Winding Down River Road,
2022
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Winding Down River Road, Gillian Harper
LSU Master's Theses
As a mechanism to explore my temporary home in Louisiana, Winding Down River Road is a collection of artworks that integrates natural materials collected from landscapes in southern Louisiana with steel and petroleum-based products. My interest in researching environmental issues, ecology, and industry has shaped my vehicles for observation and how I generate data. Through a variety of methodologies, I am considering how climate change is forcing many of us to re-contextualize how our home can be affected by the very industries we rely on. Personal engagement with residents living in the dystopian atmosphere of southern Louisiana’s industrial corridor and …
Zoomorphic Amalgamation: Speculative Devices For Alternative Communication,
2022
Rhode Island School of Design
Zoomorphic Amalgamation: Speculative Devices For Alternative Communication, Yuta Yang
Masters Theses
Zoomorphic Amalgamation: Speculative Devices for Alternative Communication is a series of speculative works that assist introverts re-adapting in the extro-oriented society. The work serves as a lens to challenge and question the authority afforded to extroverts in contemporary society, and aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of introverted personality. As a person with an introverted personality, the thesis project draws upon personal experience and to reflect on the current bias and stereotype of characteristics that common to the introverts.
By integrating technological sensors and microcontrollers, the works are created to help the wearer express insecurity, at the same time providing …
Connecting Old Techniques With New Ideas,
2022
Stephen F Austin State University
Connecting Old Techniques With New Ideas, Brendan Ryan
Undergraduate Research Conference
Metalworking is an ancient field that provides numerous methods to create a similar outcome. This semester I’ve been studying several traditional techniques in jewelry making while attempting to incorporate my own designs. The techniques that I have been focusing on are casting and stone-setting. For casting, I have been experimenting with both lost-wax casting and sand-casting in order to create thoughtful, one-of-a-kind works. Casting is often the best method to use when creating organic designs. My designs include snakes and historic Viking imagery that is often easier to create by carving wax and manipulating sand molds.
The inclusion of precious …
Valuations Achieved At The Sale Of Royal Jewels From The Bourbon Parma Family,
2022
Sotheby's Institute of Art
Valuations Achieved At The Sale Of Royal Jewels From The Bourbon Parma Family, Reka Szterenyi
MA Theses
The auction of the Royal Jewels from the Bourbon-Parma Family is considered iconic. It took place as an evening sale at the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva, on November 14, 2018 amid great interest from collectors and the media alike. It comprised a hundred lots from the collection of the Bourbon Parma Family, several of them with royal provenance. The most important pieces were ten objects that are believed to have belonged to Marie Antoinette’s personal jewelry collection. The white-glove sale achieved a total price of $53.1 million (CHF 53.5 million). This was a new record for a royal jewelry auction, …
Representing The Ali'i And Monarchy: Dress, Diplomacy, And Featherwork In Hawai'i,
2022
Claremont Colleges
Representing The Ali'i And Monarchy: Dress, Diplomacy, And Featherwork In Hawai'i, Tess Anderson
Scripps Senior Theses
When Native Hawaiians and haole (foreigners) first met, both participants belonged to fashion systems unknown to the other, composed of different materials, styles, tastes, standards, and construction techniques. As the outside world was introduced to the cultural heritage of Hawaiian hulu manu (featherwork), kūkaulani (chiefly fashion), and European skewed conceptions of Hawaiian indigeneity; the ali‘i (chiefs) and kama‘āina (commoners) received and adapted to incoming materials, technologies, and information. When these encounters transitioned into “prolonged contact” and settlement, dress and adornment proliferated in new ways. Analyzing the case studies of historic pā‘ū, holokū, ‘ahu'ula, and military uniforms shows the significance of …
Art As Contextualization: Using Visual Communication As Christian Missions In Native American And Alaskan Cultures,
2021
Liberty University
Art As Contextualization: Using Visual Communication As Christian Missions In Native American And Alaskan Cultures, Hali Gehring
Senior Honors Theses
Contextualization is an important aspect of Christian ministries and cross-cultural missions to create sustaining churches around the world. There are many forms of communication that use contextualization for religious purposes, such as theatre, story, art, and dance. These important forms of communication can be used with cultural practices to contextualize the Gospel to different people groups. For Native Americans and Alaskans, artistic works that promote cultural heritage are highly regarded. A beadwork piece that explains the Gospel could be a creative way to contextualize to Native American and Alaskans.
The Reenactment : "Object" As Performance,
2021
Rhode Island School of Design
The Reenactment : "Object" As Performance, Yue Jiang
Masters Theses
Throughout history, women have endured many obstacles placed upon them in both the private and public spheres. Women are pressured to achieve an ideal beauty standard and the expectation to fulfill the obligation of traditional domestic roles. As a 23-year old Chinese woman who daily faces these pressures, I intentionally critique them using my body as the site and the pressure as subject. Through acts of performance, using handmade and mass-produced objects consumed daily by women, I highlight the insidious pressures and expectations placed upon women’s bodies. By utilizing the format of photography to document the discomfort of “wearing” or …
Futuristic Communication,
2021
Rhode Island School of Design
Futuristic Communication, Haotian Yang
Masters Theses
In today's world we can no longer separate our lives from technology. It is that fluidity between the human world and the technological world that my work explores. Technological development has brought us great convenience in communication. The existence of programs like Zoom allows people to work and socialize remotely. Instagram, Twitter and other social networks allow people to share their lives anytime and anywhere with a simple snap of a picture and push of a button. The emergence of mobile phones allows people to communicate at any time. Science and technology continue to develop and these developments provide many …
A Hypothetical Debate,
2021
Rhode Island School of Design
A Hypothetical Debate, Talya Kantro
Masters Theses
A heated argument is taking place, and has been for thousands of years. We deliberate to voice our own opinions, to prove what others have declared, and to validate the past. Judaism – a culture bound by millenia of traditions – follows countless rigorous customs and laws. These traditions are strictly adhered to, and observant members of the faith go through great lengths to show their devotion to their beliefs. Although these laws and customs generally remain uninterrupted over the generations, they can occasionally be challenged by new ideas, new concepts, or new technology. Debates form around these novelties, and …
Hybrid Garment,
2021
Rhode Island School of Design
Hybrid Garment, Diya Wang
Masters Theses
What is in the overlap between jewelry and clothing? Does the combination of jewelry and apparel create a new, significant,way of seeing art?
Hybrid Garment is a series of work that explores the overlap between fashion and Jewelry. As an artist and designer, my background and training prepared me to dissect and rebuild the relationship between and potential of jewelry and garments. The potential of hybridity serves as a methodology to combine and conflate the two disciplines.The essence of this work carries the idea of inclusivity, it encourages people at all levels to wear them. In addition, anyone wearing it …
Security Blanket,
2021
Rhode Island School of Design
Security Blanket, Danni Xu
Masters Theses
I draw upon the stories of people who have experienced nostalgia to identify a sense of belonging to home. I create familiar objects specific to the stories of diasporic peoples to establish a connection between myself and the viewer or wearer, even when I am not present. As a former hotelier adept at initiating conversation, the goal of this work is to serve as a communication mediator, a way to find mutual interests among people in a proactive way.
This thesis addresses the following questions: Can jewelry build networks of connection across time and space? How does the format of …
An Aesthetic Of Authenticity: The Use Of Turquoise In American (Counter)Culture,
2021
Bridgewater State University
An Aesthetic Of Authenticity: The Use Of Turquoise In American (Counter)Culture, Madison Staples
Honors Program Theses and Projects
Turquoise is a distinctive part of the material culture of the Indigenous tribes of the American Southwest, including the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, and Pueblo peoples. The stone, particularly its color, is situated within complex systems of culture and meaning for each tribe, but the physical nature of material culture makes such pieces accessible for outsiders to borrow, buy, or steal. The aesthetic of the southwestern Indigenous tribe, traced in this paper through the use of turquoise, has been drawn upon by non-Native Westerners pursuing authenticity in their American lives. My findings suggest that true authenticity is marked by authentic engagement, …
Riveting Vietnamese And American Culture Through Jewelry Alchemy,
2021
Rhode Island College
Riveting Vietnamese And American Culture Through Jewelry Alchemy, Thoa Kim Dichiara
Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview
My research involves a deep exploration of the visual and material language found in jewelry throughout history as it relates to deep social, cultural, and personal ideologies. I rivet my Vietnamese and American culture through jewelry alchemy while exploring my identity, sculpting and preserving the four sacred animals of Vietnam. I create boar head chains, the last animal in the Lunar Zodiac, and emerge unapologetically with crowns that proudly pronounce myself. I arrive at my altar with heirloom pendants and brooches, and lastly honor my family history with wearables that feature salt clusters and family gold. This body of work …
A(M(End)Ing))) Expectations,
2021
Winthrop University
A(M(End)Ing))) Expectations, Renee Holliday
Graduate Theses
This thesis statement explores how my intersectional identity as an artist and mother with a working-class background are intertwined, and how that upbringing has influenced each of these roles and my actions and interactions with those around me. The first part of this thesis A(m(end)ing))) Expectations serves to highlight the diverse experiences that helped form the basis of my identity while also exposing many of the unhealthy societal and familial expectations that are often placed upon women. The exhibition YES/AND is the culminating work of how these varied identities, combined with contemporary themes of feminism, affects my artistic decisions and …
The Passing Show,
2021
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The Passing Show, Kathryn Fanelli
Masters Theses
The Passing Show, examines the interface between contemplative practices and the destabilizing effect of the carnivalesque. A repurposed early 20th century merry-go- round is reconfigured as a conceptual vehicle for renewing our attention to removing hindrances. The site-specific installation, titled Vimoksha, is viewed through the lens of the radical imaginary, investigating notions of karmic inheritance through a heuristic approach to material processes, personal history, kinetics and sound.
Sweet Fruit,
2021
VCU
Sweet Fruit, Daa Guy-Vasson
Theses and Dissertations
The writing and images in Sweet Fruit are an exploration of my creative works. In the first section, memory, making, and poetics come together to help the reader feel the nuances of my experience. In the exhibition works section, images allow an extended look at the work. Accompanying text describes the relevance of my childhood and my parent's Caribbean upbringing to my creative practice.
Verify In Field,
2021
Bard College
Verify In Field, Zohar Propp-Hurwitz
Senior Projects Spring 2021
Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.
Ballad Of A Bootlegger,
2021
Virginia Commonwealth University
Ballad Of A Bootlegger, Sarah K. Parker
Theses and Dissertations
Roll in the soot of fires-gone! Purification through osmosis(?). They don’t pass onward so you can pass on the recognition. Learn the lesson, you bootlegger! This is necessary; you must use your hands and forge onward. Shit fire to save a match and light the birthday candles, time will pass before you’ve finished blinking so take another sip in and breathe easy child-- loss is part of life and no one can ever take that away from you (not that you’ve feared this). Slip the ring on your finger and marry to a practice of breaking perceptions of rules that …
Beside| |Between,
2021
University of Montana, Missoula
Beside| |Between, Brooke J. Armstrong
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Beauty and the grotesque both induce physical sensations in the body. Pleasure and displeasure are two points on the same line. They are not mutually exclusive. Like the body and the vessel, like the self and the other all things exist in reciprocity. The capability of holding brings agency, breaking down perceptions of of subject-object relationships. The works presented in this paper represent a merging and a transformation of perceived separate entities. Craft history and processes inform the work present in the thesis exhibition, Beside| |Between.
Perceiving Mathematics And Art,
2020
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Perceiving Mathematics And Art, Edmund Harriss
Mic Lectures
Mathematics and art provide powerful lenses to perceive and understand the world, part of an ancient tradition whether it starts in the South Pacific with tapa cloth and wave maps for navigation or in Iceland with knitting patterns and sunstones. Edmund Harriss, an artist and assistant clinical professor of mathematics in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, explores these connections in his Honors College Mic lecture.