Perceptual Architecture

<p>In this thesis, perceived space is investigated in a high density architectural context. Understanding how to optimize the subjective space is an opportunity to provide perceptually informed high density architecture. The aims of this thesis are to (1) develop an understanding of the perceived space by establishing optimizable parameters of a volume, (2) form a research through design methodology utilizing virtual reality experimentation, and (3) to apply the research to provide perceptually informed architecture which increases the perceived spaciousness and size of a dwelling. Virtual Reality (VR) improves an understanding of the perceived space compared to conventional design technologies. Firstly, a virtual experiment defined the optimum high-density apartment parameters with the key variables of perceived spaciousness, liveability, and size. During the VR experiments it was discovered that ceiling height and average room width determined separate responses to the perceived space. These were, ceiling height altering the perceived size and average room width altering the perceived spaciousness. Secondly, a VR methodology was utilized to test and resolve the complex issue of perceived space which requires implementation of architectural principles. The defined optimum parameters of room height and width alongside the literature provided the architectural principles to produce optimum perceived spaciousness, size and liveability. The principles include, perceptual overlap, extending line of sight, and primary and secondary zones. Thirdly, design evaluation explored architectural interventions using VR to illustrate the subjective space. I draw on research in design, virtual reality and psychology to develop a methodology that can sufficiently resolve the issues presented by this thesis. The paper argues that to design high-density housing for occupants, architects must have an understanding of perceived space. This has the potential to be achieved with the adoption of my thesis methodology.</p>

Perceptual Architecture

<p>In this thesis, perceived space is investigated in a high density architectural context. Understanding how to optimize the subjective space is an opportunity to provide perceptually informed high density architecture. The aims of this thesis are to (1) develop an understanding of the perceived space by establishing optimizable parameters of a volume, (2) form a research through design methodology utilizing virtual reality experimentation, and (3) to apply the research to provide perceptually informed architecture which increases the perceived spaciousness and size of a dwelling. Virtual Reality (VR) improves an understanding of the perceived space compared to conventional design technologies. Firstly, a virtual experiment defined the optimum high-density apartment parameters with the key variables of perceived spaciousness, liveability, and size. During the VR experiments it was discovered that ceiling height and average room width determined separate responses to the perceived space. These were, ceiling height altering the perceived size and average room width altering the perceived spaciousness. Secondly, a VR methodology was utilized to test and resolve the complex issue of perceived space which requires implementation of architectural principles. The defined optimum parameters of room height and width alongside the literature provided the architectural principles to produce optimum perceived spaciousness, size and liveability. The principles include, perceptual overlap, extending line of sight, and primary and secondary zones. Thirdly, design evaluation explored architectural interventions using VR to illustrate the subjective space. I draw on research in design, virtual reality and psychology to develop a methodology that can sufficiently resolve the issues presented by this thesis. The paper argues that to design high-density housing for occupants, architects must have an understanding of perceived space. This has the potential to be achieved with the adoption of my thesis methodology.</p>

BRIDGING TO ANOTHER DIMENSION: THE RELATIONAL SYSTEM OF SHAMANISM AND RELIGIOUS ENCOUNTER AMONGST THE TEMIAR SENOI OF MALAYA

This paper aims at finding the relational system, religious encounter, and modernity of the Temiar community in Malaysia. The form of this research has focused on literature research (library research) by using literature as a source of research. The method used is an analysis of documents by conducting content analysis. This within-case analysis is followed by a thematic analysis across the case. The data patterns emerging from the within-case and cross-case analysis of theme, the information of Temiar’s world view is compared from several documents. Having discussed the relational systems in shamanic society and religious encounters and modernity amongst Temiar, this paper concludes that: Firstly. Shaman creates the cultural experience in the inter-subjective space of the ritual as the flow of the spirit guide through the healing ritual. The shaman is the spirit medium, a person who can receive songs from the spirit guide during dreams. Secondly, singing and dancing is an activity that in itself bridges the gulf between the physical world and the metaphysical. Thirdly, Temiars have begun to incorporate representations of varying spirit entities associated with religious conversion and modernization into their cosmology.

Being Pākehā & Researching the Experiences of Māori Women and Weight Loss Surgery: On Ethics & Ethnography

This paper proposes that the positionality of Pākehā researchers wishing to learn from Māori, can be reimagined as an atmospheric inter-subjective space within which conversations can happen across difference and between commonalities. I outline my own reckoning as a Pākehā attempting to enter this field as a part of my MA research on Māori women’s experiences of weight loss surgery. I argue that a form of differential distancing, while holding onto an ethic of care, enables a form of academic inquiry that is less stymied by the politics of permission. This paper also proposes that ethical representation can be bolstered by staying close to the logics for living of our participants and conceptualising their narratives through ‘embodied becoming’. I argue that this multi-faceted approach enables ethnography which retrieves nuance and releases participants, to a degree, from discourses that primarily frame individuals as victims of the state.

THE POLITICAL WORLDVIEW OF VKONTAKTE COMMUNITIES: THE EXPERIENCE OF ANALYZING THE SUBJECTIVE SPACE OF POLITICS IN A NETWORK SOCIETY

The article presents the results of a theoretical analysis of the political worldview as part of the subjective space of politics in a network society and its empirical verification. The author shows that the integration of phenomenology and the network approach allows researchers to advance their understanding of content and parameters of the political worldview of network communities as part of the subjective space of modern public policy. The analysis of the discourse of network communities makes it possible to identify, describe and analyze the features of their political worldview. The author presents an original methodology, created within the framework of the RFBR research project "Subjective Space of Politics: Opportunities and Challenges of a Network Society", for studying the political world view of network communities and the empirical results obtained with its usage. In particular, the typology of political worldviews existing in network communities is described. It reflects the structural and substantive components of the political worldview in the discourse of network communities: the core of the political worldview (reflecting the ontological level of the political worldview, including images of the Motherland, state, power), political roles, political institutions (the last two clusters reflect the basic level of the political worldview elements), political participation (reflects the instrumental level of the political worldview), socio-political problems). The typology of political worldviews of network communities identified (zero, horizontal, non-political, activity and political world view of active resistance) requires verification in further research. An important result of the empirical analysis is the identification of two political worldview profiles (closed and open) and their connection with the dominant type of participant socio-political activity in network communities. Further study in this direction will improve analytical and predictive tools for research and practical work with network communities.

Space and Romance: a Study of Feminist Position in Miss Sophia’s Diary and Sealed Off

Interrogating two cases, Sealed Off and Miss Sophia’s Diary, this paper seeks to apply spatial narrative theories to extract two spatial dimensions, namely physical-space and subjective-space, and interpret the authoresses’ feminist positions based on their deliberate writing on intricate feminine consciousness and psychology that male writers would not be able to experience. The images of men in the novels are also analysed to expose the independent and rebellious consciousness of the two heroines based on the two novelists’ deconstruction of the male-centred portrayal of masculinity in female discourse. It has been found that for women whose consciousness is awakened to seek liberation, physical-space symbolises a double metaphor, offering the possibility of the birth of new women in China during the May Fourth period, but also a cage that imprisons women in their quest for independence; subjective-space more specifically represents the May Fourth new women’s confrontation and mortification with their pursuit of free love, and the deviation of both male and female stereotypes prevalent in traditional Chinese literature.

The category of space in the genre of essay (based on the essays Of V. M. Peskov)

The subject of this research is the category of space &ndash; one of the intrinsic text categories that implies the meaning of location and spatial relations, and fulfills a plot-composing and semantic function. Essay is a peculiar genre, at the intersection documentary and fiction styles, which is an important factor affecting the analysis of the category of space. Examination of the category of space in essays is one of the relevant trends in linguistics. Essays of the prominent Soviet writer, photographer and journalist V. M. Peskov, which were recognized as the exemplary, serve as the material for this research. The categorical-textual approach towards studying V. M. Peskov's essays allowed determining the nuances of explication of the category of space in the genre of essay. Analysis of the specificity of the category of space in the genre of essay indicates the existence of objective and subjective space; namely the objective space holds the key place and plays a crucial role in text of the essay. In explication of the category of space are applied the direct spatial signifiers (spatial prepositions and toponyms), and indirect spatial signifiers. Texts of the essay simultaneously contain static and dynamic spaces: the author creates a static picture using existential verbs and statistical verbs of spatial location; the author describes local dynamics using the verbs of movement. The category of space is closely connected with the category of time and the category of theme; together they create a precise semantic division in accordance with the author's idea, as well help to give detailed description to the event and portray the character of the hero.

Changing the school through emotions. The role of reflective teachers' training

The theme of emotions and relationships at school in recent years is acquiring a growing space in pedagogical literature. Their centrality for the purposes of successful teaching and learning is ascertained by numerous studies and research of different disciplinary fields. From the point of view of teacher behavior, the emotional dimension is no longer linked to character aspects but to specific skills that all teachers should possess. First of all, it is fundamental to know how to recognize one's own and others' emotions and to be able to manage them within the educational and didactic relationship. Teaching is a profession of high emotional intensity and, therefore, it is essential to train teachers to become aware of the emotional exchanges that take place within the classroom and to be able to direct them towards conditions of well-being for the students and for themselves. The goal of teachers education is to provide teachers with a reflexive habit that can act as a fulcrum for their constant personal and professional development and to establish a subjective space for «thoughtfulness», which represents a space for reflection and creativity.

Transformation of Space-Temporal and Value-Semantic Components of the Image of the World during the University Studies

The study features the image of the world of the university students and verifies its structural and content model of chronotopic characteristics. It includes subjective space-temporal and value-semantic components. An empirical study resulted in a phenomenological description of the image of the world that students develop at university. The paper focuses on the transformation of these spatial-temporal and value-semantic components in the learning process. The study involved 450 students from 10 cities of the Russian Federation. They showed a low level of development and insufficient dynamics of subjective chronotopic characteristics of the world image. This result was especially prominent in students working for their Master's degree. Neither did they reveal any progress in professional, civil, and ideological identity, nor any semantic connection between the past, present, and future. The participants demonstrated a low level of meaningfulness of life and individual time locus. The value disorientation manifestations were high, while the significance of the bottom materialistic values was low. The authors believe that students need a better system of psychological and pedagogical support to develop an integral chronotopic system of the image of the world. The article introduces some priority directions of psychological and pedagogical support that could help students to develop identity, time perspective, and the system of value and semantic orientations.

The Mutiny of the Pseudonyms in the Kierkegaardian Authorship

The essay emphasizes the unsolvable tension between activity and passivity implied in Kierkegaard’s reduplication as an author of authors. To characterize the different approaches to pseudonymity, I will use the term Halvbefaren [the inexperienced seaman] to refer to a reading that appeals only to Kierkegaard’s or to the pseudonyms’ authority over the authorship, and Helbefaren [the experienced seaman] to refer to another interpretation that recognizes that unsolvable tension between them. Recurring to the sailing metaphor implicit in these terms that appear in Climacus’ Postscript, I defend the thesis that the pseudonyms open the authorship from within, overcoming Kierkegaard as a usual author, as the only captain of the entire authorship. The mutiny performed by the pseudonyms cannot be resolved by simply transferring the authority to the pseudonyms themselves, and it creates a subjective space in the authorship so it becomes a matter of the experience of the reader.