1,111 research outputs found
Ketchup and Blood: Documents, Institutions and Effects in the Performances of Paul McCarthy 1974-2013
Full text linkSince the 1970s, the work of Los Angeles-based artist Paul McCarthy (b. 1945) has included live performance, video, sculpture, kinetic tableaux, and installation. Tracing the development of McCarthy’s work between 1974 and 2013, I undertake a critical discussion of the development of performance in relation to visual art practices. Using one artist’s work as a guide through a number of key discussions in the history of performance art, I argue that performance has influenced every aspect of McCarthy’s artistic practice, and continues to inform critical readings of his work.
My thesis follows the trajectory of McCarthy’s performance practice as it has developed through different contexts. I begin with the early documentation and dissemination of performance in the Los Angeles-based magazine High Performance (1978-83), which established a context for the reception of performance art, and for McCarthy’s early work. I then examine specific examples of McCarthy’s practice in relation to his critical reception: live performances and videos from the 1970s are discussed alongside critical readings of his work influenced by psychoanalysis; and the wider public recognition of McCarthy’s object-based art in the 1980s and early 1990s. I then look more broadly at the recent trend of re-enacting historical performances in the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time project (2011-12), as a mode of engaging with performance history and exploring how histories of ephemeral art are re-iterated over time. Finally, I discuss a number of McCarthy’s recent exhibitions and installations that mobilises a wider consideration of the histories of performance and ephemeral practices in art institutions.
McCarthy’s work is firmly established in the art world, and I argue that his work also provides a significant touchstone for histories of performance. I look historically at how McCarthy’s work has been documented, disseminated, curated, and re-performed, and open wider discussions about ways of engaging with performance history. In turn, I complicate the relationship between performance and the art world; between ephemeral art and object-based art practices; and between scholarly engagements with performance history, and the public presentation of performance in curatorial practices and institutional contexts.This project was funded by a College Studentship from Queen Mary, University of London. Additional financial support for a research trip to Los Angeles in 2012 to undertake primary research and conduct interviews was provided by the Queen Mary Central Research Fund (now the Postgraduate Research Fund). I would also like to acknowledge the support of the Glynne Wickham Scholarship fund, which contributed to travel expenses for a conference presentation at Stanford University in 2013
iGesture: A Platform for Investigating Multimodal, Multimedia Gesture-based Interactions
No full textThis paper introduces the iGesture platform for investigating multimodal gesture based interactions in multimedia contexts. iGesture is a low-cost, extensible system that uses visual recognition of hand movements to support gesture-based input. Computer vision techniques support gesture based interactions that are lightweight, with minimal interaction constraints. The system enables gestures to be carried out 'in the environment' at a distance from the camera, enabling multimodal interaction in a naturalistic, transparent manner in a ubiquitous computing environment. The iGesture system can also be rapidly scripted to enable gesture-based input with a wide variety of applications. In this paper we present the technology behind the iGesture software, and a performance evaluation of the gesture recognition subsystem. We also present two exemplar multimedia application contexts which we are using to explore ambient gesture-based interactions
Shaping the surface of Borofloat 33 glass with ultrashort laser pulses and a spatial light modulator
Full text linkThe political instrumentalization of professional football in Francoist Spain 1939-1975
No full textPhDThe objective of this thesis is to be the first systematic study of the
political instrumentalization of football in Francoist Spain from 1939
to 1975.
Seven separate and contrasting aspects of this political
instrumentalization may be isolated, and, accordingly, this thesis will
consist of a chapter examining each one of these seven aspects in turn.
After a first introductory chapter, Chapter Two will examine the
application of Fascist concepts to Spanish football. In the third
chapter, the questions of whether and to what extent football was used
by the Franco regime as a political soporific will be discussed. The
theme of Chapter Four is the lack of democracy within the structures of
the game, a situation that is alleged to have been deliberately imposed
by the regime in order to not create an uncomfortable comparison for
itself with the lack of national and local political democracy. The
poor working conditions of the footballers, which mirrored those of the
great majority of Spanish workers during the Franco period, are the
subject of Chapter Five. In the sixth Chapter, the political
significance of the presence in Francoist Spain of a group of refugee
players and coaches from Europe will be examined. The diplomatic
and ambassadorial significance of football, in particular of the
spectacular international triumphs of the Real Madrid club, will be
discussed in Chapter Seven. The political significance of football as a
focus for Basque and Catalan nationalist sentiment, in opposition to the
centralist Madrid regime, is the subject of Chapter Eight
Northern Ireland : European Region - European Problem ?
No full textAfter 20 years of membership, Northern Ireland political parties have gradually incorporated the European Community into their political frame of reference. Largely, however, this has involved adapting the Community to local political conditions and perspectives. Voices which have tried to use the Community and « the European dimension » to alter the content and nature of the local political debate have been few, and somewhat idealistic. Whilst not opposing the spirit of decentralisation and democratic integration which these commentators espouse, the authors question the possibility of transforming the « Northern Irish question » through the emergence of a «Europe of the Regions». On the other hand, the « European dimension » might be more important as a means of legitimising changes agreed by the Irish and British Governments.Vingt ans après l'adhésion à la Communauté Européenne, les partis politiques d'Irlande du Nord ont progressivement intégré l'Europe dans leur culture et leur système de références politiques. Dans une large mesure, toutefois, ils l'ont fait en adaptant la Communauté aux conditions et perspectives politiques locales. Ceux qui ont essayé d'utiliser la Communauté et «la dimension européenne» pour changer le contenu et la nature du débat politique local ont été peu nombreux, et passablement idéalistes. Sans condamner la volonté de décentralisation et d'intégration démocratique que ces commentateurs expriment, les auteurs du présent article doutent de la possibilité de transformer la «Question d'Irlande du Nord» par l'émergence d'une «Europe des Régions». La «dimension européenne» pourrait, néanmoins, être plus importante en tant que moyen de légitimer les changements voulus par les gouvernements irlandais et britanniques.Hainsworth Paul, Morrow Duncan. Northern Ireland : European Region - European Problem ?. In: Études irlandaises, n°18-2, 1993. pp. 131-146
Reflective Teaching in Further Adult and Vocational Education (4th Edition)
No full textReflective Teaching in Further, Adult and Vocational Education is the definitive textbook for reflective professionals in further, adult and vocational education, drawing on the experience of the author team and the latest research, including that of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) findings. It offers extensive support for trainee and practising teachers in further, adult and vocational settings, for both practice-based training and career-long professionalism.
Now in its fourth edition, written by a collaborative author team of further, adult and vocational education experts led by Yvonne Hillier and Margaret Gregson, Reflective Teaching in Further, Adult and Vocational Education offers two levels of support:
- practical guidance for practitioner success with a focus on the key issues including individual and collaborative approaches to reflective practice, a systematic approach to educational improvement based upon Joint Practice Development; and
- evidence-informed 'principles' to aid understanding of how theories can effectively inform teaching practices and offer ways to develop deeper understanding of effective practices.
The new edition is also enhanced by improved navigation and updated pedagogical features, including a revised chapter structure and text design, all-new case studies, activities, figures and diagrams
Laser-based fabrication and heat treatment of shape memory alloys
Full text linkLaser-based direct-write techniques are a potential route to manufacture miniature
functional devices such as shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators. SMAs belong to a
class of active materials that can remember their predetermined shape or form when
subjected to heat and/or stress. This return to the original shape can be used as the
basis of a mechanical actuator with a high work output density on the micro-scale.
Nickel-titanium (NiTi) SMAs are used in a wide range of applications due to their
biocompatibility, high corrosion resistance and fatigue strength. Macro-scale manufacturing of NiTi has been extensively studied to understand its crystallography
and thermomechanical response. However, there is only limited work carried out to
study the fabrication of NiTi SMAs at the micro-scale.
Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) is a 3D micro-fabrication tool to sequentially
print materials from one substrate to another. LIFT has been used to rapidly prototype many devices including electronic circuits, photonic devices and complex 3D
structures. The ability to print materials drop-by-drop offers the opportunity to
manufacture SMA devices with locally modified properties in an otherwise monolithic component. Generally, SMAs require specific thermal treatments to induce
the shape memory effect, typically carried out in a hot-air furnace or an oven. To
induce similar effects in a micro-scale component or only at the surface, lasers have
been employed.
In this thesis, the use of LIFT to fabricate NiTi-based SMA components on the
scale of 10-100 µm is extensively studied. Different strategies involving nickel, titanium and NiTi donor layers have been employed. Subsequently, laser-based heat
treatment was studied using XRD, and SEM-EDX to fabricate and/or recrystallise
NiTi. The SMA property of the fabricated component was verified using differential
scanning calorimetry and a cantilever bending test
Tailored light for high precision manufacture
No full textHigh precision manufacturing with lasers requires selection of specific laser beam parameters for optimal processes. Example parameters and processes (exploiting either melting or vaporisation) are presented, optimised to provide fine-scale structuring of glasses and metals.</p
The Practicalities of a Spatial Coherence Filter in free-space LIDAR Environments
No full textA scanning LIDAR system that uses a single pixel detector can be highly attractive, with simple data processing coupled with low cost and complexity. However, the impact of ambient light noise is much greater than with a multiple pixel system. A potential means of overcoming this is to filter for transverse spatial coherence. Such filters have been discussed and evaluated in the literature, typically based on an axicon or a spiral phase plate that creates a ring with coherent light. Incoherent light, in contrast, smears the light out diffusely, allowing for spatial separation and thus, filtering. The focus of the existing literature tends to be in optical communication or underwater ranging, whereas a free-space LIDAR environment has distinct issues that inhibit the practicality of the filter if a direct replication is performed. This work thus focusses on exploring the practical implementation of these filters in a free-space LIDAR environment.</p
Impact of the International Coffee Agreement's export quota system on the World's coffee market
Full text linkEx-post simulations of the global coffee model over the recent period of operation of the International Coffee Agreement's export quota system, (1981-86) show the following. The quota system had a stabilizing effect on world coffee prices in the 1981-85 period. In 1986, when coffee prices increased sharply due to the drought in Brazil and the export quotas were suspended, prices would have been 24 percent higher in the absence of quotas over the 1981-85 period. However, the quotas have reduced export revenues (in real terms), except for such large producers as Brazil and Colombia. These countries gained form the scheme because they face very small or even zero marginal export revenues from increased exports, due to their large market shares. In projections of the coffee market, with and without the export quota system, prices would be substantially lower during the first half of the 1990s if the quota system were suspended in 1990. But prices would recover in the second half of the decade as production and exports declined in lagged response to the very low prices of the first half.Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Markets and Market Access,Access to Markets,Crops&Crop Management Systems
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