Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Observance: A Record Of Experiments, Olivia L. Mosley

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

Thesis writing on the work of Olivia Mosley, Bachelor of Fine Arts candidate in Printmaking at Washington University in St. Louis. Engaging with a diverse history of photography and observation through the theoretical writings of Barthes, Berger, Didi-Huberman and others, Mosley conducts a series of visual experiments as part of her art practice in an attempt to expand her visual knowledge. Exploring the concepts of visualization, observation and the role technology plays in both of the aforementioned activities, Mosley’s work is discussed alongside the visual contributions of scientists, artists and hobbyists experimenting with the photographic medium throughout history, including, Wilhelm …

Paiting, Lucas Page

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

My work is motivated by the painting “as such” – as an inquiry into and intervention upon what constitutes a painting, how they are constructed, how they function, etc. Through an investigation of painting as a genre, both in its historical canon and contemporary forms, I deconstruct the formal and cultural elements surrounding the field. Four major axes serve as the basis for my inquiry and intervention of painting: Painting, Abstraction, Representation, Control. Taking as a point of departure the comment, “Your work is a representation of abstraction,” I aim to figure out how “the painting” (in all of its …

Something Gained: Translation As Process, Amanda V. Rothschild

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

This statement examines translation as a way to explore the act of painting. Drawing from theories of literary translation as discussed by Walter Benjamin, this essay looks at the ways in which the process of translating an image from a photograph into a painting echoes many ideas that come from the approach of translating between languages. The theme of translation is discussed first through an examination of the role of the photograph in determining the content of the paintings, using Gerhard Richter as a reference. The role of material and the physicality of paint in the translation of a space …

Wouldn't It Be Funny If, Taryn Sirias

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

Examining both historical comedic development and personal conceptions of comedy in art, “Wouldn’t It Be Funny If…” explores the validity of the joke as a means of critical inquiry and communication between artist and viewer, and attempts to figure my own artistic practice in this larger tradition.

Creatures Of Habit, Joyce Hankins

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

Creatures of Habit is a body of artwork that explores how patterns, habits and records relate to the human desire to find fulfillment and understanding. The work was approached using two distinct ways of making. The first draws upon the concept of a “closed system” to create my own self-contained processes to work within and form imagery around. The second way is responding to pre-existing patterns, or open systems, that allow for a transfer of internal and external information. Open and closed systems represent the human struggle to find control as well as feel connected to the surrounding world. The …

Making It Harder Than It Has To Be Or This Is The Sculpture Or *Sigh, Todd Barry

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

You will be punched in the face and then poked in the side

(it seems, someone, has something, to say)

You start off with a slow looking-back – making a steady assumption

You take that assumption, o p e n it up ~ into elaboration, and sing the thing

RIGHT ON out of itself

You sculpt

You step back

You say, ‘wait a minute – relax’

You wake up, wiggle toes, wait for [something], move, make~ into

[something], and stand by it

You laugh, get grounded, fight your way outside, come

back, and take care of things

You feel, in …

Experiments In Remix And Worldmaking, Jesse Firestone

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

The rate of consumption is at an all time high and cultural attributes are endlessly appropriated in order to make fresh, new products. The market can bring the marginalized into the mainstream and expedite the process of assimilation; however, in the process, cultural symbols/ideas/identities are depoliticized and removed from their origins, leaving only a hollow shell. In Gimme $helter, Jesse Bandler brings together clothing, posters, blankets, and chackis, effectively turning the Des Lee Gallery into a place of commerce. Gimme $helter is able to seamlessly occupy two distinct spheres of culture: within the gallery, Gimme $helter offers an intimate critique …

Ergonomically Designing Art Objects, Ambika Subramaniam

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

The following thesis examines the work of Ambika Subramaniam, in particular her thesis installation Ergonomically Designing Art Objects, for the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture at Washington University in St. Louis. Based within a discussion of semiotics, the thesis researches furniture signification and tracks its evolution through traditional form, ergonomic function, and consumed product. Major points include the ways in which objects are capable of collapsing and retaining the semiotic divide between a sign and referent, and how that signification relates to contemporary design-oriented products. Using the chair as the exemplifying object, the thesis installation questions how objects have …

Implicit Prejudice And Its Implications For How Communities Should Respond To Racial Injustices, Harry Kainen

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

In the spring of 2013, a racially controversial incident occurred on the Washington University Campus. The incident raised questions about the racial tolerance of the university community as well as exactly who should be held responsible for the injustice. Most importantly, the community’s response to the incident exemplified how a community with the potential for substantial collective action can fail to mobilize and improve when they are called upon to do so. This paper examines recent psychological research that studies the existence of subconscious racial prejudices in order to examine its implications in community responses to racial injustices. Results show …

Countering The Voyage Of The Present: Histories Speak Fragmented In 25 Frames Per Second, Vanessa Kelly Gravenor

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

My thesis work presents a meditation on what it means to be contemporary. There are many ideas that prefigure this work but are not included in this written investigation.These notions come from Nietzsche’s Untimely Meditations and Walter Benjamin’s Illuminations. In these texts, the authors state that the contemporary is the one who turns her or his back from her or his time and looks at the past. For my purposes, to be contemporary, one has to revolutionize the notion of histories in order to make past materials relevant. Therefore, my videos and photographic works do not invite the viewer …

Simus Inter Exempla: Exempla And Innovation In Valerius Maximus, Seneca And Juvenal, Grace Kroner

Undergraduate Theses—Unrestricted

Exempla, vivid stories recounting laudable or shameful actions performed by named individuals, were a common rhetorical device in ancient Roman literature. Generally, they were meant to encourage emulation of good deeds and avoidance of bad. In this work, I investigate how Valerius Maximus, the philosopher Seneca, and the satirist Juvenal employ and deviate from the exemplary tradition, specifically focusing on negative exempla. While Valerius’ encyclopedia of exempla categorized by representative virtue or vice remains within the usual rhetorical sphere (though remarkable for its size - 967 stories), Seneca and Juvenal deliberately endeavor to innovate within the framework of exemplary discourse. …