Permanent shift: the topology of Didier Vermeiren's Cariatide à la Pierre

Photographic documentation of sculpture produces significant consequences for the way in which sculptural space is conceived. When viewed as discrete mediums the interaction of the photograph and its sculptural subject is always framed by notions of loss. However, when taken as a composite system, the sculpture-photograph proposes a new ontology of space. In place of the fixity of medium, we can observe a topology at play: a theory drawn from mathematics in which space is understood not as a static field but in terms of properties of connectedness, movement and differentiation. Refracted through the photographic medium, sculpture becomes not a field of fixed points in space, but rather as a fluid set of relations - a continuous sequence of multiple ‘surfaces’, a network of shifting views. This paper will develop a topological account of studio practice through an examination of the work of the contemporary Belgian sculptor Didier Vermeiren (b. 1951). Since the 1980s, Vermeiren has made extensive use of photography in his sculptural practice. By analysing a series of iterations of his work Cariatide à la Pierre (1997-1998), this paper proposes that Vermeiren’s use of photography reveals patterns of connection that expand and complicate the language of sculpture, while also emphasising the broader topology of the artist’s practice as a network of ‘backward glances’ to previous works from the artist’s oeuvre and the art-historical canon. In this context, photography is not simply a method of documentation, but rather a means of revealing the intrinsic condition of sculpture as medium shaped by dynamic patterns of connection and change. In Vermeiren’s work the sculpture-photograph, has a composite identity that exceeds straightforward categories of medium. In their place, we can observe a practice based upon the complex interactions of objects whose ontology is always underpinned by a certain contingency. It is in this fundamental mobility, that the topology of Vermeiren’s practice can be said to rest.

Francine and Jean-Pierre Durand at Aenny Catzenstein's 80th birthday; London Portraits Family

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Jean-Pierre Durand, Patrick Matthiesen, unidentified woman and Serge Donabedian working on a puzzle at Aenny's 80th birthday; London.

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Francine and Jean-Pierre Durand at Aenny Catzenstein's 80th birthday; London Portraits Family

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Jean-Pierre Durand, Patrick Matthiesen, unidentified woman and Serge Donabedian working on a puzzle at Aenny's 80th birthday; London.

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Conflits de norms de justice distributive dans les fusions entre égaux Le cas de BioM.rieux-Pierre Fabre

Les strictes fusions entre égaux constituent un phénomène très rare. Pourtant, de nombreux dirigeants communiquent sur l’aspect égalitaire des fusions et acquisitions qu’ils conçoivent. Dans cet article, les auteurs expliquent pourquoi les dirigeants <> leurs F&A en <> ; montrent en quoi le postulat égalitaire initial accroît la probabilité de conflits entre deux normes de justice distributive pourtant compl.mentaires : l’égalité et l’équité ; et illustrent leurs propos avec un cas spectaculaire : la fusion égalitaire, puis la separation des entreprises BioMérieux et Pierre Fabre. Paradoxalement, la simple formulation en termes égalitaire des F&A favorise la diffusion de sentiments d’injustice distributive, qui nuit in fine à la performance de l’opération.

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon(1-3). With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses(4-9). As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world's major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve `health': about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.

Gehiago Pierre Urteren gramatikaren iturriez: Lilyren gramatika

[EN] Pierre Urte wrote Grammaire cantabrique circa 1714, when he was exiled in England. In this article we want to prove that the main source for Urte’s work was the socalled “Lily’s grammar”, which was the oficial grammar to learn Latin language in England from the 16th to the 19th century. The indentification of that source allows us to support the claim that Urte’s grammar must be included in the tradition of language teaching, as was already pointed out by Oyharçabal (1989). In this article, we first offer a brief history of Lily’s grammar. Then, we provide some clues in order to identify the exact edition used by Urte. Finally, in the main section of the article, we confront the two grammatical works; our aim is to ensure Urte’s debt to Lily’s grammar, and to show in detail the principal parts which Urte took from his source (mainly grammatical clasifications and examples).

El Musteriense de la cueva de Harregi en Aussurucq, Soule (Excavaciones: Pierre Roucher, 1954-1960)

[ES] La cueva de Harregi (Aussurucq, Pays de Soule), excavada por P. Boucher entre 1954 y 1960, contiene testimonios prehistóricos del Paleolítico medio, superior y Postpaleolítico. En este artículo se analizan las evidencias de fauna e industria lítica asimiladas al Paleolítico medio. Importantes alteraciones estratigráficas postdeposicionales modificaron la original posición topográfica de la mayor parte de los depósitos musterienses. La composición global del lote industrial y de la serie faunística recuerdan intensamente a los controlados en los niveles musterienses Cj y Cjr de la muy cercana cueva de Gatzarria. Ello hace, bien plantear la posibilidad de una antigua organización estratigráfica y arqueológica de los depósitos musterienses como la de Gatzarria, lamentablemente perturbada por serios procesos hídricos erosivos, bien contemplar el hecho de una secuencia diferente, propia y, en cierta forma, contradictoria con la dinámica reconocida en Gatzarria.

No Vale dos Lírios: Convento de Santa Mônica de Goa e o modelo feminino de virtude para o Oriente (1606-1636)

No ano de 1606 era fundado na cidade Goa o primeiro mosteiro feminino no Impérioportuguês do Oriente. O Convento de Santa Mônica de Goa foi instituído pelo então arcebispode Goa e governador da Índia, D. Frei Aleixo de Menezes sob a proteção da Ordem de SantoAgostinho. Criado com o intuito de proteger a honra das mulheres no Estado da Índia e de seruma alternativa de vida para as filhas da nobreza e fidalguia local que não conseguiam casar,o convento foi a principal fundação feminina de frei Aleixo, por ser território perfeito para ocultivo de modelos de santidade e virtudes. Juntamente com os recolhimentos de NossaSenhora da Serra e de Santa Maria Madalena, o convento formava uma tríade de instituiçõescaracterizadas pela assistência e pela caridade à mulher - grande incentivo do Concílio deTrento e da Reforma católica. A presente dissertação procura discutir como os discursos dosfreis agostinianos de exaltação das virtudes e perfeição religiosa das mônicas refletiram noprocesso de fundação e reconhecimento régio e papal do convento.

A função e natureza das convenções e hipóteses segundo o convencionalismo francês da virada do século XIX para o XX: relações entre ciência e metafísica nas obras de Henri Poincaré, Pierre Duhem e Édouard Le Roy

Nesse trabalho apresentamos a função e determinamos a natureza das convenções e hipóteses para os fundamentos científicos segundo a corrente convencionalista que surgiu na França na virada do século XIX para o XX, composta por Henri Poincaré, Pierre Duhem e Édouard Le Roy. Além disso, analisamos a relação que as convenções e hipóteses podem estabelecer com teses metafísicas através dos critérios utilizados pelos cientistas para determinar a preferência por certas teorias. Para isso, promovemos uma interpretação imanente das obras publicadas entre 1891 e 1905. Como resultado, revelamos que os autores, apesar de serem classificados como pertencentes a uma mesma corrente, não possuem apenas posições comuns, mas também divergências. Poincaré e Le Roy concordam que as convenções geométricas são escolhidas de acordo com o critério de conveniência. Contudo, eles discordam sobre o valor que a conveniência agrega ao conhecimento científico. Em relação aos fenômenos naturais, os três autores concordam que a realidade não pode ser descrita univocamente por um mesmo conjunto de convenções e hipóteses. Porém, Poincaré e Duhem acreditam que há critérios que tornam umas teorias mais satisfatórias que outras. Analisamos os critérios experimentais, racionais e axiológicos que justificam a satisfação dos cientistas com certas teorias e apontamos como estes critérios se relacionam com a metafísica. Concluímos que os convencionalistas, mesmo que cautelosamente e de modo implícito, buscaram se aproximar da metafísica com o intuito de justificar a própria atividade científica.

A mercantilização do meio ambiente na cidade de Cabo Frio a partir dos fundamentos de Pierre George

A presente pesquisa mostra a teoria de Pierre George, geógrafo francês que viveu e analisou o século XX. O autor produziu uma leitura crítica da realidade, a partir de um contexto com várias transformações espaciais, guerras, expansão da industrialização, desenvolvimento das políticas do meio ambiente, questões sociais, entre outros pontos. Pierre George analisa o meio ambiente relacionando com o sistema econômico e os fatores políticos, indicando a função importante do espaço o conceito geográfico central. A partir das décadas de 1960 e 1970, há no capitalismo o novo sistema verde, que promete cuidar da degradação ambiental, mas estrategicamente pretende continuar o modelo de desenvolvimento. Esta realidade será incorporada por várias cidades em países desenvolvidos e em países subdesenvolvidos, que usarão o meio ambiente como uma mercadoria. Nesta pesquisa veremos o exemplo de Cabo Frio, Rj, uma cidade turística desde a década de 1950, que utiliza o meio ambiente como uma mercadoria, explorando a praia, os espaços verdes e a lagoa. Então a cidade será um exemplo excelente para confirmar a análise de George

Obituary, Pierre Gillet: the priest of multitasking (1939 – 2015)

Pierre Gillet was the rare sort of clergyman who escaped classification—but fishers around the world will remember him as a godsend.

'La Violence et la mauvaise foi': Context and rhetoric in Pierre Bayle's Ce que c'est que la France toute Catholique

My thesis presents an examination of Ce que c'est que la France toute Catholique (1686) by Pierre Bayle, a prominent figure in the Republic of Letters and the Huguenot Refuge in the seventeenth century. This pamphlet was the first occasional text that Bayle published following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in which the religious toleration afforded to the Huguenot minority in France was repealed, a pivotal moment in the history of early modern France. In my thesis, I analyse the specific context within which Bayle wrote this pamphlet as a means of addressing a number of issues, including the legitimacy of forced conversions, the impact of the religious controversy upon exchanges in the Republic of Letters, the nature of religious zeal and finally the alliance of Church and state discourses in the early modern period. An examination of this context provides a basis from which to re-interpret the rhetorical strategies at work within the pamphlet, and also to come to an increased understanding of how, why and to what end he wrote it. In turn this allowed me to examine the relationship between this often overlooked pamphlet and the more extensively studied Commentaire Philosophique, in which Bayle argued in favour of religious toleration. Ultimately, understanding the relationship between these two texts proves essential in order to characterise his response to the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes and to understand the place of the pamphlet within his oeuvre. Furthermore, an analysis of the pamphlet and the Commentaire Philosophique provide a lens through which to elucidate both Bayle's intellectual development at this early stage in his career, and also the wider context of the rise of toleration theory and the evolution of modes of civility within the Republic of Letters on the eve of the Enlightenment.