Magical Aspects in Chandra Shyam Dangol's Stone Sculptures

Chandra Shyam Dangol's stone sculptures are magical and mystical suggesting supernatural and spiritual aspects related to wisdom and enlightenment. Unusual images and symbols have been put together. On the surface level, the combination appears strange and contrary but as we go through the myths related to the artworks, we find the underlined logic and coherent composition. The recurrent icons, images and symbols are the figures of deities, lotus, mudras (gestures) and asanas (postures) of meditating characters that are combined in an unusual manner. They provide a sense of miraculous and thrilling spiritual experience. Breaking the monotony of mundane material existence, the works renew our perception. The aesthetic experience leads toward the awareness of the self and the universe and inspires for the harmonious existence of the individual in the world. Because of the mythical and spiritual contents, the sculptures appear to be mystical. The research area covers the stone sculptures of Chandra Shyam Dangol. About a dozen sculptures have been observed for the research but only four works have been interpreted in this paper. The paper attempts to trace the magical elements in his compositions and throw light on their significance. The study follows the qualitative research method to support the thesis statement since the interpretation of artworks may be multiple depending on viewers, time and place.

Joyful Colors in Krishna Prakash Shah's Abstract Artworks

Aesthetic pleasure and joy are the dominant features of Krishna Prakash Shah's colorful compositions. Shah, one of the renowned contemporary Nepali abstract artists, presents art forms without referential and recognizable contents. In other words, the form itself is its content. The works have the power to arouse rapture and relish through harmonious colors although the viewers may not able to find fixed significance. Coherent colors, rhythmic waves, playful shapes and organic composition in his paintings contribute to create beauty and provide aesthetic pleasure to the viewers. This research paper analyzes Shah's abstract paintings from the perspective of aestheticism and traces joyful colors and rhythmic waves in his works. The study uses qualitative methods of research since there can be multiple interpretations of the same artwork, and the subjectivity of the critic has a significant role to derive the thesis statement.

Memorial urbanonymy of Ulan-Ude as commemoration of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War

This article examines the inner-city names of the capital of the Republic of Buryatia – Ulan-Ude. Using the method of continuous sampling, the author determined the lexical-semantic group “Heroes of the Soviet Union, Participants of the Great Patriotic War” in the memorial urbanonyms. The research leans on the reference dictionary “The Streets of Ulan-Ude are Historical Monuments”, and online map of the city of Ulan-Ude 2GIS. The goal of this research is to analyze the memorial urbanonyms of Ulan-Ude, determine the names of Heroes of the Soviet Union, natives of Buryatia and other cities of the Soviet Union recorded in the urbanonymicon of the capital of the republic, as well as compile the list of proper names of this lexical-semantic group that are not inscribed in the map of Ulan-Ude. The subject of this study is the memorial urbanonyms of Ulan-Ude, motivated by the lexical-semantic group “Heroes of the Soviet Union, Participants of the Great Patriotic War”. The conducted research reinforces the thesis statement that memorial urbanonyms are the universal category and reflected on the maps of multiple Russian cities, including Ulan-Ude. The conclusion is made that the creation of new names for inner-city objects should be based on the established traditions and rules of nomination in order to fit into the existing linguistic system of the city, be attributable to the object, and contribute to its differentiation. The article reveals the names of Heroes of the Soviet Union that are neither included in the urbanonymicon of Ulan-Ude nor reflected in the map. The acquired results can serve as the recommendation for the municipal administration to use memorial names from the lexical-semantic group “Heroes of the Soviet Union”, which are not included in the urbanonymicon of Ulan-Ude.

From Novelty to Normalcy: Making Entomophagy a Common Diet

This paper presents an analysis of the future of insect eating in two dimensions: the barriers of making insect eating popular and possible pathways to make entomophagy a common diet. Firstly, the brief introduction is stated to make a clear statement of normalizing insect eating, discuss the topic’s relevance with current news regarding COVID-19 and provide a clear thesis statement. Then, the obstacles that prevent many people eating insects are evaluated through the framework of Failure of Diffusion Theory and “Yuck” factors. In the last part, possible solutions are offered accordingly, to help accomplish the goal of making insect food popular. Finally, some end notes and closing thoughts are included in the conclusion.

Spatial effects : narrative structure in architecture

The potency of compelling narrative structures - or the story constructing sequence of space - has pushed architecture's boundaries into new frontiers through the development of representational technology such as cinema, a burgeoning art form that employs narrative typology as an underlying structure to frame the phenomena of space. In this design research thesis my intention is to investigate and elucidate the function and purpose of narrative in Architecture and Cinema and its development from symbolism to spatial formation. Thesis statement: The first stage of narrative from took flight from pictographic symbols and cartographic delineations to sculptural representations and reliefs. These timeless narratives encapsulated in monumental structures such as the Pyramids of Giza or the Greek Parthenon depict their civilizations' cultural dominance through this system of messaging. It can be argued that a number of such illustrations may reveal varying levels of codification or messaging through historical, cultural, or religious contexts. However, the present form of this system of messaging and symbolism has been considerably altered for the worse, becoming banal and superficial, and lacking depth and narrative content.

Spatial effects : narrative structure in architecture

The potency of compelling narrative structures - or the story constructing sequence of space - has pushed architecture's boundaries into new frontiers through the development of representational technology such as cinema, a burgeoning art form that employs narrative typology as an underlying structure to frame the phenomena of space. In this design research thesis my intention is to investigate and elucidate the function and purpose of narrative in Architecture and Cinema and its development from symbolism to spatial formation. Thesis statement: The first stage of narrative from took flight from pictographic symbols and cartographic delineations to sculptural representations and reliefs. These timeless narratives encapsulated in monumental structures such as the Pyramids of Giza or the Greek Parthenon depict their civilizations' cultural dominance through this system of messaging. It can be argued that a number of such illustrations may reveal varying levels of codification or messaging through historical, cultural, or religious contexts. However, the present form of this system of messaging and symbolism has been considerably altered for the worse, becoming banal and superficial, and lacking depth and narrative content.

Retrofitting Obsolete Railroad Infrastructure

Thesis Statement This thesis will explore the development and design opportunities related to the retrofitting of abandoned railroad corridors in post industrial cities. These lines of infrastructure will be viewed as the lifelines of the city whereby, the ramifications of main transportation arteries will impact the urban network through connectivity and the creation of public open space. This thesis will look at obsolete public railroad infrastructure, as an important fragment of the collective memory of a post-industrial city that can be reactivated to connect back into the transportation urban network. These structures will be identified as landmarks that must be preserved and incorporated into public space and amenity. The reestablishment of the railroad in this context will result in the connection of the contemporary to its past, creating more meaningful and resonant spaces. These transportation corridors will be addressed as part of expanding ecological and man-made systems, thus becoming lifelines of the city, expanding their arteries to feed life into the urban fabric. The natural areas affected by these railroads will be treated as the lungs of the city and made more accessible to the public in order to raise ecological awareness. The railroad thus creates permeability, linking urban and natural areas and reviving its former function of connectivity by re-stitching the urban fabric.

Moral fibre: integrating ethics and sustainability into fashion curriculum

THESIS STATEMENT Fashion is powerful; if you do not think it is important, look down at what you are wearing. Every person on this planet wears clothes or adorns their body in some way. 80 billion pieces of clothing are produced in a year (Siegle, 2011); 9.3% of the world’s employees are employed in the fashion industry; totalling 40 million workers and constituting 4% of global exports (Caniato et al 2012: 659; Hurley & Miller 2008) and consumers spent one trillion on clothes in a single year (Allwood et al., 2006 in Obregon 2013). How those clothes are designed, produced, manufactured and distributed has a massive global impact. There are brightly coloured rivers in Asia that correspond to the trendy hues of the upcoming season’s fast-fashion offerings, or look to the collapse of Rana Plaza1 in Bangladesh: the modern incarnation of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that claimed ten times as many lives as the original disaster2 Clothing is also not being held onto and valued anymore, as a result of cheap, poor-quality goods flooding the marketplace; the life cycle of a consumer product dropped 50% between 1992 and 2002 (Niinimäki & Hassi 2011: 1878). In addition to all of this, fashion also disseminates didactic toxic images and messages around body and class in an ongoing way. In fact, there seems to be no sector of contemporary life that it does not currently impact negatively. Truly, the global fashion industry can be identified as one of the dirtiest and most destructive forces on the earth. The fashion classroom is a logical place for teaching both social justice and responsible practices in fashion to counter these negative impacts (Fletcher et al 2015; Armstrong & LeHew 2014; Obregon 2013; Orr 2000; Pilatowicz 2000). At the moment however, the structure and content of fashion education is largely a reflection of existing industry practices; where sustainability is taught, it is presented as a stand-alone subject or an extra-curricular add on (Armstrong & LeHew 2014: 68). This research explores pedagogical opportunities for social justice, as they relate to fashion education at the higher education level, and also potential larger applications of these ideas either at the departmental, institutional or for governmental policy generation. .

Retrofitting Obsolete Railroad Infrastructure

Thesis Statement This thesis will explore the development and design opportunities related to the retrofitting of abandoned railroad corridors in post industrial cities. These lines of infrastructure will be viewed as the lifelines of the city whereby, the ramifications of main transportation arteries will impact the urban network through connectivity and the creation of public open space. This thesis will look at obsolete public railroad infrastructure, as an important fragment of the collective memory of a post-industrial city that can be reactivated to connect back into the transportation urban network. These structures will be identified as landmarks that must be preserved and incorporated into public space and amenity. The reestablishment of the railroad in this context will result in the connection of the contemporary to its past, creating more meaningful and resonant spaces. These transportation corridors will be addressed as part of expanding ecological and man-made systems, thus becoming lifelines of the city, expanding their arteries to feed life into the urban fabric. The natural areas affected by these railroads will be treated as the lungs of the city and made more accessible to the public in order to raise ecological awareness. The railroad thus creates permeability, linking urban and natural areas and reviving its former function of connectivity by re-stitching the urban fabric.