Fine Arts Commons^™

Burning Fear, Amy Dorie

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Climate change is leading to more intense and devastating wildfires that lead to tragic loss of life and property (Cal Fire, 2018; Sinco et al., 2023) and disturbing environmental impacts (OECD, 2023). The purpose of this textile design was to create an activist design that communicates the fear and anxiety felt by those impacted by wildfires. First-hand accounts of those experiencing wildfires were researched as inspiration for the textile design. Based on the accounts, a selection of wildfire-related images were cropped in irregular shapes, placed around the canvas, and blended evoking a sense of chaos and devastation. An image of …

Caring Cloth Praxis: Ethics Of Loss, Practices Of Remembering, Suzanna James

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

This research, in continual development as a part of early PhD study, is currently entitled ‘Ethics of Loss, Practices of Remembering’ and locates itself within the field of cultural sustainability. It is foregrounded by my MA thesis entitled ‘Caring Cloth’ and works in response to the words of Louise Bourgeois: ‘the needle is used to repair damage, its claim to forgiveness.’ My own socially and environmentally regenerative textiles practice considers the way in which personal practices of remembering can be developed in response to cultural sustainability.

This textiles practice develops explorative visual textile art and social textile practice research which …

23 Extinct Redwork Quilt Project: Repairing Relationships With Our More-Than-Human Kin, Stitch By Stich, Heather Kerley

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

In 2021, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service proposed 23 species for delisting from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction. I would like to present my redwork quilt, Mourning Lost Kin (23 Extinct), which honors each of these species. I plan to share my process from researching and sketching each species to the embroidering of each block and the over-all construction of the quilt. But most importantly, I would love to share the stories of these species, the layers of meaning in this quilt, and the many questions it raised for me over the course of two years. …

Stitches Of Sustainability: Empowering Women And Preserving Culture Through Pakko Embroidery, Rajesh Kumar, Dharmendra Bana, Deepali Bhatnagar

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Pakko embroidery, originating from Gujarat’s Kutch district, stands as a testament to the area's rich textile tradition, marrying exceptional craftsmanship with profound cultural narratives. Currently facing the challenge of conserving its heritage while adapting to the evolving demands of the modern world, this study aims to identify pathways for cultural and economic resurgence.

Pakko embroidery, renowned for its sturdiness and the detailed cheereli saankdi stitch, finds itself at a critical crossroads, battling declining engagement and integration into modern design paradigms. Initiatives to rejuvenate interest and establish sustainable practices for artisans are deemed critical for preserving this ancient art for future …

Lambani Textiles: Oscillating Between The Past And The Present, Beena Santosh Modathi, Anjali Karolia

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

This paper examines the experiences of home-based women zardozi artisans in Bhopal, India, who use traditional embroidery skills to create fashionable products. It highlights the role of the traditional craft sector in promoting women's empowerment, enhancing economic well-being, and supporting sustainable development in the Global South. Through ethnographic research, including literature review and interviews, the study reveals the resilience of these artisans, many of whom come from low-income backgrounds with limited education. Despite modest earnings, Textiles embody narratives, legacies, and lineages. Indian traditional textiles, particularly those featuring strong Lambani embroidery, represent a dynamic interplay of ancestral techniques, motifs, and cultural …

Public Patriotism, Silent Dissent: Women And The Making Of Senninbari In Wartime Japan, Mariko Nagai

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

During the early years of the so-called “Fifteen Year War” (1931–1945), Japanese women and girls created senninbari when men received draft notices to serve. Often worn around soldiers’ waists underneath their uniforms, these sash-shaped talisman were embroidered with 1,000 red knots, each knot made by a woman. In a time when the Japanese government censored dissenting voices against its militaristic and nationalistic foreign and domestic policies, this government-encouraged gesture of stitching senninbari became one of the few ways in which women could voice their personal protests within patriarchal gender expressions (良妻賢母 “good wife, wise mother”). Senninbari’s design evolved with regional- …

Textile As Cultural Technology: The Evolution Of Robert Rauschenberg’S Jammers, 1975–6, Katya Oicherman

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Robert Rauschenberg suggested that any material has a “humanitarian reportage” or a history built into it, that opens art to the “strange and unpredictable” experience only comparable to everyday reality. Developing this idea, I will focus on the Jammers, a series of works with significant textile presence produced in 1975–76, and discuss how Rauschenberg’s relationship to textiles evolved from treating them as “materials” to recognizing them as cultural technologies. In 1975 he was on a fellowship in Ahmedabad, India, a period of intense experimentation.

Textiles were already a significant presence in his art, playing a subservient role of materials …

Inconclusive Objects: Sample Making As Inquiry-Driven Practice, Etta Sandry

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

In Inconclusive Objects: Sample Making as Inquiry-driven Practice I will discuss craft sample making as a valuable practice of critical thought and experimentation. Craftspeople, artists, and designers make samples to practice technical skills and to demonstrate results on small scales. It is process work, typically used to learn a new technique or a hidden step on the way to a final product. However, as a cumulative process of research, material probing, and play, sampling is a critical aspect of design and creation. What can a closer study of sampling reveal about creative practice and knowledge production in craft and beyond? …

Textile Ways Of Thinking As A Trauma-Informed Design Tool To Research And Understand Communities, Smrti Ganesan, Nishanth Srikanth

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

There has been a shift in methodologies in the broader world of design. Today, co-design and participatory methods are a vital part of the modern designer's toolkit, and designers are finding new ways to interact with communities and design solutions that are more responsive to the actual needs of those communities.

Textile design has historically been a medium for expressing and processing traumatic experiences, reflecting individual and collective traumas in society. Textiles have also historically served not only as a form of artistic expression but also as a powerful tool in activism, particularly within feminist movements. Recent developments have seen …

Solidarity Dividend With Us Wool And Community Engagement To Address Socioeconomic Inequities, Helen X. Trejo, Angela Becerril

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

As a long-standing natural fiber, wool provides an opportunity for community engagement and reflexive practice. Our process involved sourcing wool from US sheep and wool farms in lower income areas and hands-on textile development, and intersectional reflection. Being at a Hispanic Serving Institution, informed approaches to engage with concepts, such as the “zerosum paradigm” and “Solidarity Dividend” based on Heather McGhee’s NY Times Best Selling book “The Sum of Us.” It explores how racism affects intergenerational wealth among minorities. The zero-sum paradigm is the idea that progress is a tradeoff; benefits to some is at an expense for others. The …

Lavenz, Valenz, Levenxë, Lavexha, Lavenzka: Woven Felted Blankets From The Korçë Region In Southeastern Albania, Alexis Zoto

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

This paper will look at and document colors and patterns and motifs of woven and felted blankets from the Korçë region of southeastern Albania. Very little is published on these textiles. This paper will document the disappearing and under appreciated textile, and why are they no longer understood or valued. In Albania and in Albanian diaspora communities this textile has had different names in prewar, prewar Korçare dialect and now.

I will be drawing from information gathered interviewing parishioners who volunteered to share their heirlooms and information gathered from examining the textile(s). These heirlooms belong to members of multiple generations …

Material And Making: An Exploration Of Georgia Wild Clays, Nina Samuels

Honors College Theses

Wild clay is an abundant and diverse material that has a long history with both utilitarian and decorative uses. Since the industrial revolution, processed and manufactured clay bodies have become commonplace. However, there has been a recent resurgence in the use of wild clays in contemporary ceramic practices for the purposes of material connection, accessibility, and sustainability.

This thesis explores the abundant wild clays of Georgia including the sourcing, processing, testing, of these materials. It also shows examples of the portfolio of work that was created with this research.

Exploring The Efficacy Of Expressive Arts Therapy In Enhancing Emotional Regulation Among Adults Of Authoritarian Caregivers: A Scoping Review, Kevin Suwan

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This scoping review synthesizes a decade of research on the role of Expressive Arts Therapy (EAT) in enhancing emotional regulation among adults raised by authoritarian caregivers. Guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage framework with the PRISMA-ScR reporting checklist, 43 peer-reviewed studies were identified across five electronic databases. The findings demonstrate that EAT, across five modalities (visual art, creative writing, music, dance/movement, and clay work), consistently fosters emotional awareness, strengthens distress tolerance, and supports the adaptive regulation of emotions. Multimodal and body-based approaches were especially effective for individuals whose early environments suppressed emotional expression. The review highlights EAT’s potential as a …

Exploring Stress Through Storytelling In Short-Form Videos Created By Thai Undergraduate Students In Bangkok, Ziyuan Lin

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This qualitative study explores how Thai undergraduate students in Bangkok experience, express, and manage stress through short-form video storytelling, using an expressive arts therapy framework. This study aimed to (1) identify students’ sources of stress, (2) examine their coping mechanisms, and (3) evaluate how creating short-form videos supported emotional expression, reflection, and self-discovery. Fifteen participants (aged 18–24) created videos ranging from 30 to 90 seconds in length, based on the “The Hero’s Journey” narrative, alongside structured interviews and experience surveys. Thematic analysis revealed three overarching themes: sources of stress (academic pressure, social and interpersonal challenges, and identity-related uncertainty); coping mechanisms …

Reducing Exhaustion And Reduced Personal Efficacy In Office Workers: The Impact Of Art Therapy, Natnicha Prachakittikul

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study investigated the psychological effects of a one-day clay-based art therapy workshop on Thai office workers experiencing emotional exhaustion and reduced personal efficacy. The research aimed to assess the outcomes of the intervention in three key areas: emotional release, rediscovery of inner strengths, and reframed perspectives.A total of 30 participants were purposively selected from a Bangkok-based organization and assigned to either an art therapy group, which received the art therapy intervention, or a control group with no intervention. After accounting for withdrawals, the final sample included 27 participants. Data were collected through pre- and post-session open-ended questions and reflective …

A Chai Story : The Interplay Of Food, Memory, And Identity In Contemporary Creative Practices, Thaksina Chawla

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This curatorial thesis positions masala chai as a living cultural artifact that embodies layered histories of intimacy, resistance, and transformation. Grounded in postcolonial theory, material culture studies, diaspora studies, and sensory ethnography, the research investigates how chai operates not merely as a beverage, but as a medium of embodied knowledge, culinary memory, and cultural negotiation.The outcome is A Chai Story, a digital exhibition that curates contemporary artworks, archival materials, soundscapes, poetry, and documentary footage into a reflexive and participatory experience. Rather than following a chronological format, the exhibition is structured around four thematic sections—colonial legacies, ritual performance, authenticity, and global …

Exploring Similarities And Differences Of Symbols Selection And Narrative Themes In Sandtray Therapy Among Thais With And Without Depression: A Pilot Study, Kevalin Saksiamkul

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This pilot study investigates the symbolic selections and narrative themes emerging from Sandtray Therapy among Thai adults with and without depression. The study aimed to examine how symbol choices and storytelling could distinguish between the two groups, thereby exploring the potential of Sandtray as a non-verbal expressive tool for supporting psychological assessment. Thirty participants (15 diagnosed with depression and 15 without diagnosis) each created a sandtray scene using a standardized set of 298 miniatures, followed by open-ended narration. Quantitative analysis using t-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests identified 16 symbolic items significantly more common among participants with depression. Thematic analysis of narratives …

Ganesha In The Context Of Art Toys In Thai Society, Chisanupong Curechaem

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis studies the phenomenon of reinterpreting sacred symbols through contemporary material culture in Thai society, focusing on art toys modeled after Ganesha. This research aims to explore the mechanisms by which these objects, with their pop culture aesthetics and appealing cuteness, can function as "mental anchors" in the modern era, considering this phenomenon at the intersection of syncretic belief, the dynamics of Buddhist Commercialization, and consumer culture. Using practice led curatorial research methodology, the primary outcome of this research is the development of a conceptual framework presented as a proposal for "Novaganesha: Pray & Play" a conceptual exhibition that …

Curating Nang Loeng: Visibility And Community Engagement Through Artistic Practices In Bangkok’S Historical Neighborhood, Merlin Nona Susanna Rebmann

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis investigates the role of community-based art practices in promoting cultural empowerment and social visibility in marginalized urban contexts. Focusing on the Bangkok-based collective Community Lab and its origins in the E-Lerng group, the study explores how artistic strategies emerge from within local communities to address institutional absence, sustain cultural heritage and foster long-term engagement. Through three case studies that highlight creative archiving, cross-cultural collaboration, and embedded artistic practice, the research examines how Community Lab navigates different roles as artists, mediators, archivists and activists. The analysis highlights how their hybrid practice contributes to preserving intangible heritage, creating translocal dialogue …

ดุษฎีนิพนธ์งานวิจัยสร้างสรรค์ นวัตกรรมกระบวนแบบการขับร้อง โดยพันธวิทย์, พันธวิทย์ อัศวเดชเมธากุล

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ดุษฎีนิพนธ์สร้างสรรค์ นวัตกรรมกระบวนแบบการขับร้อง โดยพันธวิทย์ เป็นงานวิจัยสร้างสรรค์ที่นำเสนอการปรับกระบวนทัศน์ทางการขับร้องทั้งในด้านวิธีคิดและการปฏิบัติ สร้างจุดยืนใหม่ของการขับร้องให้มองเห็นปัญหาในการขับร้องที่ยังไม่เคยถูกสำรวจมาก่อน ให้ความสำคัญแก่ความเป็นปัจเจกของอวัยวะและร่างกายของผู้ขับร้องที่แตกต่างกัน ทำให้ผู้ฝึกสามารถย่นระยะเวลาในการฝึกซ้อมได้อย่างมีนัยสำคัญ ทั้งนี้ ยังมีการขยายกรอบความคิดเดิมในการสั่งการร่างกายในการขับร้อง เป็นผลให้ผู้ฝึกสามารถปลดข้อจำกัดทางความคิดและร่างกายให้สามารถแสดงประสิทธิภาพที่สูงขึ้น การวิจัยสร้างสรรค์ นวัตกรรมการขับร้อง โดยพันธวิทย์ มีกระบวนการศึกษาค้นคว้าและการทดลองผ่านการฝึกปฏิบัติขับร้องโดยผู้วิจัยและนักศึกษาจากสถาบันดนตรีกัลยาณิวัฒนา ผลการวิจัยแสดงนวัตกรรมกระบวนแบบการขับร้องซึ่งสวนทางกับกระบวนทัศน์ดั้งเดิม แต่ให้ประสิทธิผลสูงในการแก้ไขปัญหาที่เกิดจากทั้งในมุมของการฝึกฝนและวิธีคิด ผู้วิจัยนำเสนอผลการวิจัยในรูปแบบของการบรรยาย การขับร้องเดี่ยว และการขับร้องหมู่บทเพลงที่คัดมาจากบทเพลงคอรัสและอุปรากรในวันที่ 16 มกราคม พ.ศ.2568