Art and Design Commons^™

I Thought The Earth Remembered Me, Hannah Bates

Theses and Dissertations

The forest is teeming with activity: fungi transform dead logs into nutrients, roots entangle themselves with the earth, and strong winds break resilient boughs. Like the forest, the human body functions according to a complex system of agents - from the micro bacteria in the gut to the pores of the skin. The built world has often been rendered in opposition to these processes of nature. As a vessel through which the world is experienced, the body is an intermediary between raw matter and fabricated things. The planet is suffused with human life, and there is a critical tension between …

Weaponization Of Space: Subverting The Architecture Of Occupation, Majdulin Nasrallah

Theses and Dissertations

Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and oppression of the Palestinian people has manifested itself in countless ways. The built environment, fueled by spatial theory, has been transformed into an instrument of war that serves a military agenda. In this context, the physical environment is not simply the arena of conflict, but a weapon wielded by occupying forces. This research investigates spatial control through seemingly mundane architecture and military practices, which are deployed deliberately to strangulate Palestinian livelihood and prosperity. Derived from Deleuze and Guittari’s delineation of smooth and striated space, with an emphasis on walls and barriers, this thesis subverts …

The Day Is Just Another Surface, Brooks M. Heintzelman

Theses and Dissertations

Within a practice founded on both typographic form and language, I have continued to push myself to make work that is more sensitive to place, more contextual, more (hopefully) generous toward a public audience. These pieces might serve as useful instruments of institutional critique, resources for comprehension, or moments in which to interrogate preconceived modes of seeing. I deploy original texts in public spaces in order that they might force viewers to decide how to personally resolve the content they encounter. Is it language or object? Literal or figurative? Graphic design or art? The further I develop this body of …

Generic Of, Nicole Levaque

Theses and Dissertations

generic of is a creative text paralleling the creation of my thesis exhibition. I use fragmented layers of narrative, description and prose in the same way each handbuilt ceramic is fired multiple times, allowing the glazes to build upon themselves. This is a close study of the still life, the intimacy of consuming, and how trauma is passed through the gut.

A Sacred Gift: Rebalancing Our Relationship With Water, Noora Naser Melhim

Theses and Dissertations

In the Middle East, and specifically Qatar, water has significant cultural history and preciousness as a commodity. Today, the rapid economic development has resulted in a disconnection from the past leading to subconscious overconsumption of water.

This thesis investigates water from the context of cultural relevance, by examining systems of distribution before and after the discovery of oil. It reinterprets the materiality of the traditional ceramic vessels used to contain and preserve water with the intention of using the natural properties of clay, such as cooling and filtering, to produce new artifacts. The intent of this research is to critically …

Whirling Hybrids: A Dichotomy Of Belonging, Rabeya Khatoon

Theses and Dissertations

Migration is a phenomenon wherein individuals relocate from one country to another, albeit temporarily or permanently, for numerous reasons. The State of Qatar is a highly diverse nation with a large population of foreign residents. According to Priya D’Souza, as of 2017, 60 percent of the resident population in Qatar are from South Asia. Growing up in this environment, third culture kids develop a unique, hybrid culture through experiencing multiple cultures. This research investigates a dichotomy of belonging from the perspective of South Asians in Qatar. A series of hybridized spinning tops were produced in collaboration with a South Asian …

Bone Of My Bone, Dylan A. Loftis

Theses and Dissertations

This is a noticing and a return - a good old-fashioned call and response.

An understanding and a becoming.

At present, the noticing is on brokenness and the response on reparation. The work is filtered and guided through my background in traditional woodworking and furniture design.

A lifetime love of comic books, storytelling, and illustration refuses silence, and it escapes in bursts as I work intuitively through design and material. A newly discovered love of writing finds meaning in that intuition.

It’s impossible, even irresponsible, for me to notice and question the brokenness around me without questioning the brokenness within …

Manufactured By Nature: Growing Generatively Designed Products, Mohammad Jawad

Theses and Dissertations

Mass production and assembly lines are yesterday’s manufacturing methods. They have exhausted Earth’s resources and limited the possibilities of design in terms of both form and material, prompting designers to search for new processes. A new generation of making includes biomimicry-inspired technologies such as 3D printing and parametric simulation, which have transformed the production paradigm. Utilizing nature as industry, this thesis explores the possibility of “growing” designed objects by employing nature’s own processes and resources. It integrates bio materials, generative design and additive manufacturing to produce objects for a post-industrial world. The project outcomes employ natural minerals, crystallization and 3D …

Lotion In Your Lungs, Raul H. De Lara

Theses and Dissertations

This is a document explaining in detail my artistic practice from childhood to the day I graduated VCU. It will perhaps only be understood by those who have themselves already felt such ways, or similar ways – words and ghosts are mostly invisible.

A Spectacle And Nothing Strange, Taylor Z. King

Theses and Dissertations

Working through methods of abstraction and comedic mimicry I choreograph awkwardly balanced sculpture with objects of adornment as a means to defuse personal sensitivities surrounding my experiences of gender, desire, and home. The research that follows is concerned with the adjacent, the in between, above and underneath, because I feel that this kind of looking means that you are, to some degree, aware of what lies at the edges. Maybe this is what Gertrude Stein means to act as though there is no use in a center—because this concerns a way of relating, though there are many things in the …

The Wild Beasts, Peter Cochrane

Theses and Dissertations

The Wild Beasts springs from my desire to thank my ever-expanding queer chosen family and mentors for their strength. Working through the often violent and othering aspects of the lens and photographic histories I create floral portraits responding to each person’s being and our relationship. Using the 19th century, 8x10 large format view camera—the same used by colonialists and ethnographers to “capture” the divinity of Nature—I erect each as a traditional still life studio setup at the threshold between the natural world and that constructed by humans. These environments speak both to the character of each friend and also to …

Nigga Is Historical: This Is Not An Invitation For White People To Say Nigga, Sandy Williams Iv

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past several years I have been on a quest to locate a world beyond the one I’ve been presented. I am interested in the history of atomic particles - like everything that radiates off of a monument (both literally and those things that are metaphorically reified) - invisible things, and the ways in which these things insect beyond our knowledge systems. This inquiry takes many forms. Mine is a conceptually based practice linked to record keeping and time, and the ways in which these concepts find plurality within our culture; or more pointedly, the importance that we attach …

William Bernard Cooke, George Cooke, And J.M.W. Turner: Business Of The Topographical Print Series, Saskia C. Turpijn

Theses and Dissertations

The organization of eighteenth and nineteenth-century British printmaking and publishing was based on economic principles and occurred in the collaborative sphere of the engraver’s studio. Print designers, engravers, printers, and publishers formed a professional network that operated on economic principles, publishing prints that served to generate income for its participants. These ventures faced great challenges in the lengthy and laborious processes of engraving and publishing, and in financing the project for the duration of that time.

This project examines the economic structure of early nineteenth-century prints. Using comprehensive accounting records, it analyzes two well-known topographical print series. The profitable Southern …

Toward Liveness: The Polytemporality Of Performance Objects, Tracy Stonestreet

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine the temporal and material connections between component parts of hybrid artworks, specifically between live events / acts of performance and the long-lasting sculptural elements that those events / performances produce. I propose a re-orientation of the temporal gaze of performance art history, from one oriented to the past to one focused on the continually unfolding present. Such a re-orientation requires a nonlinear approach to art making that complicates set boundaries of past and present, liveness and record, and presence and absence, and disrupts in potentially corrective ways our historically normative systems of looking, categorizing, and …

The Prodigal Daughter: An Edition Of An Anonymous Text, Paige Deans

Theses and Dissertations

The Prodigal Daughter (1736) is a poem that, on the surface, appears to be an approachable text that was likely geared towards a children’s audience during New England’s first Great Awakening, within the approachable format of a chapbook. However, when explored further, The Prodigal Daughter reveals a complicated textual history during a time of theological and social revival in New England. This thesis considers the historical context of The Prodigal Daughter’s narrative, as well as the poem’s publication history. The text’s transmission is carefully examined and encapsulated in this edition—giving the reader a transcription that is the result of …

Compost Rich Of Resistance: Wayfinding In Tel Aviv And Jerusalem, Taylor K. Miller

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

It is not common to travel to a region searching for what is wrong and askew. But this is precisely how I move through greater Palestine-Israel each time I visit. Explosions and incessant pummeling have forced the sidewalks and retaining walls to heave–Styrofoam slabs serve as an equally hasty and hideous shim. But in this, there is hope. Even where the sidewalk momentarily ends–likely that in just a few months a new road, deeper into the West Bank will be built–it is glaring that these foundations are laid at an unsustainable pace. In a land where the forest often obscures …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Bogolanfini, Kassiah Skipwith

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Kassiah Skipwith – Bogolanfini

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Kassiah Skipwith, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Bogolanfini pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“During the time period when the fabric was only …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Golden Age, Michael Rogers

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Michael Rogers – Golden Age

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Michael Rogers, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Golden Age pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“This pattern was intended as a piece …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Marigold, Emily Ballentine

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Emily Ballentine - Marigold

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Emily Ballentine, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Marigold pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“The sample of Marigold was screen-printed at Bradbury and …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Tivoli, Candice Duncan

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Candice Duncan - Tivoli

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Candice Duncan, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Tivoli pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“Tivoli was designed for the Heal’s fabric in 1967 …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Family Tradition, Kyra Gilchrist

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Kyra Gilchrist – Family Tradition

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Kyra Gilchrist, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Family Tradition pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“Anything can be considered damask as long …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Inlay, Amanda Gill

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Amanda Gill – Inlay

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Amanda Gill, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Inlay pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“Inlay is constructed using an end-on-end nylon warp. This …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Quatrefoil, Yoon Chae Lee

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Yoon Chae Lee – Quatrefoil

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Yoon Chae Lee, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Quatrefoil pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“Quatrefoil is one of the good examples …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Marble, Camryn Carels

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Camryn Carels – Marble

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Camryn Carels, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Marble pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“The process of making the marble pattern is called …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Kiku, Yufei Zheng

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Yufei Zheng- Kiku

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Yufei Zheng, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Kiku pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“The contemporary Kiku motif only depicted on the outline of …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Fruit Tree, Caitlin Sammons

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Caitlin Sammons – Fruit Tree

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Caitlin Sammons, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Fruit Tree pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“This textile, made in 1961, was heavily …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Who's Afraid Of St. Luke, Bella Ayer

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Bella Ayer – Who’s Afraid of St. Luke

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Bella Ayer, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Who’s Afraid of St. Luke pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“The …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Kaleidoscope, Tamara Bowen

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Tamara Bowen- Kaleidoscope

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Tamara Bowen, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Kaleidoscope pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“Frank Lloyd Wright designed this pattern with the intention of …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Cusp, Audrey Paiva

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Audrey Paiva – Cusp

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Audrey Paiva, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Cusp pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“The main shapes used in Athos Bulcao’s work are …

Geometric Serendipity, Dakota Becker

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

The central focus of my practice is the serendipitous exploration into geometry, symmetry, design, and color. I have found more and more that the affinity I have for hard-edge geometric abstraction is a deeper reflection of the way in which I process my thoughts and surroundings. In the past year, I have sought to challenge myself by questioning the core of my practice and pushing it to go beyond its individual elements. In this way, I seek to create work that is more than its parts. As a result, I have become more purposeful with my designs and push both …