This thesis is about how space technology is experienced in the social domain and how its purpose is recast from different viewpoints. The author is an artist and the approach taken foregrounds qualities of experience and viewpoint in which artists have a particular investment. This approach opens up the ways that affect, agency and authorship cross social domains that are directly and indirectly associated with the production of space technologies. A key focus is a group project led by the author that was initiated in response to the launch in October 2008 of the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The project took place in Bengaluru, India where the spacecraft was built. Taking the ambivalence that surrounds the uses and purposes of space technologies as a starting point, a description of the spacecraft is developed from a number of viewpoints, including the mission scientists, public media and the participants of the artist-led project. The interventionist strategies of the project shed light on the ways that technologies can be accessed through their imaginaries and this has significance for large-scale technologies, such as spacecraft, for which physical access is delimited and much of the infrastructure is invisible or hidden from public view. The thesis proposes ways of reinstating missed qualities of viewpoint and experience within the affective spaces of space technology through the imperative to articulate first-person engagements with the world that is bound into artistic interpretation. What is further proposed is that by picturing the interrelations and flows of space technology in social domains through the lenses of experience and viewpoint, a 'technographic picture' is created that then becomes available as a tool with which to re-imagine spacefaring. This is a crucial addition to discussions about the interplay between science, technology and society that recognises the intimate spaces at the core of such large-scale concepts. It offers a new transdisciplinary modality that incorporates an artistic approach with which to make sense of the structurally ambivalent pursuits of spacefaring.

This thesis explores the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of mid-career artists in England and the South West of England in particular during 2000 to 2010. It identifies what their needs are and asks what CPD means to them; how they navigate their careers through their practice; how they articulate their needs; and how they negotiate to fulfil those needs. It examines to what extent the providers’ thinking about, and provision of, CPD in the region is aligned with the needs of the artists themselves. The individual narratives of artists are represented at the centre of this research. The research was developed in collaboration with University of Plymouth and the CPD agency, ArtsMatrix Ltd. Research methods used to collect data included extended dialogues with the artists Alyson Hallett, Mariele Neudecker, Helen Poynor and Phil Smith, via a series of walking interviews, using walking as an ethnographic research tool. By walking I engaged with a literal momentum of movement paralleling the physical and theoretical momentums of the artists’ practices. Policy and literature reviews; group interviews; artist interviews; desk-based research; observation and attendance at artist-led seminars and practice groups were also used. The research contrasts two CPD Schemes: The Contemporary Craft Fellowship Scheme, and The Artist as Cultural Agent: DIY. The thesis includes a policy and provision review of CPD literature in the UK and South West of England over the past ten years; a mapping of South West CPD provision for artists; and the identification and application of relevant theoretical and critical approaches to place, space, language and momentum in order to consider CPD provision in relation to the articulation, situation and concept of a career. This thesis argues that the language of CPD can constrain as much as enable artists’ development; that the terms “mid-career” and “South West” are open to contestation and can affect provider conceptualisations of artists in the region; and that artists need professional development throughout their careers but may not name it as such. I advocate for policy and provision to understand artists’ need to be supported “throughout” their practices rather than at certain points in a career, and advocate walking as both a research method and as one of a number of facilitative practices for those who provide CPD with or for experienced artists. I also advocate for artist-led CPD initiatives and an administrative support agency for artists.

Qu’il s’agisse d’une signature monochrome ("tag"), de lettres rondes à deux couleurs ("throw-up") ou d’un enchevêtrement calligraphique multicolore ("piece"), les formes caractéristiques du graffiti hip-hop font aujourd’hui partie du paysage urbain des grandes villes du monde. Né aux États-Unis dans les années 1960 et diffusé à l’extérieur des frontières américaines dans les années 1980, le graffiti hip-hop peut être perçu comme un exemple à la fois de l’américanisation et de l’homogénéisation des pratiques culturelles des jeunes à travers le monde. À partir d'une comparaison entre des graffiteurs francophones de Montréal et des graffiteurs lusophones de São Paulo, cette thèse décrit le processus d'appropriation d'un mouvement culturel d’origine américaine et montre les similitudes et les différences retrouvées au niveau local de cette forme d'expression mondialisée. L’étude de l’appropriation culturelle proposée dans cette thèse se compose de deux niveaux d’analyse. Le premier – qualifié de micro – touche le domaine personnel et se penche sur le processus de production de graffitis de style hip-hop (type de graffitis d’origine new-yorkaise basé sur l’écriture de pseudonymes). Ce niveau d’analyse me permet de démontrer comment les mécanismes de l’imitation et de la transformation se mélangent et renvoient aux processus de l’apprentissage et de l’inventivité individuels. Pour l’analyse du second niveau – qualifié de macro –, je tiens compte de l’ensemble des forces qui, au plan de la collectivité, forge l’appropriation. Ceci me permet de tracer des liens causaux entre les particularités locales du graffiti hip-hop et certains paramètres relevant du politique, de l’économique, de l’histoire et du culturel. / I propose to examine the local appropriation of hip-hop graffiti, a transnational youth expression, that originated in the East-Coast of the United States, through a micro and a macro perspective applied to a multi-site ethnography of hip-hop graffiti in two cities of the Americas, Montreal (Canada) and São Paulo (Brazil), among, respectively, French and Portuguese speaking graffiti artists. The micro level analysis will focus on the creative process by which graffiti artists combine imitation and transformation; and the macro perspective will bring into relief the complex ensemble of dimensions which influences the appropriation process in a given locality. Based on this double-leveled analysis, I shall 1) describe the similarities and differences between the hip-hop graffiti scene in Montreal and São Paulo; 2) identify key elements of the process of cultural appropriation; and 3) reexamine the notion that globalization results in cultural homogenization.

À l’heure où l’industrie de l’enregistrement sonore connait un certain nombre de bouleversements, Internet apparait à la fois comme un responsable d’une crise du disque et comme une plate-forme de diffusion et de promotion de la musique enregistrée. C’est dans ce contexte de mutations des industries culturelles que sont les industries de la musique que les labels indépendants voient les possibilités liées à la promotion se multiplier. Notamment par le biais des sites internet que j’envisage ici comme discours encodé et diffusé. Ce mémoire explore deux sites internet officiels de labels indépendants de rap québécois à l’aide de la proposition de la présence du mythe dans le discours de promotion. S’appuyant sur la théorie de Barthes, mon analyse s’articule autour de l’étude de la signification afin de mettre en lumière la façon dont le mythe fonctionne dans le discours. En m’intéressant principalement à l’image et au texte, je mets notamment en valeur le traitement de l’artiste, de la création musicale et du label dans le discours. / At a time when the music recording industry is going through some shake ups, Internet is seen both as a responsible for a disc crisis and as a plateform for diffusion and promotion of recorded music. This cultural industries' mutations context is now revealing multiple promotion opportunities for independant labels, as part of the music industries. This can be seen through websites which I consider to be a broadcasted, encoded and decoded discourse. This master thesis explore two independant record companys’ websites, both producing rap music in Québec, with the proposal of the presence of the myth in the promotionnal discourse. Based on Barthes' theory, my analysis is built around the study of the signification in order to outline the way the myth works in the discourse. While focusing on images and text, I mainly emphasize the treatment of the artist, the musical creation and the record label in the discourse.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal. / Pour respecter les droits d'auteur, la version électronique de cette thèse ou ce mémoire a été dépouillée, le cas échéant, de ses documents visuels et audio-visuels. La version intégrale de la thèse ou du mémoire a été déposée au Service de la gestion des documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Doctorat réalisé en cotutelle avec l'Université Paris Sorbonne. La version intégrale de cette thèse est disponible uniquement pour consultation individuelle à la Bibliothèque de musique de l’Université de Montréal (www.bib.umontreal.ca/MU). / La question centrale de cette recherche s’inscrit dans la foulée des problématiques autour de la patrimonialisation, de la performance et de la mise en scène des pratiques musicales. Elle vise plus précisément à comprendre comment et pourquoi les Judéo-espagnols de France, installés depuis le début du XXe siècle, utilisent les pratiques singulières des musiciens et chanteurs professionnels majoritairement externes à la communauté pour revendiquer leur patrimoine musical collectif et affirmer leur identité. La chercheuse replonge dans le passé afin de saisir comment le répertoire musical s’est construit et est devenu un objet quasiment exclusif au monde de l’art, alors qu’il reste associé aux répertoires dits « traditionnels ». En vue d’interroger la judéo-hispanité musicale et déterminer ce qui la caractérise au présent, une ethnographie multi-site auprès des artistes et de la communauté est proposée. Enfin, pour comprendre le sens des pratiques, différents espaces de performance sont examinés à partir de l’analyse des interactions entre les pôles de production et de réception, en cohérence avec le contexte général de la pratique et de l’ensemble des paramètres performanciels. La conclusion révèle notamment que la relation entre les artistes et la communauté génère un nouvel espace familial et intimiste et que chacun des espaces forme un système interrelationnel dont l’interaction permet de produire un équilibre qui consiste à faire vivre et à investir le patrimoine musical au présent. Par ce biais, c’est notamment la problématique des catégories musicales (musiques populaires, musiques traditionnelles, musiques de scène) reliées aux espaces de pratique qui est interrogée. / The central question of this research follows the problematic of patrimonialization (heritization), performance and mise en scene of musical practices. It aims, more precisely, to understand how and why Judeo-Spanish people settled in France since the early twentieth century, use individual practices of professional musicians and singers who are predominantly external to the community to reclaim their collective musical patrimony and affirm their identity. The researcher returns to the past in order to understand how this musical repertoire was constructed, and how it came to be almost exclusive to the art world, even though it is still associated to with the traditional music repertoire. Moreover, in order to question the Judeo-Spanish nature of the music and determine what presently characterizes it, a multi-site ethnography of the artists and the community is proposed. Finally, with a view to understanding the meaning of these practices today different spaces of performance are examined, especially the interaction between the poles of production and reception, in a general context, and through an examination of the parameters of its performance practice. One of the conclusions reveals that the constant relationship between the artist and the community generates a new kind of space for family and that each space constitutes an inter-relational system, thus constructing an interactive equilibrium, which keeps the musical patrimony alive. In this way, it is the problematic of musical categories (e.g. popular music, traditional music, staged music), related to spaces of practice, which is interrogated.

L’autoportrait de Paul-Émile Borduas, unique expérience de ce genre artistique dans sa carrière, s’avère représenter une étape charnière dans sa construction personnelle et artistique. Notre étude s’amorce par la description formelle du tableau, l’identification du processus de création, l’analyse du problème de datation et la réflexion sur les influences et assimilations stylistiques. Les nombreux indices détectés sont exploités pour mettre en évidence la mutation des statuts intime et professionnel. À partir d’une introspection et d’un itinéraire spirituel, Borduas tente d’extérioriser sur la toile la complexité de sa personnalité et sa quête d’identité. Le tableau est révélateur de l’établissement d’un Moi accompagné d’un code d’expression personnel du peintre. Par ailleurs, il s’inscrit au démarrage d’une œuvre qui va participer à l’émergence progressive de la modernité artistique et sociale du Québec à partir des années 1930. L’artiste semble affirmer son statut professionnel en développant des stratégies qui allient, d’une part, tradition et modernité, et, d’autre part, incertitudes et volonté d’émancipation. En choisissant de se représenter lui-même dans son propre langage pictural et son code d’expression personnel, Borduas pose les jalons de son identité et s’impose comme artiste-peintre dans une société québécoise en voie de modernisation. / The self-portrait of Paul-Émile Borduas, unique experience in this artistic genre in his carrier, represents a milestone in his personal and artistic career. This work begins by the formal description and the study about stylistic influences and assimilations. Many key points are detected and exploited to bring out the mutations of intimate and professional status. From introspection and spiritual itinerary, Borduas tries to externalize on canvas the complexity of his personality and his quest for identity. The canvas is indicative of the establishment of an “ego” accompanied by a personal code of expression as a painter. Moreover, he built a canvas that will participate in the gradual emergence of the artistic and social modernity of Quebec from 1930. The artist seems to assert its professional status by developing strategies that combine on the one hand, tradition and modernity, and, on the other hand, uncertainty and desire for emancipation. By choosing to represent himself in his own pictorial language and his personal code of expression , Borduas lays the foundation of his identity and stands out as a painter in Quebec society in the progress of modernization.

This thesis shall address itself to the following: it shall concern itself with a definition of the phenomenon, the directions taken in the philosophical statements made on Conceptual Art, an investigation into the design of the forms used within the movement, and finally, the conceptual movement's historical placement will be considered along with its antecedents in the earlier years of the twentieth century.

My installations are propositions for an imaginary world that relies on its own internal logic, a world of believability without recognition. While the work references landscape it also emphasizes its contrivance, as it is automatically estranged in an "unnatural" gallery setting. I subvert or de-familiarize the materials and processes that I use in the service of creating a fictitious environment. My places are impossible places. They are irregular, illogical, and unstable. Our imagination can be one of most dangerous things to psychological stability as it is an inventory of all things possible, no matter how irrational or improbable. The irrational is always an option, a lingering threat. The imagination seems to hate permissions and limitations, but is nevertheless lodged within them. I want to create a sense of nonsensical logic. If all things that can be imagined are logical possibilities, I want to find the place where fantasy seems to be just barely reality. If I can't have an inherent contradiction, I'll take an apparent one.

The Richmond Maker Museum is a working museum design, offering an inside look at past achievements, juxtaposed with the unlimited future possibilities of an evolving, active maker culture. It is a dynamic place designed to allow makers to showcase skills, take risks, engage the public, and grow their craft in real time. The museum displays finished pieces, introduces makers, demonstrates the processes they employ in their work, and invites the community to meet the artisans who, through skill, ingenuity, and hard work, make the artifacts on display. This type of educational museum experience does not currently exist on this scale in Richmond. While other local museums invite visiting artists and offer lectures, the Richmond Maker Museum takes interaction to a new level, introducing visitors to the routines and procedures of each artisan’s daily practice. Maker culture is a tightly woven network of craftsmen—woodworkers, metalworkers, glassblowers, etc. It celebrates traditional fabrication techniques, while also introducing modern technologies such as laser cutting and three-dimensional printing. The social and educational aspects of the maker movement have created a revolution, revitalizing public appreciation for the role of the maker and the importance of craftsmanship.