This paper has researched what the power of a performance protest is when making use of artistic means. Artist Nan Goldin constructed performance protests against the Sackler family, a...Show moreThis paper has researched what the power of a performance protest is when making use of artistic means. Artist Nan Goldin constructed performance protests against the Sackler family, a pharmaceutical dynasty partly responsible for the opioid crisis in the United States. These protests served the purpose of getting museums to cut their ties with the Sackler family, thus also refusing funding from the Sackler’s. This paper has investigated how Nan Goldin has succeeded in doing so, using theories from performance studies to visual rhetoric. This research hopes to have illustrated how these previously mentioned powerful performance tools can help build a community to fight against big institutions.Show less
Taxidermy within contemporary art is a relatively new phenomenon, however, it can be used to express various societal concepts and issues, such as relationships between humans and animals, the meat...Show moreTaxidermy within contemporary art is a relatively new phenomenon, however, it can be used to express various societal concepts and issues, such as relationships between humans and animals, the meat and fur trade or animal rights activism. A case study of Katarzyna Kozyra’s Pyramid of Animals can be considered valuable, given that it also features a video of an animal’s slaughter next to the sculpture. Artworks including taxidermy can gather greatly varying receptions, which is the base for this paper. The effectiveness in propelling the artowrks’ message as well as their response is important to analyse.Show less
Ecology and participatory art projects are relevant topics in current day artistic practices, yet how can art be of influence on the social matter of the planning and use of the public space in the...Show moreEcology and participatory art projects are relevant topics in current day artistic practices, yet how can art be of influence on the social matter of the planning and use of the public space in the urban environment? Commonly, ecological and participatory art practices and exhibitions take place within four walls of white cube galleries or project spaces where they reach an already initiated and versed art viewing audience. Meanwhile the public sphere is managed by city governments and cannot be intervened with by civilians who do live in the spaces as their everyday surroundings. This paper looks at two different methods of artistic practices and exhibitions that take place in curated environments made by artists as well as interventions in public spaces by inhabitants of an environment in order to understand how artistic interventions can play a role in the reclaiming livability in the urban landscape. These two approaches will be analyzed through two different case studies.The paper comes to the finding that artists and urban interventionists need to collaborate to build a sustainable and engaged practice.Show less
This paper applies Karl Marx’s definition of alienation to art produced by artificial intelligence system Dall-E. This is achieved by examining Dall-E’s productions through the lens of historic...Show moreThis paper applies Karl Marx’s definition of alienation to art produced by artificial intelligence system Dall-E. This is achieved by examining Dall-E’s productions through the lens of historic texts, namely Walter Benjamin’s text on ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Technological Reproducibility’ and Leo Tolstoy’s book ‘What is Art’, further supported by contemporary literature on artificial creativity in relation to the remaining role of the artist. The resulting analysis indicates that Dall-E’s production process is divided as framed by Marxist definitions, thereby making it difficult to trace artistic mastery. In the following section, the analysis of creativity results in the idea that alienation in Dall-E is better understood as a shaded artistic freedom. Contrastingly, in the final section Dall-E shows that it can overcome its own alienating aspects by becoming universal and multi-usable, aligning democratic results.Show less
This thesis explores the emergence of Parametricism in the early 2000s through a comparative of the transitional phase between the precedent architectural styles and the evolving parametric...Show moreThis thesis explores the emergence of Parametricism in the early 2000s through a comparative of the transitional phase between the precedent architectural styles and the evolving parametric paradigm. While devoid of parametric modeling tools, these proto-parametric designs demonstrate a profound communicative capacity in articulating and organizing society’s heterogeneous nature. In investigating three case studies between 1999 and 2002, this research highlights a shift towards a heightened Urban Relationality and Urban Functionalism. Contextualized within the digital turn, the examples coincide in their integration of architectural semiology and a focus on socio-spatial relations. The designs foster positive spillovers within their proximate social and urban environments by transcending modernism’s functionalism through multi-functional approaches and an aestheticized architectural practice. Highlighting the constraints imposed by Patrik Schumacher’s Parametricist manifesto, this research underscores the transformative potential of transitional phases advocating for opening the Parametricist discourse to allow for creative exploration and progress in light of pressing contemporary issues.Show less
This thesis researches the presumed connection between the theory of semiotics and the work of contemporary text-based artist Nora Turato (1991). More specifically, Turato’s publication pool 5 ...Show moreThis thesis researches the presumed connection between the theory of semiotics and the work of contemporary text-based artist Nora Turato (1991). More specifically, Turato’s publication pool 5 (2022) will be used as a case study to answer the research question: ‘To what extent does Nora Turato’s artists’ book pool 5 integrate text and visual design to create a distinct form of expression within the realm of text-based arts?’. By analyzing Turato’s use of the medium of the artists’ book, situated in text-based arts, this thesis aims to explore the supposed connection between the arts and semiotics, while also situating the work of Turato in a broader contextual sphere. Using the perspectives of visual analysis and semiotics, this thesis aims to extend the understanding of the relationship between authorship, language, and meaning within text-based contemporary art.Show less
This paper calls for the importance of examining the presence and implications of land and landscape in popular media, specifically the genre of the historical docudrama. The first section situates...Show moreThis paper calls for the importance of examining the presence and implications of land and landscape in popular media, specifically the genre of the historical docudrama. The first section situates the research gap in the diverse field of landscape thinking, an interdisciplinary field engaging cultural geography, philosophy, art history, media studies and critiques of national thought. In response to John Wylie’s call for concern for ‘homeland thinking’ in landscape studies, it pursues a critical comparison of phenomenological and relational conceptions of ‘embeddedness’ in landscapes alongside the notion of landscape as ‘foundation’ of identity as defined by the European Landscape Convention. The second section of the paper opens up to an in-depth exploration of land and landscapes in the first episode ‘Hunters and Farmers’ of the popular docudrama Het verhaal van Nederland (The Story of the Netherlands). The analysis demonstrates the frequently narrow and exclusionary effect of engaging land and landscapes in national ‘stories’.Show less
In recent years, the Japanese anime industry has undergone a remarkable transformation in the academic world. In the past two decades, Japanese anime has evolved into a commercial success genre, as...Show moreIn recent years, the Japanese anime industry has undergone a remarkable transformation in the academic world. In the past two decades, Japanese anime has evolved into a commercial success genre, as it has allowed for films like Japanese director Makoto Shinkai's Kimi no Na Wa (2016) and Tenki no Ko (2019) to gain global recognition and breathe new life into the Japanese animated film industry. Thus, anime has become a cultural export of reflecting the unique perspectives and values of its creators and audiences worldwide. This research aims to explore how anime, specifically the two films mentioned above, portrays natural disasters and phenomena under the greater context of the Anthropocene. By examining the portrayal of the human-nature relationship, this investigation provides novel insights into the field of anime studies, specifically that of Shinkai. In particular, the thesis focuses on the themes of body and technology, offering an analysis that delves into the mesmerizing world interwoven with profound ideals depicted in Shinkai's works.Show less
There has always been a fascination in death and violence present in our society. From public execution to war films, our society gathered around death as a form of entertainment. Photographs by...Show moreThere has always been a fascination in death and violence present in our society. From public execution to war films, our society gathered around death as a form of entertainment. Photographs by Weegee uncovered this fascination and he exaggerated it using various photographic techniques. Portraying the period of socioeconomic struggle of post-war America, his photographs exposed the raw human emotions which emanates from witnessing the extremity of murders. Weegee captured the process of individuals’ pains turning into the spectacle of the public through “Their First Murder” and “Balcony Seats At A Murder”. Us, as the viewers, then view the subjects depicted in the photograph as a spectacle, creating a chain of gaze. Using theories of Susan Sontag, Mark Seltzer, and the politics of gaze, the essay will investigate the intention behind Weegee’s exaggerated representation of his subject.Show less
This paper examines the interrelations between the collective memory, liminality, and landscape related to the Pinochet regime that had place in Chile between the 1970s and the 1990s. Focusing on...Show moreThis paper examines the interrelations between the collective memory, liminality, and landscape related to the Pinochet regime that had place in Chile between the 1970s and the 1990s. Focusing on the contemporary artworks of Enrique Ramírez, Patricio Guzmán, and Cecilia Vicuña, this study argues that the depiction of the memory of the military regime in the contemporary Chilean visual art is strongly related to the representation of the landscape with an impact of liminality. It also proves that the collective memory affects the perception of a site-specific landscape related to the regime. All discussed artworks: Los Durmientes, El Botón de Nácar, and Kon Kon present a different take on these concerns proving however, that the depiction of the collective memory in contemporary Chilean art is closely correlated to landscape and liminality.Show less
The Serbian artist Ivana Bašić (b. 1987) believes that her free-standing and humanoid sculptures which bear resemblances with a corpse are real, meaning alive and human. From an anthropocentric...Show moreThe Serbian artist Ivana Bašić (b. 1987) believes that her free-standing and humanoid sculptures which bear resemblances with a corpse are real, meaning alive and human. From an anthropocentric view, such a conviction may initially pose as difficult for the viewers of her work to agree with. The reason for that lies in the perception that certain power dynamics, which occur when a viewer encounters a statue, necessarily reduce the sculpture to a mere object. However, this hierarchy may also be challenged, particularly in the two aspects of materiality and visual qualities. This paper analyses Bašić’s sculptural work I will lull and rock my ailing light in my marble arms #1 and #2 (2017) through a posthumanist lens, using theories on materiality, the uncanny, and the abject. The focus therein lies in expanding the default notion on sculptures being “dead objects” by introducing a possible reality wherein they can be perceived to exist in a realm “in-between” being alive and dead.Show less
There is a pressing need for new articulation and tools to make the cloud more understandable. Data center visualization has become increasingly relevant for this purpose. The goal of this paper is...Show moreThere is a pressing need for new articulation and tools to make the cloud more understandable. Data center visualization has become increasingly relevant for this purpose. The goal of this paper is to investigate what photography can mean medium-wise by using it to represent the cloud through photographing data centers. The medium of photography for representing the cloud has not yet been researched. Central to this research is the analysis of the photography of Acid Clouds that photographs datacenter exteriors as a means to map the cloud. By the way in which photography is discursively embedded as both informative and desensitizing, photography of data centers as a form of visualizing the cloud can easily, instead of offering visibility, make the cloud more distractive but omnipresent, as well as reinforce ideas of security and complicity. This paper develops two concepts, "concealment" and "stability," that can be used by researchers and artists who want to work with the interplay between the medium of photography, cloud infrastructure, and the cloud.Show less
In the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz a group of selected prisoners were forced to operate on a daily basis the gas chambers and crematoria of the camp: the members of the Sonderkommando were...Show moreIn the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz a group of selected prisoners were forced to operate on a daily basis the gas chambers and crematoria of the camp: the members of the Sonderkommando were prisoners forced to kill and cremate other fellow inmates. In 1944 some members of the current Sonderkommando unit managed to secretly shoot four photographs showing their daily duties and smuggle them outside of the camp, in order to show to the rest of the world the hell on Earth that was the life inside of Auschwitz. This essay analyses these four images as essential elements in the context of the collective memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The focus is posed on the importance of exhibiting these photographs despite their characteristic of being “violence images”, and how crucial it is to exhibit them while maintaining their original narrative without compromising it or omitting some aspects.Show less
This research aims to unveil the agency of the artwork “la Zoyd’s pataVerse” by Yvonne le Grand. By applying Wild’s take on Gell’s Art Nexus, three phases of the social biography of Le Grand’s work...Show moreThis research aims to unveil the agency of the artwork “la Zoyd’s pataVerse” by Yvonne le Grand. By applying Wild’s take on Gell’s Art Nexus, three phases of the social biography of Le Grand’s work are placed into a system that connects with four agents that mostly revolve around the interactions between them. This research laid bare that the agency of the artwork came into being because of (a) the Index, being an online platform that invited Recipients to participate in the artwork; (b) the Artist, deciding to (not) use the input by Recipients in Zoyd’s life; (c) the Recipient, willing to and being able to interact with the Artwork; and (d) the Prototype, offering another dimension to the artwork as it refers to the fact that online and offline identities are both versions of the self that are not fully separate.Show less
NFTs, after the recent boom in 2021, are increasingly exiting the online-only realm and are entering the physical space as museums and galleries are increasingly acquiring, displaying and...Show moreNFTs, after the recent boom in 2021, are increasingly exiting the online-only realm and are entering the physical space as museums and galleries are increasingly acquiring, displaying and commissioning NFTs artworks. Some of these NFTs are created precisely for a physical space and can be defined as site-specific NFTs. In particular, the digital media artist Refik Anadol (b.1985 Istanbul, Turkey) is a pioneer in creating site-specific NFTs for some of the most important art institutions in the world. The merging between NFTs and Site Specific art has never been discussed previously, and generally the literature on curating NFTs is still lacking. The aim of this paper is to find the tools to analyse a site specific NFTs artwork. To achieve this, Refik Anadol’s artwork Machine Hallucinations – Nature Dreams : AI Data Sculpture 2021 1/1, which was made site-specifically for König Galerie in Berlin, will be studied. The outcome of this research will serve as a tool that could be used to analyse other NFTs site specific works and eventually will be helpful for future re-locations of the artwork.Show less
Perishables is a photographic series that features the portraits of nineteen white women between the ages of fifty and seventy. Through its engagement with abject materials, namely its use of...Show morePerishables is a photographic series that features the portraits of nineteen white women between the ages of fifty and seventy. Through its engagement with abject materials, namely its use of animal skins and organ linings as garments for the photographed women, the series aims to enter into a generative relationship with its spectators, where the female ageing body is explored and re-negotiated through its abject exploration. Departing from a sociological, philosophical and feminist perspective, I frame Perishables as a powerful and poignant commentary on the social abjection of female ageing bodies that engages with the feminist tradition of body reclamation. The aim of this paper is to deconstruct and unveil the ageist and patriarchal notions inscribed in the female ageing body, and to showcase (theoretical and socially engaged) practices to refute them.Show less
During Bulgaria’s transition period (1990-2007), contemporary artistic practices were not seen as valuable symbolic capital, causing friction between the state and the contemporary artistic...Show moreDuring Bulgaria’s transition period (1990-2007), contemporary artistic practices were not seen as valuable symbolic capital, causing friction between the state and the contemporary artistic community. A museum for contemporary art did not exist, marking contemporary artists as invisible. In response, the artist Ivan Moudov expressed institutional critique towards the scarce state funding and the absence of a museum through the staging of a fake museum opening (MUSIZ) at an empty railway station. Moudov’s action amassed over 300 attendees who were unconsciously organised into a community. This thesis will argue that by affectively involving the attendees of MUSIZ into participation and granting the audience agency in relation to the setting and the public, Moudov created a ground for social engagement that empowered his audience. The presence of affect and social engagement are crucial agents in achieving positive social transformation for the contemporary cultural community, as will be discussed through the outcome of this performance.Show less
Especially in our contemporary material culture with mass production and consumer culture playing big roles, a deceased loved one leaves behind many possessions. These possessions can range from...Show moreEspecially in our contemporary material culture with mass production and consumer culture playing big roles, a deceased loved one leaves behind many possessions. These possessions can range from their IKEA bedside table that cousin Maddie can put to good use in her new dorm room, to their last shopping lists scribbled down on a crumbled up, sticky note. Seemingly unimportant objects like these will be a red thread throughout this paper. Still-life paintings have the ability to invert seemingly unimportant objects. By putting the focus of the artwork on the material objects, these seemingly unimportant objects become important. Rachel Grobstein’s series Bedside Tables shines light on the often overlooked aspects of daily life exploring questions related to memory, routine and identity. In this consumer culture we have so many items around us and in our possession, that the importance of many of these is often forgotten. When they are -subconsciously- brought together by a person they can start to tell a story, the life story of an individual. Without the body being present in the artwork, it leaves just the story of a person, the memory of them. When we take a closer look at her work through the traditional Vanitas Tradition these artworks start to remind us of how irrelevant and unimportant these material objects are once we pass; we cannot take these with us anyway. Yet, as these material possessions might not be important for an individual once they pass, these possessions stay important to the people they leave behind, for their process of grief, for keeping their memory alive in this material world. It goes further than our physical world but represents this right through material objects from this very physical world. It is not about the physical presence of the body or corpse, but about the memory of the person. However, it is this memory that is represented through the material objects/possessions of the deceased person. The series Bedside Tables represents something outside of our physical world, but does so through the physical objects of our consumer culture. Can the contemporary work by Rachel Grobstein allow us to combine both the still-life Vanitas tradition and the theories surrounding death, memory and material culture? In this paper I argue that our contemporary consumer culture shines a new light on the well-known Vanitas tradition, focussing on the seemingly unimportant objects produced for consumer culture and their role in memory after death in a western society. At the beginning of this paper there will be an analysis of Rachel Grobstein’s series Bedside Tables as well as the traditional Vanitas tradition and how this tradition has been adapted in modern times through art movements like Pop Art. As a theoretical framework I will be using Elizabeth Hallam and Jenny Hockey’s Death, Memory and Material Culture (2001) and Jennifer Owen’s Distancing material effects to reconcile loss: Sorting memories and emotion in self-storage (2020), both of which will help me reveal the importance of material objects in experiences of grief, mourning and memorialising. As I take a deeper look into death and consumer culture and the notion of grief through the theory of Owen and Hallam and Hockey.Show less
