scholarly journals The absurdist liberation of architecture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
B.A. Hulley
Keyword(s):  
Albert Camus ◽  
Similar Question ◽  
Intended Meaning ◽  
True Meaning ◽  
Turning Radius ◽  
Post War ◽  
The University ◽  
The Hill ◽  
Roll Back ◽  
Do So

<p>I am Sisyphus and architecture is my boulder. For those who are not already familiar, Sisyphus is the Greek mythological king of Ephyra. However, he is perhaps most well-known for his unique, boulder-rolling, fate. As punishment for deceitfulness, Sisyphus was condemned to a life in which he was to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down again; he was to repeat this task for eternity (Homer, Odyssey, XI.593). At the beginning of the final year of my architecture master’s degree, I felt much like I imagine Sisyphus to feel as he walks back down the hill to begin his task once more. Another year at university pushing another piece of architecture up the hill of hopeless, sure to be lost to interpretation, meaning - something with which many contemporaries, and architectural critics seem to have become mildly obsessed. This incessant striving for meaning is reinforced through the typical university design project’s marking schedule. It is common a student must prove that his or her design is meaningful, and was not merely plucked from their imagination. Often, according to these marking schedules, a ‘good’ design must have undergone numerous conceptual iterations (methodology), have included a range of theoretical and practical influences (context) and be something that no-one has seen before (originality). Other than undermining a student’s confidence in his or her own imaginative creativity and the value of creativity alone, this demonstrates the level of the contemporary architectural critics’ obsession with meaning. It is this hopeless push back up the hill of meaning that we now too often call design. This phenomenon can also be observed outside of the university walls. A fine example is Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye which, though no longer contemporary, is still undoubtedly relevant due to its lingering influence and fame. I will also admit that I would certainly be lying if I said that provocation has had no effect on my selection; I find it serves as a useful tool in point making. Regardless, Villa Savoye is a landmark of hopeless intended meaning. Corbusier’s five points of architecture are indicative of the meaning he had hoped to convey through this building: an original expression and glorification of the Modern (Western) context of living (Corbusier, 1986). This is all fine and well, and yes it is true that one can recognise this expression in the architecture once it has been explained. In fact, I have no doubt that some uninformed observers may even realise that the semicircular path of the Villa Savoye’s driveway is exactly the turning radius of a 1927 Citroën automobile. However even of those impressive few who do, even fewer will recognise this as a design strategy to aid in the celebration of the industrial phenomena of the automobile. The building’s context, originality and methodology, its meaning, have undeniably been lost to interpretation - a fate shared by all attempts to portray and interpret meaning in architecture. So is it sensible to strive for meaning so passionately? A remarkably similar question was identified by a number of post-war philosophers who, spurred by the atrocities and revelations of war, went on to become the pioneers of movements which now collectively fit under the heading Existentialism. Questions around the conditions of existence, and whether any human can experience true meaning within the apparent meaninglessness of our universe, began to be considered (Solomon, 1974). Within this, the theory of Absurdism arose from the identification of the paradoxical act of an individual’s hopeless attempt to determine meaning within a meaningless existence; that being the Absurd Act. The similarities are, I hope, apparent, as it is the identification of this similarity that initiated this thesis. Just as individuals seek meaning in their existence, they seek meaning in their architecture. And both can undeniably be considered Absurd Acts due to the limitations of perception and interpretation. I need to explain Absurdism in more depth, and I do so in the following chapter, but what needs to be understood for now is that, according to the Absurdist theory, no individuals will find true meaning in their meaningless universe, or in their architecture. Assuming you too refuse to accept this bleak outlook, we must ask a question of architecture, and existence also. How can its meaning be validated? The clues to a solution lie in the discussions of Absurdism; and it is the findings and explanations of Albert Camus that will pave the path that I will follow in the establishment of architecture within the paradox of meaninglessness.</p>

scholarly journals The absurdist liberation of architecture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
B.A. Hulley
Keyword(s):  
Albert Camus ◽  
Similar Question ◽  
Intended Meaning ◽  
True Meaning ◽  
Turning Radius ◽  
Post War ◽  
The University ◽  
The Hill ◽  
Roll Back ◽  
Do So

<p>I am Sisyphus and architecture is my boulder. For those who are not already familiar, Sisyphus is the Greek mythological king of Ephyra. However, he is perhaps most well-known for his unique, boulder-rolling, fate. As punishment for deceitfulness, Sisyphus was condemned to a life in which he was to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down again; he was to repeat this task for eternity (Homer, Odyssey, XI.593). At the beginning of the final year of my architecture master’s degree, I felt much like I imagine Sisyphus to feel as he walks back down the hill to begin his task once more. Another year at university pushing another piece of architecture up the hill of hopeless, sure to be lost to interpretation, meaning - something with which many contemporaries, and architectural critics seem to have become mildly obsessed. This incessant striving for meaning is reinforced through the typical university design project’s marking schedule. It is common a student must prove that his or her design is meaningful, and was not merely plucked from their imagination. Often, according to these marking schedules, a ‘good’ design must have undergone numerous conceptual iterations (methodology), have included a range of theoretical and practical influences (context) and be something that no-one has seen before (originality). Other than undermining a student’s confidence in his or her own imaginative creativity and the value of creativity alone, this demonstrates the level of the contemporary architectural critics’ obsession with meaning. It is this hopeless push back up the hill of meaning that we now too often call design. This phenomenon can also be observed outside of the university walls. A fine example is Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye which, though no longer contemporary, is still undoubtedly relevant due to its lingering influence and fame. I will also admit that I would certainly be lying if I said that provocation has had no effect on my selection; I find it serves as a useful tool in point making. Regardless, Villa Savoye is a landmark of hopeless intended meaning. Corbusier’s five points of architecture are indicative of the meaning he had hoped to convey through this building: an original expression and glorification of the Modern (Western) context of living (Corbusier, 1986). This is all fine and well, and yes it is true that one can recognise this expression in the architecture once it has been explained. In fact, I have no doubt that some uninformed observers may even realise that the semicircular path of the Villa Savoye’s driveway is exactly the turning radius of a 1927 Citroën automobile. However even of those impressive few who do, even fewer will recognise this as a design strategy to aid in the celebration of the industrial phenomena of the automobile. The building’s context, originality and methodology, its meaning, have undeniably been lost to interpretation - a fate shared by all attempts to portray and interpret meaning in architecture. So is it sensible to strive for meaning so passionately? A remarkably similar question was identified by a number of post-war philosophers who, spurred by the atrocities and revelations of war, went on to become the pioneers of movements which now collectively fit under the heading Existentialism. Questions around the conditions of existence, and whether any human can experience true meaning within the apparent meaninglessness of our universe, began to be considered (Solomon, 1974). Within this, the theory of Absurdism arose from the identification of the paradoxical act of an individual’s hopeless attempt to determine meaning within a meaningless existence; that being the Absurd Act. The similarities are, I hope, apparent, as it is the identification of this similarity that initiated this thesis. Just as individuals seek meaning in their existence, they seek meaning in their architecture. And both can undeniably be considered Absurd Acts due to the limitations of perception and interpretation. I need to explain Absurdism in more depth, and I do so in the following chapter, but what needs to be understood for now is that, according to the Absurdist theory, no individuals will find true meaning in their meaningless universe, or in their architecture. Assuming you too refuse to accept this bleak outlook, we must ask a question of architecture, and existence also. How can its meaning be validated? The clues to a solution lie in the discussions of Absurdism; and it is the findings and explanations of Albert Camus that will pave the path that I will follow in the establishment of architecture within the paradox of meaninglessness.</p>

The heroic age of Celtic Philology

2004 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
D. Ellis Evans
Keyword(s):  
First Year ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
University College ◽  
Literary Figure ◽  
Post War ◽  
The University ◽  
Do So ◽  
Undergraduate Class

This article is based on a lecture I was originally invited to deliver at Aberystwyth in the University of Wales in honour of the late Sir Thomas Parry-Williams (one of my earliest University teachers) and to do so on a topic which, I feel sure, would have met with his approval. He had himself studied with several of the most renowned and gifted scholars of the early part of this century, Edward Anwyl at Aberystwyth, John Rhys at Oxford, Rudolf Thurneysen at Freiburg im Breisgau, and Joseph Loth and Joseph Vendryes at the Sorbonne in Paris. He was one of the great scholarly and cultural heroes of my boyhood days and of my youth, a truly renowned scholar, literary figure and critic. His teaching days in the Department of Welsh at the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth spanned five decades, from 1914 to 1952 (he held the Chair of Welsh there with great distinction from 1920 to 1952). I treasure the memory of having been a member of a large post-war first year undergraduate class in his Department as long ago as 1947.

Set up and management of a Data Science faculty at Shiga University

Impact ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (10) ◽  
pp. 18-20
Author(s):  
Akimichi Takemura
Keyword(s):  
Data Science ◽  
Science Faculty ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
International Trends ◽  
Leading Position ◽  
Global Understanding ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The University ◽  
Do So ◽  
Undergraduate Class

Shiga University opened the first data science faculty in Japan in April 2017. Beginning with an undergraduate class of 100 students, the Department has since established a Master's degree programme with 20 students in each annual intake. This is the first data science faculty in Japan and the University intends to retain this leading position, the Department is well-placed to do so. The faculty closely monitors international trends concerning data science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and adapt its education and research accordingly. The genesis of this department marks a change in Japan's attitudes towards dealing with information and reflects a wider, global understanding of the need for further research in this area. Shiga University's Data Science department seeks to produce well-trained data scientists who demonstrate a good balance of knowledge and skills in each of the three key areas of data science.

De splitsing van de Belgische Socialistische Partij. Twee verklarende documenten

2008 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-114
Author(s):  
Pieter-Jan Van Bosstraeten
Keyword(s):  
Socialist Party ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
History Of ◽  
Post War ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Do So

Op 11 oktober 1978 splitste de Belgische Socialistische Partij zich als laatste van de drie unitaire partijen op in twee autonome partijen. Langs Franstalige zijde werd éénzijdig de Parti Socialiste opgericht, twee jaar later volgde de Socialistische Partij. De splitsing vormde het eindpunt van een lange en bewogen geschiedenis van de socialistische eenheidspartij.Ondanks het feit dat heel wat auteurs reeds een licht hebben geworpen op de belangrijkste gebeurtenis uit de na-oorlogse geschiedenis van de BSP, is het antwoord op de vraag naar de oorzaken van de splitsing vrij eenduidig. Overwegend wordt aangenomen dat de splitsing van de BSP het gevolg is van een moeilijke samenwerking in het kader van het communautaire dossier. Andere oorzaken worden amper aangehaald, of onvoldoende verduidelijkt. Tevens wordt slechts het politiek-tactische aspect van het communautaire dossier uitvoerig besproken. In de bestaande literatuur wordt zo goed als nergens dieper ingegaan op de inhoudelijke elementen die binnen de partij problemen teweegbrachten.Onderzoek van twee cruciale documenten heeft de mogelijkheid geboden het verhaal van de splitsing beter te reconstrueren. Daarbij is gebleken dat de splitsing van de partij in een ruimer kader dient te worden geïnterpreteerd dan het communautaire dossier. Aan de splitsing van de partij ging een lang proces van autonomisering en vleugelvorming vooraf. Bovendien werd aangetoond dat de problematiek inzake het Egmont-Stuyvenbergpact niet de enige directe oorzaak vormde voor de splitsing van de partij, in de periode 1977-1978. Enkele andere oorzaken hebben daartoe eveneens bijgedragen.________The division of the Belgian Socialist Party. Two explanatory documentsOn 11 October 1978 the Belgian Socialist Party divided into two autonomous parties, the last of the three unitary parties to do so. First the French speaking section unilaterally founded the ‘Parti Socialiste’, two years later the ‘Socialistische Partij’ followed. The division constituted the termination of the long and eventful history of the socialist unitary party.In spite of the fact that many authors have already shed light on the most important event from the post-war history of the BSP, the answer to the question about the causes for the division are fairly unequivocal. The majority of opinions favour the view that the division of the BSP was the consequence of the difficulty of collaborating within the framework of the community dossier. Other causes are hardly cited, or insufficiently elucidated. Moreover only the politico-tactical aspect of the community dossier is discussed in detail. The existing literature hardly ever carries out a more thorough examination of the intrinsic elements that caused problems within the party.The investigation of the two crucial documents has offered the opportunity to provide a better reconstruction of the division. This showed that the division of the party should be interpreted within a larger framework than the community dossier alone. A long process of autonomisation and the formation of political wings preceded the division of the party. It also demonstrated that the issues concerning the Egmont-Stuyvenberg pact were not the only direct cause for the division of the party, during the period 1977-1978. There were several other causes that also contributed to this division.

The Early Years of Republic

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.V. Vaidyanatha Ayyar
Keyword(s):  
Educational Development ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Modern Education ◽  
British Raj ◽  
University Development ◽  
Regulatory Policies ◽  
Education In India ◽  
History Of ◽  
Post War ◽  
The University

The chapter is a prologue to the main narrative of the book. It offers an evaluation of Macaulay’s minute which paved the way for introduction of modern education in India, the idea of National System Of Education which dominated Indian thinking on education for over sixty years from the Partition of Bengal (1905) to the Kothari Commission (1964), and the division of responsibility between the Central and Provincial Governments for educational development during British Raj. It offers a succinct account of the key recommendations of the landmark Sarjent Committee on Post-War Educational Development, the Radhakrishnan Commission on University Development, and the Mudaliar Commission on Secondary Education, of the drafting history of the provisions relating to education in the Constitution, the spectacular expansion of access after Independence, the evolution of regulatory policies and institutions like the University Grants Commission (UGC), and of the delicate compromise over language policy.

Reconstituting the International, 1918–1923

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talbot C. Imlay
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Events ◽  
Great War ◽  
Bolshevik Revolution ◽  
Meaning And Purpose ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Great War ◽  
Do So ◽  
Lengthy Process

This chapter examines the post-war efforts of European socialists to reconstitute the Socialist International. Initial efforts to cooperate culminated in an international socialist conference in Berne in February 1919 at which socialists from the two wartime camps met for the first time. In the end, however, it would take four years to reconstitute the International with the creation of the Labour and Socialist International (LSI) in 1923. That it took so long to do so is a testimony to the impact of the Great War and to the Bolshevik revolution. Together, these two seismic events compelled socialists to reconsider the meaning and purpose of socialism. The search for answers sparked prolonged debates between and within the major parties, profoundly reconfiguring the pre-war world of European socialism. One prominent stake in this lengthy process, moreover, was the nature of socialist internationalism—both its content and its functioning.

Jude the Obscure

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Hardy
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Critical Edition ◽  
The World ◽  
The University ◽  
Jude The Obscure ◽  
Do So

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul?' Jude Fawley, poor and working-class, longs to study at the University of Christminster, but he is rebuffed, and trapped in a loveless marriage. He falls in love with his unconventional cousin Sue Bridehead, and their refusal to marry when free to do so confirms their rejection of and by the world around them. The shocking fate that overtakes them is an indictment of a rigid and uncaring society. Hardy's last and most controversial novel, Jude the Obscure caused outrage when it was published in 1895. This is the first truly critical edition, taking account of the changes that Hardy made over twenty-five years. It includes a new chronology and bibliography and substantially revised notes.

scholarly journals КHIBI – KHDTUBA – KHUBA: 90 years of history

New Collegium ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (102) ◽  
pp. 14-22
Author(s):  
O. Soloshenko
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Development ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Research Work ◽  
High Status ◽  
University History ◽  
National University ◽  
The Status ◽  
Higher Educational ◽  
Post War ◽  
The University

2020 is a jubilee year for Kharkiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. The article is devoted to the analysis and presentation of the main pages of the University history. Emphasis is placed on the causes and peculiarities of the events that are connected with the foundation of the building institute in 1930. Among the basic stages of history, the attention is drawn to its creation and importance of preparation of qualified personnel of builders and architects during industrialization; features of work of institute during the Second World War and during post-war restoration; rapid development of KHIBI in 1950th – opening of new specialities and formation of scientific schools, expansion of a contingent of students, including the beginning of preparation of foreign listeners is marked. In the following decades there was a steady development and expansion of the structure of the university, cooperation with foreign higher educational institutions, introduction of scientific achievements of teachers of the institute into production. At the time of Ukraine's independence, new tendencies in higher education (humanization of the scientific process, introduction of new methods of teaching and control of students' knowledge, activation of research work in accordance with the requirements of national and world science, etc.) are being implemented – granting the status of a university, and later the status of a national university. The author notes the main achievements of the University during the leadership of each of the directors / rectors of KHIBI – KHTUBA – KHNUBA. The prospects of KHIBI development are determined by its high status of a higher educational institution in the architectural and construction area of modern Ukraine and the potential of its staff. At the end of the article it is concluded that the university has an outstanding history, which was created by teachers, scientists, employees, students and graduates of the university, each of whom made a significant contribution to the achievements of our Alma Mater.

scholarly journals Repeated Negative Teaching Evaluations: A Form of Habitual Behaviour?

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 298-321
Author(s):  
J Paul Grayson
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Generational Status ◽  
First Year ◽  
Not Given ◽  
Campus Engagement ◽  
Teaching Evaluations ◽  
University Of British Columbia ◽  
Mcgill University ◽  
The University ◽  
Do So

Teaching evaluations have become part of life on Canadian campuses; however, there is no agreement among researchers as to their validity. In this article, comparisons were made between first- and third-year collective evaluations of professors’ performance at the University of British Columbia, York University, and McGill University. Overall, it was found that students who provided low evaluations in their first year were also likely to do so in their third year. This effect held independent of degree of campus engagement, sex, student status (domestic or international), and generational status (students who were the first in their families to attend university, compared to those who were not). Given that over the course of their studies, students likely would have been exposed to a range of different behaviours on the part of their professors, it is argued that the propensity of a large number of students to give consistently low evaluations was a form of “habitual behaviour.”  

scholarly journals Setting Up a Language Learning Environment in Microsoft Teams

2020 ◽  
pp. 263-270
Author(s):  
Carolin Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Short Notice ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
The University ◽  
Support Students ◽  
Staff Skills ◽  
Do So

The Language Zone at the University of Leeds, UK, is well established as a hub for language learners across the campus, both those on language courses and those studying languages independently for a variety of reasons. It has been operating entirely online since March 2020 and will do so until the campus fully re-opens. This written account gives a brief overview of the changes made to the Language Zone’s services and provision of learning materials in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including how the team members’ roles were adapted to ensure staff skills were taken into account. In addition to showing how services were maintained when the campus was closed at short notice and teaching was moved online until further notice, the study outlines how the Language Zone developed a platform to support the 2020 summer pre-sessional programmes to be delivered completely online. Finally, reflecting on the recent achievements and considering how to support students in the future, it aims to inspire other self-access centres to think about what they can do to develop their services in response to the crisis and beyond.

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