An integrated framework comprising rhetoric, semiotics, and phenomenology was constructed to provide theoretical foundations for exploring public housing residentsâ experiences engaging in the visual phenomenon of ânew signageâ and âestate art.â The focus of study concerns how design, meanings, and experiences of the visual objects evoke in residents a sense of cultural sustainability. A mixed-method âconcurrent nested qual+QUALâ strategy was developed to approach the research problem. This theory-driven methodology embeds semiotics within the dominant strategy of phenomenology. The researcher began with self-reflection, or âbracketing,â providing a descriptive account of her own experience of the phenomenon. Qualitative interviews were then conducted in four housing estates with 26 participant residents including elderly people, workers, housewives, and students. Standardized questions elicited participantsâ readings of designs within their social context; the questions were ânestedâ within informal conversations, which generated participantsâ full descriptions, first-person accounts of visual experiences interpreted within a more personal context. Bracketing identified that a rhetorical situation exists in the semiotic neighborhoods of estates wherein relocated residents appeared to have âa sense of disorientationâ and âaspiration to prosper.â These sensibilities were addressed through the design of name signs and public art. Socio-semiotic analysis of the visuals entailed seven cultural codes, representing cultural values underpinning the community. Phenomenological analysis captured residentsâ lived experience of visuals as seven phenomenological themes. The themes formed a structure of experience, indicating what it is like to perceive attributes of cultural sustainability. Further, five interpretive positions, or essences of experiences were uncovered as underlying the experiences. A synthesis of findings shows that communication and perception of cultural sustainability involved the rhetorical encoding of intended positive meanings into the visual designs, which residents decoded to come up with cultural meanings that evoked thoughts and feelings about the vitality of their community and continuity of Chinese culture. It is a result of âvisualityâ â interrelationships among designâs persuasive power, visual signification, and viewing experience â conditioned by residentsâ interpretive positions. This dissertation bridges visual design and sustainability, unveiling their enhanced social values while integrated, and strengthens the knowledge base of both fields of study, especially by its theoretical and methodological implications.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NCSU/oai:NCSU:etd-06192008-072312 |
| Date | 18 July 2008 |
| Creators | Ma, Magdy |
| Contributors | Prof. Meredith Davis |
| Publisher | NCSU |
| Source Sets | North Carolina State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-06192008-072312/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dis sertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to NC State University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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