The Loudspeaker: Transformative and Tactile Aspects of the Object

<p>Traditionally the loudspeaker has been viewed as a functional object. Whilst also serving as a design artifact and object of consumer fetishism, it is subject to the overriding purpose of the reproduction and replication of sound material. However, within sound-based arts, other understandings and uses of the loudspeaker are emerging. This object is now being recognised for its ability to transform sound, taking a proactive stance within sound-based arts. Through exploration of the psychoacoustic effects of the object, the loudspeaker’s ability to transform the musical object is being recognised. At the opposing pole, through physical interaction and exploiting physical aspects of the object, the loudspeaker becomes instrumental in creating its own musical objects. My research delves into examples of sound and sonic art where the loudspeaker is exploited for its aural, physical and visual characteristics; where specific qualities of loudspeakers, as well as various transformations of the loudspeaker’s physical construction and function, are integral to a particular work. Whilst examining sound installation, sculpture and performance, I will also be unpacking the loudspeaker as an object that permeates everyday life, not least within a consumerist context, and how we have come to understand and listen to loudspeakers, looking at the effects this may have on our perception of sound and listening more generally.</p>

The Loudspeaker: Transformative and Tactile Aspects of the Object

<p>Traditionally the loudspeaker has been viewed as a functional object. Whilst also serving as a design artifact and object of consumer fetishism, it is subject to the overriding purpose of the reproduction and replication of sound material. However, within sound-based arts, other understandings and uses of the loudspeaker are emerging. This object is now being recognised for its ability to transform sound, taking a proactive stance within sound-based arts. Through exploration of the psychoacoustic effects of the object, the loudspeaker’s ability to transform the musical object is being recognised. At the opposing pole, through physical interaction and exploiting physical aspects of the object, the loudspeaker becomes instrumental in creating its own musical objects. My research delves into examples of sound and sonic art where the loudspeaker is exploited for its aural, physical and visual characteristics; where specific qualities of loudspeakers, as well as various transformations of the loudspeaker’s physical construction and function, are integral to a particular work. Whilst examining sound installation, sculpture and performance, I will also be unpacking the loudspeaker as an object that permeates everyday life, not least within a consumerist context, and how we have come to understand and listen to loudspeakers, looking at the effects this may have on our perception of sound and listening more generally.</p>

A Subconscious Ascent: Exploring the Architecture of the Metaphoric Staircase

<p>This research explores the significance of the stair as a spatial and symbolic architectural experience. The stepped form integrated with architecture. The stair is an integral feature of architecture which has the potential to be specifically designed to enhance space and create particular experiences. A stair is not only a functional object, but a medium for design. Metaphorical staircases are absent in contemporary architecture as a loss of meaning has resulted in monotonous designs devoid of figurative or poetic significance. The staircase has been a fundamental component of architecture since Neolithic times, however has recently been neglected. The stepped form has represented many themes including hierarchy, transcendence, or authority. In contrast, the contemporary staircase has embraced pragmatics. Safety restrictions, efficiency, and budget constraints, result in disregard for aesthetics and meaning. Film provides a behavioural setting in which to analyse how people move, behave, interact, and experience staircases. A range of films will be analysed to identify techniques for meaningful stair design. The influence of surreal qualities will also be determined to enhance an experience. Surreal imagery offers the opportunity to create dreamlike space, activating the subconscious. The metaphoric connotations of staircases will be explored through six research categories; the stair as Symbolic, Illusive, Transitional, Kinetic, Psychological, and Iconic. Design case studies will then investigate the intersection of the staircase as architecture, filmic representation, and surreal experience. The stepped building Casa Malaparte in Italy acts as a reference model for the successful integration of these concepts. With influence of these themes, the staircase can once again become widely acknowledged as architecture.</p>

A Subconscious Ascent: Exploring the Architecture of the Metaphoric Staircase

<p>This research explores the significance of the stair as a spatial and symbolic architectural experience. The stepped form integrated with architecture. The stair is an integral feature of architecture which has the potential to be specifically designed to enhance space and create particular experiences. A stair is not only a functional object, but a medium for design. Metaphorical staircases are absent in contemporary architecture as a loss of meaning has resulted in monotonous designs devoid of figurative or poetic significance. The staircase has been a fundamental component of architecture since Neolithic times, however has recently been neglected. The stepped form has represented many themes including hierarchy, transcendence, or authority. In contrast, the contemporary staircase has embraced pragmatics. Safety restrictions, efficiency, and budget constraints, result in disregard for aesthetics and meaning. Film provides a behavioural setting in which to analyse how people move, behave, interact, and experience staircases. A range of films will be analysed to identify techniques for meaningful stair design. The influence of surreal qualities will also be determined to enhance an experience. Surreal imagery offers the opportunity to create dreamlike space, activating the subconscious. The metaphoric connotations of staircases will be explored through six research categories; the stair as Symbolic, Illusive, Transitional, Kinetic, Psychological, and Iconic. Design case studies will then investigate the intersection of the staircase as architecture, filmic representation, and surreal experience. The stepped building Casa Malaparte in Italy acts as a reference model for the successful integration of these concepts. With influence of these themes, the staircase can once again become widely acknowledged as architecture.</p>

Expert Perspectives & Methodological Excerpts: Stitching a thesis quilt

&lt;p&gt;Much like many crafted items, research must be functional and fit for purpose, but there's no reason why it can't also be beautiful, creative, and expressive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In working with teenagers and young people on geoscience education and climate literacy, it became increasingly important to me to find ways to express my research that would connect with people who didn't have a foundation (yet, or at all) in academic discourse. My PhD thesis is therefore written as a creative semi-fictional epistolary; a collection of documents that tell the story of the research from the first tentative proposal to my would-be supervisor, to the final submission. I made the choice to produce a creative thesis for my student co-researchers and other readers, but the person who benefitted most from it was me. The creative process in designing my thesis was fulfilling, fun, and facilitated a deeper and more meaningful engagement with my own research.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In discussing my thesis with another researcher, trying to explain how and why I was writing geoscience education research through annotations and poems and chatlogs, I suggested the metaphor of a quilt. A quilt is inherently a functional object that must meet certain qualifying standards in order to be accepted and used. But also, a quilt can be an intricately crafted artwork, reflective not just of its use, but of the person who makes it; their choices, their joys, their cares. As a quilt is an artwork with a specific useful function of keeping someone warm at night, so too a thesis (or paper or project) can be artistic and creative while also still having useful functions of building knowledge, generating data, or developing theory.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, long story short, I also sewed a thesis quilt, to express both the process and outcome of my doctoral research as a piece of fabric art!&lt;/p&gt;

Ex Anatolia Lux: Menorahs from the Synagogue at Sardis

The Sardis Synagogue is a key monument of diaspora Judaism, whose rich visual language runs through its decoration and furnishings. Votive texts, inscribed reliefs, and freestanding lampstands found in the building make clear the central importance of the menorah as a resonant religious image but also a functional object. Differences in material, size, form, and decoration reflect multiple sources for the Sardis menorahs, with imported examples apparently guiding the production of distinctive local versions over two centuries. As a group, they document the diffusion of visual ideas as well as contacts with other Jewish communities in late antiquity.

Implementation of a Portable Peer-to-Peer Client-Server

Several peer-to-peer programs have been developed since the creation of the peer-to-peer protocols andmodels. However, the most popular ones such as Kazaa and Napster are not free software and are notportable to all operative systems. This paper describes Toro-P2P, an implementation of the P2Ptechnology devolved in Python, a functional object-oriented language, which is very portable because ofits interpreter. It includes two main modules which are the server and the client. The first one includes aRPC server and a HTTP server providing functions to add new files to the list of shared files and to querythe list. The second one, the client, provides functions to query the server, to download, and upload fileswith other clients. Finally a GUI was designed using wxPython which is a portable object-oriented librarywrapped from C++. One of the most remarkable features included in Toro-P2P is the easy configurationof the program including its ports and sockets.