The visual gamut and syntactic abstraction

Charles S. Peirce’s second trichotomy, which introduces the concepts of iconicity, indexicality, and symbolicity, is probably the only piece of his semiotic that is familiar to visual artists and designers. Although the concepts have found their way into the academy, their utility in the field has been reduced for a couple of reasons. First, as with all of Peirce’s philosophy, his second trichotomy is a concept that is subtle, fluid, and difficult to fully grasp in a sound bite. Second, there has simply been no bridge concept that would form a working connection between that philosophy in its logical guise and the studio practice in the visual arts. The purpose of this article is to remedy that situation by investigating the subtle ways the second trichotomy functions within the visual sphere, and to then suggest a model that can serve to bridge the divide between pure theory and practice. The article makes four main points: first, using examples from visual identity and the graphic arts, it demonstrates how the modes of icon, index, and symbol tend to be blended; second, examples from fine art are used to illustrate how the concept of abstraction, as used in the art world, can only be partially accounted for within the second trichotomy, but can be modeled by supplying a syntactical supplement; third, it expands on and elaborates a previously sketched model, the visual gamut, which makes it possible to classify visual entities according to their position within a map of semantic and syntactic space; finally, it concludes by suggesting ways this enhanced version of the visual gamut model might be used in the analysis of, or creation of, art and design, presenting suggestions for further study.

Lukisan Kontemporari Bertemakan ‘Dimensi 100 : Ruang Dan Masa’ Sempena Sambutan 100 Tahun Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Malaysia

Kertas ini membentangkan empat hasil karya lukisan projek tahun akhir bertemakan ‘Dimensi 100: Ruang dan Masa’ bagi penganugerahan Ijazah Sarjana Muda Pendidikan (Seni) dengan Kepujian, Jabatan Seni dan Reka Bentuk (JSRB), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI). Tema ini dipilih bersempena sambutan 100 tahun penubuhan UPSI. Bagi memenuhi kriteria projek, pelajar dikehendaki menghasilkan karya melalui tema yang diberi di samping meneroka kaedah-kaedah baharu yang dapat membawa perubahan kepada kelaziman studio lukisan secara kreatif dan inovatif. Kajian ini berfokus kepada empat orang pelajar major studio lukisan yang telah melaksanakan penyelidikan praktis studio melalui tiga fasa utama iaitu perkembangan idea, proses penghasilan karya, seterusnya persembahan karya. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan pelajar berjaya mensintesiskan tema melalui penghasilan empat buah karya lukisan kontemporari dalam bentuk eksperimentasi yang merentas disiplin bidang sains, seni persembahan, muzik dan tarian, fotografi, videografi, serta kemahiran digital sejajar dengan arus kemajuan teknologi terkini. Pameran virtual telah dilangsungkan secara talian menggunakan platform Artsteps. Karya-karya ini merupakan artifak yang dapat mencerminkan kebitaraan bakal guru seni kelahiran UPSI sebagai universiti pendidikan nombor satu di Malaysia. The Contemporary Drawings themed ‘Dimension 100: Space and Time’ in conjunction with the 100 years celebration of the establishment of Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia Abstract: This paper presents four drawings with the theme of ‘Dimension 100: Space and Time’ from the final year project of Bachelor in Art Education (with Honours), Department of Art and Design (JSRB), Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI). This theme was chosen in conjunction with the 100 years celebration of the establishment of UPSI. The project criteria required students to produce series of drawings which related to the given theme as well as to creatively explore the new mediums and techniques that could bring ‘changes’ to the practice of drawing studio innovatively. This paper focuses on four students from the major of drawing studios who have carried out the studio practice research through three main phases, namely the development of ideas, the process of producing work, finally, and finally, the presentation of work. The findings found that the students have successfully synthesized the themes into the production of four contemporary drawings in the form of experimentation works which are crossed disciplines of science, performing arts, music and dance, photography, videography, and digital through the latest technology influences. The virtual exhibition was held online using the Artsteps platform. These works are the artifacts that can reflect the uniqueness of UPSI’s art teachers as the number one educational university in Malaysia. Keywords: Contemporary Drawings, Studio Practice, UPSI 100 Years Theme.

Brandon is a Network Not a Name: Fictocriticism & the Cyberfeminist Art of Shu Lea Cheang

The cyberfeminist art practice of Shu Lea Cheang evinces a particular relation of generative complicity with the art object—what Canadian cultural theorist Jeanne Randolph referred to as “the amenable object” (1983). Randolph, who pioneered “ficto-criticism”—a method of writing that intentionally blurs theory, poetics and narrative—wrote of the amenable object as an incomplete creation whose “ambiguous elements” allow the viewer to make “subjective interventions” in the work. Likewise, Cheang’s participatory installations and non-linear online narratives operate as amenable object-texts, requiring the user to not only navigate but contribute to them through acts of critical play and improvisation. Across Cheang’s oeuvre is also a nomadic politics of border-crossing that resonates as loudly with Donna Haraway’s cyborg as it does with the experimental feminist writing that became associated with fictocriticism. In this paper, I examine correlations between fictocritical approaches and formal tactics in Cheang’s studio practice to consider them as interrelated cyberfeminist strategies of resistance and dissent; ones that arose in counterpoint to the proliferation of deterministic, technocapitalist narratives. In particular, I look at how the fragmentation, partiality and double-voicing seen in many fictocritical texts were echoed in the user-experience of Cheang’s Brandon (1998), a sprawing network that posited the queer body as a collective series of actions. I conclude by looking at how these same techniques recall methods from Dadaism and Surrealism in the early 20th century and reflect on the recurrent role of indeterminacy in art and literature more generally to stem the entropy of binary paradigms.

A pioneer of acrylic painting: new insights into Carmen Herrera’s studio practice

Carmen Herrera, born on May 30th, 1915, is a Cuban American abstract minimalist artist, whose first solo show was held at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, in 2016–2017. On this occasion, a scientific study of five paintings from the artist’s time in Paris (1948–1953) revealed her pioneering use of solvent-based acrylic paints in post-war Europe. This article presents a second phase of research into Herrera’s work aiming to shed light on her studio practice and ascertain the possible presence of other early acrylic paints in her pre-1963 artistic production. A selection of four paintings, namely Iberia #25 (1948), Iberic (1949), Flights of Colors #16 (1949), and Early Dynasty (1953), was subjected to an analytical campaign that relied on both non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques. Results confirmed the use of both oil and solvent-based acrylic paints, supporting our primary research and uncovering the first-known occurrence of acrylic binders in Herrera’s Iberia #25. In all cases, the ground layer consists of a mixture of titanium white in its tetragonal form of rutile, anhydrite, and talc, while the color palette was found to be based on both traditional and modern pigments. In most areas, several paint layers appeared to be overlaid on top of one another, revealing a creative process that developed through subsequent compositions. Remnants of earlier paint layers, which appeared to have been scraped off before new ones were applied, were observed directly above the ground in some of the samples examined. In addition, Iberia #25 and Iberic, with analogous geometric and chromatic schemes, underwent technical imaging, which exposed pencil lines and notes underneath the paint layers likely indicative of the intended design and polychromy. Besides corroborating a major alteration in the current scholarship on the availability and use of acrylic-based artists’ paints in post-war Europe, this research provides new insights into Herrera’s materials, techniques, and studio practice. In addition, the results of this scientific study assisted the development of a suitable treatment plan for Iberic in preparation for its display in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s galleries as part of the museum’s 150th anniversary exhibition Making The Met, 1870–2020.

Design studio practice in the context of architectural education: a narrative literature review

This review aims to synthesize the current knowledge on the conventional design studio context. This is a narrative literature review based on articles published within the last ten years, while 60 articles were selected for the literature review following a rigorous filtration process. The final articles were selected by applying inclusion and exclusion criteria to the initially selected articles. This review has synthesized the current knowledge on design studio contexts and will review the conventional design studio context, design studio practices that take place within design studios and use of digital tools. The main aim of this study is to broaden the understanding of design studio contexts and to comprehend the types of design studio contexts available in architectural studies. Furthermore, it discusses the digital tools used in design studio practices in the last 10 years. A thematic analysis was conducted in reviewing the articles. It is to be noted that no research has been carried out except one on generating design studio context outside the conventional design studio set-up. This study aims to identify the potential research possibilities of context generated design studios to engage in design studies.

Surface Design Technique through Tradition Technique

This aim of this study is to examine the application of tritik technique in creating exquisite batik pattern design. Essentially, tritik is a technique in batik pattern making that is almost similar to the “tie-and-dip” (ikat-dan- celup) technique; however, the subtle difference between the two techniques lies in the aspect of fabric treading, with the former being able to produce elegant and appealing patterns. This study used a qualitative approach using an observation method in which the researchers observed the creation of such art through studio practice. Essentially, the examination of the practice of such a technique was carried out based on direct observation and unstructured interviews, and the collection of textile products. The research findings showed the experimentation of the tritik technique in the textile pattern designs was highly effective, as evidenced by the exquisite aesthetical effects on the surface of the fabrics, such as the formation of elegant lines consisting of dots and of dashed lines and 3-dimensional texture. In addition, the research findings revealed that the quality of fabrics, the type of colors, and sewing polarity heavily influenced such exquisite tritik pattern design. Collectively, all the above elements were intertwined that helped create appealing, beautiful tritik pattern design infused with high aesthetical values.

Building bridges: exploring gender through photographic practice

This project is a visual expression of my observations about gender within western culture. My photographic practice is conducted within and mediated by significant beliefs about gender and, in turn, provides ideological support for how I relate to society. Acknowledging that I photograph from a female perspective I photographed both male and female subjects of different genders and races using a 35mm camera with a wideangle lens. I captured images that helped me reflect on my own practice as a photographer. My images can be viewed as individual photographs or as a set. Factors, such as my cultural background, social status, religious beliefs, and level of comfort with my own sexuality, influenced my photographic practice and so will inevitably affect how viewers respond to my images. How I feel about identity construction permeates through out my image making process. As a photographer in the Ryerson University and York University joint program of Communication and Culture exploring different theoretical frameworks undoubtedly affected my studio practice as I gained more knowledge and became more self-reflective. I accept as photographer that my images will not have a fixed meaning but I do intend them to evoke feelings. Since I discovered Henri Cartier-Bresson's work as a young teenager I have always had a profound respect for his abilities and his methodology. Although I would never begin to align my work with a master photographer with regards to quality I have always aspired to his greatness. Robert Frank and Eugene Richards also have inspired me during this Masters project. My more recent appreciation of their work reinforces my belief that there will always be a place for striking 'documentary' style photographs taken on film and printed on fiber based paper by the hand of one whom feels the call ofthe traditional darkroom.

Building bridges: exploring gender through photographic practice

This project is a visual expression of my observations about gender within western culture. My photographic practice is conducted within and mediated by significant beliefs about gender and, in turn, provides ideological support for how I relate to society. Acknowledging that I photograph from a female perspective I photographed both male and female subjects of different genders and races using a 35mm camera with a wideangle lens. I captured images that helped me reflect on my own practice as a photographer. My images can be viewed as individual photographs or as a set. Factors, such as my cultural background, social status, religious beliefs, and level of comfort with my own sexuality, influenced my photographic practice and so will inevitably affect how viewers respond to my images. How I feel about identity construction permeates through out my image making process. As a photographer in the Ryerson University and York University joint program of Communication and Culture exploring different theoretical frameworks undoubtedly affected my studio practice as I gained more knowledge and became more self-reflective. I accept as photographer that my images will not have a fixed meaning but I do intend them to evoke feelings. Since I discovered Henri Cartier-Bresson's work as a young teenager I have always had a profound respect for his abilities and his methodology. Although I would never begin to align my work with a master photographer with regards to quality I have always aspired to his greatness. Robert Frank and Eugene Richards also have inspired me during this Masters project. My more recent appreciation of their work reinforces my belief that there will always be a place for striking 'documentary' style photographs taken on film and printed on fiber based paper by the hand of one whom feels the call ofthe traditional darkroom.

Network Connection and Energy Radiation through Grassroots Master Teacher Studios

Distributed leadership is a collective leadership mode in which multiple members of the organization dynamically share leadership roles according to changes in capability and environment, so as to achieve leadership sharing and leadership energy radiation. Facing the distributed leadership practice of Master Teacher Studio that really occur in education management can make our understanding and description of its original ecological and endogenous construction process more objectively, meticulously and deeply. Through the generation and expansion of the case studio with the characteristics of "grassroots", the empowerment and differentiation of leaders, the stimulation and radiation of members leadership, the generation process of "grassroots" Master Teacher Studio from the initial construction of "uniline" mode to "network" distribution connection, and the radiation process of Master Teacher Studio members' energy from "uninuclear transmission" to "multinuclear connection". Thus, it will realize the organic integration of Western distributed leadership theory and localized grassroots master teachers' studio practice.