Whether weather affects music

The creative output of composers, writers, and artists is often influenced by their surroundings. To give a literary example, it has been claimed recently that some of the characters in Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol were based on real-life people who lived near Charles Dickens in London [Richardson, 2012]. Of course, an important part of what we see and hear is not only the people with whom we interact but also our geophysical surroundings. Of all the geophysical phenomena to influence us, the weather is arguably the most significant because we are exposed to it directly and daily. The weather was a great source of inspiration for artists Claude Monet, John Constable, and William Turner, who are known for their scientifically accurate paintings of the skies [e.g., Baker and Thornes, 2006].

Images in the vaguest sense

Images in the vaguest sense was a solo exhibition of paintings presented at V22, London. Each work investigated the complex reciprocity between reading and seeing space in architecture.

Terahertz pulse imaging of stratified architectural materials for cultural heritage studies

Terahertz pulse imaging (TPI) is a novel noncontact, nondestructive technique for the examination of cultural heritage artifacts. It has the advantage of broadband spectral range, time-of-flight depth resolution, and penetration through optically opaque materials. Fiber-coupled, portable, time-domain terahertz systems have enabled this technique to move out of the laboratory and into the field. Much like the rings of a tree, stratified architectural materials give the chronology of their environmental and aesthetic history. This work concentrates on laboratory models of stratified mosaics and fresco paintings, specimens extracted from a neolithic excavation site in Catalhoyuk, Turkey, and specimens measured at the medieval Eglise de Saint Jean-Baptiste in Vif, France. Preparatory spectroscopic studies of various composite materials, including lime, gypsum and clay plasters are presented to enhance the interpretation of results and with the intent to aid future computer simulations of the TPI of stratified architectural material. The breadth of the sample range is a demonstration of the cultural demand and public interest in the life history of buildings. The results are an illustration of the potential role of TPI in providing both a chronological history of buildings and in the visualization of obscured wall paintings and mosaics.

Analysis of red pigments from the Neolithic sites of Çatalhöyük in Turkey and Sheikh-e Abad in Iran

Samples containing red pigment have been collected from two different archaeological sites dating to the Neolithic (Çatalhöyük in Turkey and Sheikh-e Abad in Iran) and have been analysed by a range of techniques. Sub-samples were examined by IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, whilst thin sections were studied using optical polarising microscopy, synchrotron based IR microscopy and environmental scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Thin layers of red paint in a wall painting from Çatalhöyük were found to contain ochre (hematite and clay) as well as an unexpected component, grains of red and colourless obsidian, which have not been identified in any previous studies of the wall paintings at Çatalhöyük. These small grains of obsidian may have improved the reflective properties of the paint and made the artwork more vivid in the darkness of the buildings. Analysis of a roughly shaped ball of red sediment found on a possible working surface at Sheikh-e Abad revealed that the cause of the red colouring was the mineral hematite, which was probably from a source of terra rossa sediment in the local area. The results of this work suggest it is unlikely that this had been altered by the Neolithic people through mixing with other minerals.

Hidden

The exhibition Hidden researches the relationship between an artist book and paintings that use the form of a book. The exhibition investigates the overlaps between reading and looking.

John Wikins

My essay is an analysis of the paintings of John Wilkins that contextualizes his mode of abstract painting within the semiological turn of post eighties painting.

Image retrieval techniques for THz applications in cultural heritage

Techniques to retrieve reliable images from complicated objects are described, overcoming problems introduced by uneven surfaces, giving enhanced depth resolution and improving image contrast. The techniques are illustrated with application to THz imaging of concealed wall paintings.

Terahertz analysis of stratified wall plaster at buildings of cultural importance across Europe

Terahertz (THz) radiation is being developed as a tool for the analysis of cultural heritage, and due to recent advances in technology is now available commercially in systems which can be deployed for field analysis. The radiation is capable of penetrating up to one centimetre of wall plaster and is delivered in ultrafast pulses which are reflected from layers within this region. The technique is non-contact, non-invasive and non-destructive. While sub-surface radar is able to penetrate over a metre of wall plaster, producing details of internal structures, infrared and ultraviolet techniques produce information about the surface layers of wall plaster. THz radiation is able to provide information about the interim region of up to approximately one centimetre into the wall surface. Data from Chartres Cathedral, France, Riga Dome Cathedral, Latvia, and Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction, France is presented each with different research questions. The presence of sub-surface paint layers was expected from documentary evidence, dating to the 13th Century, at Chartres Cathedral. In contrast, at the Riga Dome Cathedral surface painting had been obscured as recently as 1941 during the Russian occupation of Latvia using white lead-based paint. In the 13th Century, wall paintings at the Chapel of the Frescos, Chartreuse du Val de Benediction in Villeneuve les Avignon were constructed using sinopia under-painting on plaster covering uneven stonework.. This paper compares and contrasts the ability of THz radiation to provide information about sub-surface features in churches and Cathedrals across Europe by analysing depth based profiles gained from the reflected signal. © (2013) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Making: the invisible visible

In this book essay I argue that modern and contemporary works of art (i.e. paintings, photographs, films, and videos) really ought to retrieve something of their auratic-character, which turns the physical toward the metaphysical, the material toward the immaterial, the visible toward the invisible - making artworks, ‘things among things, something other than [a] thing’ (Theodor W. Adorno, Aesthetic Theory, 86). There is, perhaps, an aura to art or art is a medium or a conduit or a technology for rediscovering and reproducing aura, which makes it something other than a mere thing. Such works of art are constitutively enigmatic, a certain form of magic making: they (re-)distribute the visible and the invisible, they (re-)configure appearance and disappearance. Such works of art may become visual events, which begin an education in and through (dis-)appearances. To achieve this end, I detail Theodor W. Adorno’s and Walter Benjamin’s respective theories of (art’s) aura in the age of technological reproducibility, which I relate to Jacques Rancière’s more recent discussion of the ‘pensive image,’ and I focus my reading on a number of works by Susan Hiller (photographs), John Constable (paintings), Alfred Stieglitz (photographs), and Tacita Dean (photograph and 16mm film).

Metal location and thickness in a multilayered sheet by measuring K alpha/K beta, L alpha/L beta and L alpha/L gamma X-ray ratios

When a multilayered material is analyzed by means of energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis, then the X-ray ratios of K alpha/K beta, or L alpha/L beta and L alpha/L gamma, for an element in the multilayered material, depend on the composition and thickness of the layer in which the element is situated, and on the composition and thickness of the superimposed layer (or layers). Multilayered samples are common in archaeometry, for example, in the case of pigment layers in paintings, or in the case of gilded or silvered alloys. The latter situation is examined in detail in the present paper, with a specific reference to pre-Columbian alloys from various museums in the north of Peru. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automatic devices for monitoring environmentally induced auto-oxidative degradation of artistic materials in conservation sites

This paper describes an automatic device for in situ and continuous monitoring of the ageing process occurring in natural and synthetic resins widely used in art and in the conservation and restoration of cultural artefacts. The results of tests carried out under accelerated ageing conditions are also presented. This easy-to-assemble palm-top device, essentially consists of oscillators based on quartz crystal resonators coated with films of the organic materials whose response to environmental stress is to be addressed. The device contains a microcontroller which selects at pre-defined time intervals the oscillators and records and stores their oscillation frequency. The ageing of the coatings, caused by the environmental stress and resulting in a shift in the oscillation frequency of the modified crystals, can be straightforwardly monitored in this way. The kinetics of this process reflects the level of risk damage associated with a specific microenvironment. In this case, natural and artificial resins, broadly employed in art and restoration of artistic and archaeological artefacts (dammar and Paraloid B72), were applied onto the crystals. The environmental stress was represented by visible and UV radiation, since the chosen materials are known to be photochemically active, to different extents. In the case of dammar, the results obtained are consistent with previous data obtained using a bench-top equipment by impedance analysis through discrete measurements and confirm that the ageing of this material is reflected in the gravimetric response of the modified quartz crystals. As for Paraloid B72, the outcome of the assays indicates that the resin is resistant to visible light, but is very sensitive to UV irradiation. The use of a continuous monitoring system, apart from being obviously more practical, is essential to identify short-term (i.e. reversible) events, like water vapour adsorption/desorption processes, and to highlight ageing trends or sudden changes of such trends. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal Performance of a Solarus CPC-Thermal Collector

The  aim  of  this  master  thesis  is  an  investigation  of  the  thermal  performance  of  a  thermal compound parabolic concentrating (CPC) collector from Solarus. The collector consists of two troughs with absorbers which are coated with different types of paint with  unknown  properties.  The  lower  and  upper  trough  of  the  collector  have  been  tested individually. In  order  to  accomplish  the  performance  of  the  two  collectors,  a  thorough  literature  study  in  the  fields  of  CPC  technology,  various  test  methods,  test  standards  for  solar thermal  collectors  as  well  as  the  latest  articles  relating  on  the  subject  were  carried  out. In addition, the set‐up of the thermal test rig was part of the thesis as well. The thermal  performance  was  tested  according  to  the  steady  state  test  method  as  described in the European standard 12975‐2. Furthermore, the thermal performance of  a  conventional  flat  plate  collector  was  carried  out  for  verification  of  the  test  method. The  CPC‐Thermal  collector  from  Solarus  was  tested  in  2013  and  the  results  showed  four  times  higher  values  of  the  heat  loss  coefficient  UL (8.4  W/m²K)  than  what  has been reported for a commercial collector from Solarus. This value was assumed to be too large and it was assumed that the large value was a result of the test method used that time. Therefore, another aim was the comparison of the results achieved in this work with the results from the tests performed in 2013. The results of the thermal performance showed that the optical efficiency of the lower trough of the CPC‐T collector is 77±5% and the corresponding heat loss coefficient UL 4.84±0.20  W/m²K.  The  upper  trough  achieved  an  optical  efficiency  of  75±6  %  and  a  heat loss coefficient UL of 6.45±0.27 W/m²K. The results of the heat loss coefficients  are  valid  for  temperature  intervals  between  20°C  and  80°C.  The  different  absorber paintings have a significant impact on the results, the lower trough performs overall better.  The  results  achieved  in  this  thesis  show  lower  heat  loss  coefficients UL and higher optical efficiencies compared to the results from 2013. 

Mural Painting

For my freshman Jan Plan at Colby I painted a mural in Runnals Union illustrating a William Blake poem. This effort began a four year painting project which I pursued my sophomore and junior years by finishing the Hall of the Machines in Runnals and by commencing the Paper Wall in Roberts. As a Senior Scholar, I've continued my undertaking by painting eleven more panels. Eight of these are in the Paper Wall and the other three are in the Spa in Miller Library. In my wallpainting up until this year my major interest has been in a strong two-dimentional design created by color juxtaposition. Over these two semesters I've developed a greater concern with the role of color value contrasts in achieving a sense of three-dimensional space. As one views my paintings in chronological order, he can see that gradually colors become less intense, value contrasts more effective, and subject matter becomes based on observation rather than imagination. Please judge my achievement solely on observation of the walls in these three rooms as this paper is only a very brief catalogue of works and the slides are not the best reproductions.

As imagens do povo e o espaço vazio da arte/educação: (um estudo sobre Antonio Poteiro)

Este trabalho - As imagens do povo e o espaço vazio da arte - educação - é o desenvolvimento de uma reflexãos sobre a arte, suas condições de produção e o seu conteudo, na busca de subsídio para o desenvolvimento da educação artística no contexto da Educação Formal. Esta refleção se fundamenta no pressuposto de que a arte não ê um momento separado da praxis humana, mas que se constitui num objeto de apropriação do real, que ao expressá-lo cria uma realidade humano-social e a ela se integra, estabelecendo uma rede de interações. A metodologia empregada para as verificações concernentes aos pressupostos teóricos, situa-se no que se convencionou denominar "estudo de caso". Analisa-se a produção do artista plástico, Antônio Poteiro, ceramista e pintor, de origem popular, procurando nela instâncias de crítica e renovação social. Do ponto de vista da apresentação, este estudo se constitui de quatro partes. Na primeira parte, introdutória, sao abordados aspectos teóricos da arte em sua relação com a realidade social. Enfatiza-se o problema da fruição nas artes figurativas.A segunda é dedicada à vida do artista. Faz-se transcrição da história de vida, segue-se um comentário evidenciando aspectos da capacidade criadora do artista. A terceira é dedicada a sua obra, pintura e escultura. Procede-se o deciframento de um conjunto de obras, a partir de um tema recorrente. Numa fase final, reunem-se as questões concernentes a produção do artista, para que venham contribuir para a educação, supondo-se que a arte ocupe nos processos educacionais, um espaço que leve ao desenvolvimento da sensibilidade humana.

A Morte e o além : iconografia da pintura mural religiosa da região central do Rio Grande do Sul (século XX)

Este trabalho analisa pinturas murais religiosas sobre temáticas relacionadas à morte e ao além, encontradas em igrejas católicas da região central do Rio Grande do Sul. Pinturas realizadas ao longo do século XX e selecionadas com base em amostragem reunida em arquivos fotográficos representativos de 192 municípios. A partir de uma abordagem iconológica, busca entender: como os modelos iconográficos europeus foram retomados pelo muralismo religioso regional. Para tanto, identifica a origem dos principais temas escatológicos representados, bem como algumas das fontes visuais utilizadas, compostas, sobretudo, por gravuras que reproduzem temas religiosos de obras dos séculos XV ao início do século XX. Entre as formas evitadas pelo muralismo rio-grandense destacam-se: alusões à nudez, poses com pouco dinamismo, e gestos considerados constrangedores para os padrões morais da região. Nas formas incluídas, destacam-se as poses com expressão gestual mais acentuada, vestes moralizantes e detalhes zoomórficos na figuração de demônios. Enquanto que o conjunto das formas preservadas aponta para um predomínio dos gestos representativos de emoções intensas. Com base nos estudos de Aby Warburg sobre a influência da empatia no resgate de configurações emotivas, e a partir do resultado das análises formais, foi estruturada a proposição principal desta pesquisa. Proposição que procura evidenciar uma relação entre a eficiência empática dos antigos gestos de ações passionais e a conseqüente preservação desses no muralismo religioso escatológico regional.