between the junction of east/west and abstract/illusory space, lies a point of union that I will refer to as ‘transcendent space’. By existing in the nondual, access is granted into a field that transcends the ‘either/or’ and allows access into a temporal space that permeates all experience. Studio work The studio component of the MVA will comprise of a series of paintings and an installation entitled, Only the memories are new. The paintings are of small scale and play with depictions of flatness and illusion. I have referenced Arabic miniatures as a means to employ a vertical perspective, whilst the inclusion of windows and doorways imply an opening to the nondual and the liminal. For the installation, components of the paintings come to life and occupy a space that invites the viewers’ participation. The installation presents an environment that asks the viewer to navigate the space that they occupy by way of memory and time.

Master of Visual Arts / Abstract of Dissertation Where a person is situated in space and time determines the way an artwork is perceived. The result of this experience implies a relationship between the viewer and the artwork, thereby creating a liminal space. The terms liminal space and nonduality in this paper refer to the threshold, or in-between space that both separates and unites two opposing forces, creating a unique place that transcends memory and time. An artwork can serve as a mediatory object between artist and viewer because with each encounter, a unique meeting occurs. Thus, the meeting of audience and art object is transitory, ephemeral and temporal by nature and will be discussed in relation to the artwork as a vehicle to foster a subjective perception. Using my ancestral memories as a starting point, I refer to the art object as a means to explore time as a cross section of experience. Like dreams, where time is non-linear and memories exist side by side, I refer to the nondual space that exists between artist, artwork and audience as an opportunity to access an intuitive reaction to perception. The yearning to represent subjective space stems from my desire to understand perception and the brain. By presenting an overview of approaches from art history and contemporary art, this paper will discuss the various philosophical approaches that have been employed to represent space and time. I emphasise the ability of visual art to record the multifarious nature of experience, and the ability of the picture plane as a means to employ illusory and abstract space simultaneously. I have approached the research of time, memory and space through the lens of my own ancestry, which is essentially a combination of eastern and western in origin. Through this model I explore the tendencies throughout art history to depict space and time and the influences that culture and science have had upon the visual arts. My own paintings, and the work of Louise Bourgeois, Amy Cutler and Mamma Andersson are discussed with the intention of describing how the subjectivity of space can be expressed through a method that embraces the theories of nonduality and liminal space. Between the junction of east/west and abstract/illusory space, lies a point of union that I will refer to as ‘transcendent space’. By existing in the nondual, access is granted into a field that transcends the ‘either/or’ and allows access into a temporal space that permeates all experience. Studio work The studio component of the MVA will comprise of a series of paintings and an installation entitled, Only the memories are new. The paintings are of small scale and play with depictions of flatness and illusion. I have referenced Arabic miniatures as a means to employ a vertical perspective, whilst the inclusion of windows and doorways imply an opening to the nondual and the liminal. For the installation, components of the paintings come to life and occupy a space that invites the viewers’ participation. The installation presents an environment that asks the viewer to navigate the space that they occupy by way of memory and time.

In my dissertation, I argue that Marina Carr creates liminal spaces in her plays, exploring the tensions inherent in the issues of landscape, gender, and identity. She uses these liminal spaces to expose her audiences to more complex conceptions of Ireland in the twenty-first century. For example, Carr frequently challenges perceived notions of gender identity, drawing attention to gender as performance and creating female protagonists who resist their roles as wives and mothers. Landscape is also an important element of Carr's plays; most frequently she uses the landscape of the Irish Midlands as a space that is liminal both in terms of its geography in the center of the country and in terms of the bogs, which are neither land nor water. Finally, throughout her plays she combines elements of the Irish dramatic tradition with non-Irish elements as a way of expressing Ireland's complicated post-Celtic Tiger identity. I address Carr's plays chronologically in an attempt to trace her development of her use of liminality, which begins primarily with gender in Low in the Dark and expands to include landscape and identity through the Midlands plays. Most recently, plays like Woman and Scarecrow and The Cordelia Dream are set in the liminal moments between life and death and in the unconscious world of the characters' dreams, illustrating Carr's continuing exploration of new liminal spaces.

The paradoxical nature of society leads to great dualities in the study of motion and space, creating conflicting relationships. The role of the architectural design is to facilitate these motions to become a stage for the spectacle in its immediate context. The dissertation presents an architectural proposal that addresses the notion of duality. By identifying the possibilities within a liminal context, an architectural narrative creates scenarios as a possible response. The author investigates the manifestation of multiple programmes, a leather workshop, bakery and bar within the South African urban context of Pretoria West. The architectural exploration aims to enrich public life in a liminal space on the periphery of the city. Challenges associated with the typology of duality are addressed through the integration with the immediate context to ensure its sustainability. The aim is to celebrate the edge condition and the spaces commonly overlooked. / Dissertation MArch(Prof)-University of Pretoria, 2012. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

Read abstract in the document / Dissertation (MInt(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Architecture / MInt(Prof) / Unrestricted