Tesori di arte sacra a Venezia e Padova nelle descrizioni dei viaggiatori polacchi del XVIII secolo

In the 18th century, Italian sanctuaries played an important religious and cultural role, especially in Venice and Padua. They were visited by Polish wanderers during their trips around Europe, for example: diplomatic missions, pilgrimages, educational or tourist trips. They recorded their impressions from visiting these places in the form of descriptions in diaries, journals and itineraries. Reading the reports from the expeditions provides valuable insights on the mentality, customs of upbringing, as well as the religious and aesthetic experiences of eighteenth-century adventurers. The article aims to present the ways in which the collections of sacred art were perceived by Polish travelers from the 18th century. The analysis of their accounts, especially the fragments concerning the sanctuaries in Venice and Padua, will serve to present the literary covenants used by Polish wanderers. It should also answer the questions which tendencies dominated in the travel literature of that time, what phrases and formulations were used, and what items were paid special attention to.

Art activist: nature, culture, and art-based environmental movement

This article aimed to discuss how the environmental movement is carried out by art activists. Environmental movement is essential given the increasingly massive and worrying ecological crisis. Environmental damage triggered by the pace of industry is increasingly eroding the natural ecosystem. Ecological spaces that should support life in general are turned into economic spaces on a large scale which in the process creates a lot of environmental degradation. Likewise, the ecological chain that is broken due to industry and the replacement of natural product use with synthetic materials have contributed to the destruction of nature. Without us realizing it, most environmental problems also stem from our lifestyle, our political choices, and our role as consumers. In this condition, art actors and designers take a cultural role to be involved in the environmental movement. This cultural role becomes important considering that environmental issues are close and, even at a certain point, intertwined with cultural issues. The cultural roles of these art activists can be the starting point for responding to environmental problems by offering creative solutions. Creative solutions can open up a space for joint discussion regarding the environmental movement.

Aesthetic Uniqueness of Public Space. Based on the Example of the Region of Łódź(Poland) Basic Terminological Issues

The concept of uniqueness can be an important critical tool. But as related to architecture, buildings, or the entire architectural and visual landscape of the city it appears frequently in many different contexts. One can state that describing objects in public space and even entire urban complexes in terms of uniqueness plays a marketing role – it increases the tourist attractiveness of the area – as well as socio-cultural role, because it helps to strengthen the city and build its community’s sense of identity. Indicating these goals or the intention to create uniqueness in the region of Łódź draws attention to another, more fundamental theoretical-linguistic issue, namely, what it means that something is unique. Taking into account etymology, theoretical approach, as well as possible values attributed to ‛uniqueness,’ I will consider main terminological problems with the notion. Bearing in mind these basic theoretical-linguistic issues, I will consider whether there are unique objects in the city of Łódź and the region. Trying to answer this question I will review phenomena and objects that could be considered as unique. Identifying possible uniqueness of the places and objects located in public spaces of the region of Łódź, I will consider what can create a unique panorama of urban space in Łódź and its region, and on what scale this uniqueness can be considered in order to avoid the feeling that in some sense everything is unique, or nothing is, because it imitates or resembles existing solutions, ideas in other cities of Poland or Europe.

“Inspiring” and configuring consumer experience in times of crisis: An analysis of the discursive practices of an Athenian shopping mall’s promotional system

This article focuses on the processes that the largest shopping mall in Athens has developed in order to produce meaning about itself as an institution of consumption, as well as the consumer experience and practices, and its visitors–consumers. From a poststructuralist perspective, we analyze the signifying articulations that the promotional discourse attempts, along with the linguistic and visual techniques which activate specific significations about this microcosm of consumption, the “fun” experience, fashion, beauty, shopping and entertainment practices, eating out, and the consumer subjectivity. The ultimate aim of this research is to point out the cultural role of such an institution with regard to the configuration of an order of discourse about consumption and the reproduction of the consumerist ethos during an economic crisis, as well as the possible effects that such a discourse might have on a wider cultural level.

Religion, Memory, and Materiality: Exploring the Origins and Legacies of Sectarianism in the North of Ireland

The early 17th-century Plantation of Ulster, in which the English Crown sought to plant loyal British colonists in the north of Ireland, is commonly understood as overtly religious in intent and action, and is viewed as the foundation for today’s divide between Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland. Archaeological and documentary evidence complicates this straightforward narrative by demonstrating considerable cultural exchange and the emergence of hybrid practices—suggesting that, during the plantation period itself, religion may have been less influential than economic and political pragmatism. By the end of the 17th century, however, religion took on a more prominent political and cultural role, overtly materialized in objects, settlement patterns, and landscapes. The nature and timing for this transition is examined through archaeological case studies and considered in light of contemporary historical memories regarding the plantation and the origins of sectarianism in Ireland.

The normalization of fear: Geo-cultural vs. universal emotional sensibilities as reflected in the annual Israeli Radio Hit Parade

Music plays an important socio-cultural role in constructing and/or reflecting geo-cultural and universal emotional states by giving voice to personal emotional sensibilities, such as self-searching, romantic longing, and desire, alongside collective spatial sentiments, patriotism, etc. Moreover, popular song lyrics reveal the socio-cultural values, norms, tastes, and emotional conventions of both their creators and their audience. Thus, this article focuses on decoding geo-cultural vs. universal emotional sensibilities via narrative analysis of the first place winners of the annual Israeli Hit Parades between 1963 and 2018, broadcast on the two major Israeli radio stations, Kol Yisrael and Galgalatz, every year on the eve of the Jewish New Year. This long-standing tradition offers a unique opportunity to examine ongoing changes in socio-emotional coping with fear and death, wars and terror while providing a contemporary conceptual and practical inquiry into the normalization of emotions within a culture and politics of fear.

TURKISH WOMEN'S POLITICAL AND CULTURAL ROLE IN TURKEY(HISTORICAL STUDY)

The issue of Turkish women and their political and cultural role in Turkey is of great importance. The research aims to clarify their historical role across historical periods. The research consists of three axes, the first one talked about the role of women during the Ottoman era and discussed selected examples, including Roxlana (Hürrem Haseki Sultan), wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Kusem Bakir, and Nurbanu Sultan. The second axis also dealt with the republican era, including Khaleda Adeeb, Sabiha Gökçen and Tansu Chiller, while the third axis was about women in the era of the Justice and Development Party which discussed the political and parliamentary of women's role. In addition to mentioning models such as Marwa Kawakji and Meral Akşener. The research drew a set of important conclusions

Curating soya. Trying, testing and tasting (for) a sustainable museum

The Volkskundemuseum Vienna has been subject to large conceptual changes and now focuses on its social role and contribution to an inclusive and democratic society. The soya project came to the museum coincidentally when a hidden historical conjuncture was revealed and offered an intriguing way to include the topic of climate change into the museum’s agenda. The analogue and digital interactive formats in the soya project deal with the global contexts of climate change by analysing the social, economic and cultural role of the soya bean in our everyday lives. The authors present and discuss the inclusive museum approach, multisensory social programmes and the idea of a digital add-on exhibition on a small budget.