Art and Design Commons^™

Because I Am Not Here, Selected Second Life-Based Art Case Studies. Subjectivity, Autoempathy And Virtual World Aesthetics, Francisco Gerardo Toledo Ramírez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Second Life is a virtual world accessible through the Internet in which users create objects and spaces, and interact socially through 3D avatars. Certain artists use the platform as a medium for art creation, using the aesthetic, spatial, temporal and technological features of SL as raw material. Code and scripts applied to animate and manipulate objects, avatars and spaces are important in this sense. These artists, their avatars and artwork in SL are at the centre of my research questions: what does virtual existence mean and what is its purpose when stemming from aesthetic exchange in SL?

Through a qualitative …

Out Of Order: Thinking Through Robin Collyer, Discontent And Affirmation (1973-1985), Kevin A. Rodgers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation takes up a particular problematic between formal aesthetic content and discontent (political and aesthetic). This is done in two ways: directly through examining the work of Robin Collyer from 1973-1985 and the writings of Philip Monk, and indirectly through my own practice. While Part One is a written thesis, Part Two documents elements of my material practice developed over the course of my PhD studies: it is the research and working material culminating in the exhibition OUT OF ORDER. The period of time that I write about (1973-1985) and the location (Toronto) is one where thinking, …

Relational Viewing: Affect, Trauma And The Viewer In Contemporary Autobiographical Art, Matthew Ryan Smith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines the communicative relationship between contemporary autobiographical art and the viewer. By analyzing the work of six artists, Richard Billingham, Jaret Belliveau, Larry Clark, Nan Goldin, Lisa Steele and Bas Jan Ader, I maintain that lived experience and personal history condition the way viewers respond to autobiographical art. I turn to literary theory as a critical methodology to argue that autobiographical art operates as a catalyst for identification, memory and self-discovery. I use affect and trauma theory to demonstrate how artwork produces meaning and discourse through the viewer’s feelings, emotions and bodily sensations. Consequently, I survey the importance …

Narrative Brought To Life: The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, Stefani Klaric

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis explores The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the motivations for creating fictive, immersive environments. These can be defined as spaces that generate new physical environments or worlds that engage our senses. The theme park is the experiential space where entertainment, fantasy, and commodity consumption come together. By including recognizable objects, narratives, characters, and the like, taken directly from the Harry Potter books and films, audiences and participants are brought into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in a way that immerses them in the space and allows them to experience the narrative by participating in a journey …

Traditions And Receptions In Sixteenth-Century Yucatán’S Visual Culture: The Maya And The Creation Of Tihó-Mérida, Cody Barteet

Research Day (Arts & Humanities, FIMS, and Education)

In this project, I address the cultural multivalency of Tihó-Mérida from art historical perspectives to consider how the Maya understood and engaged with Yucatán’s new cultural capital.

Immersion Emergencies And Possible Worlds: Engaging Water As Culture And Resource Through Contemporary Art, Patrick Mahon

Research Day (Arts & Humanities, FIMS, and Education)

In the present socio-cultural moment, water is increasingly the subject of discussion and contestation in public discourse. As Canadians, we know it as a resource that is ubiquitous within our history and an increasingly desirable international commodity. Our project uses research and practice in visual art to address the subject of water regarding its cultural and environmental importance, linking the historical art practice of picturing nature with the potential of visual representation to offer opportunities for aesthetic and socio-cultural engagement. The project is generously funded by the Social Sciences Research Council of Canada. (see www.immersion-emergencies.ca)