'Public Sculpture (The Social)' 2010

Commisssioned by Frieze Art for the Frieze Sculpture Park The project presents the image of a sculpture as a sculpture, installed in the form of a large scale digital print on vinyl stretched over a 14 x 28ft (4.2 x 8.4m) stretcher supported by a scaffolding structure. The image itself depicts a futuristic public sculpture, an ‘impossible’ artwork, referencing Ballard’s descriptions in his book ‘Vermillion Sands’. The work also draws upon examples of rococo ornamentation and the compositional conventions of ‘images of sculpture’ (in art magazines, catalogues, publicity photos) including examples sited in Regents park in previous years. Technical details: The image is printed on vinyl, stretched over a 14 x 28ft (4.2 x 8.4m) wooden stretcher and fixed to a deep buttressed scaffold 8m long by 6.23 deep with IBC water tanks on the back edge as kentledge (4 x I tonne IVC water containers - 1 per bay). The structure is constructed from clean silver Layher system scaffold and wrapped by a dense black mesh netting.

Can objects perform?: agency and thingliness in contemporary sculpture and installation

In his 1967 essay, “Art and Objecthood”, Michael Fried bemoaned the theatricality of minimalist sculpture, which replaced the presentness of compositional sculpture with the staging of an experience for the viewer as performer. His argument has since been inverted by artists and art writers invested in the idea of sculptures as props forming part of an artistic experience economy. This discourse has accompanied the rise of relational aesthetics as a dominant paradigm for contemporary art. More recently, however, there has been a turn away from relationality to ‘object-oriented’ art, where objects are seen to stage their own theatrical experiences, performing themselves without requiring the activation of a viewer’s body. We trace parallels between the philosophy of Bruno Latour and the “Speculative Materialism” group and this emerging trend in sculpture. In ascribing agency to objects, Latour proposes a radical shift from philosophy’s traditional investigation of the relationship between the mind and the world. Drawn to the idea that matter can be creative, artists have embraced his thinking. However, we argue that this has lead to a generalized, universalizing humanism that disables political action. Moreover, it undermines the potential for anti-humanist critique latent in object-oriented philosophy.

Exploration of the idea of the horse in graphics and sculpture

The exploration of the idea of the horse is a very complex and open quest. Primarily it entails some conception of what the idea of the horse is. In choosing to title the project as such, I was attempting to indicate that what was of major interest to me was the representation of those qualities of the horse which are abstract and intangible as well as the physical qualities of the horse. Because of this interest, much of my work is concerned with movement, gesture, and the effects of structure, or lack thereof, on movement and gesture.

The Human Figure in Drawing and Sculpture

My project as a Senior Scholar has been the study of the human figure through drawing and sculpture. I have worked directly from the model in order to understand the form and structure of the human body. The result of this concentrated study has been a sharpened sense of vision and an increased confidence in the use of materials for both two and three-dimensional representation.

Índia e crescimento: modelos tradicionais e impacto da filosofia hindu

A Índia, com sua notável expansão econômica, cultura e filosofia milenares, é o tema desse trabalho, com dois objetivos: exemplificar diversos aspectos teóricos ligados ao crescimento econômico e aprofundar o estudo de um aspecto institucional pouco difundido na literatura, os impactos das filosofias religiosas. A princípio, são analisadas as reformas econômicas realizadas após a crise do balanço de pagamentos ocorrida em 1991. Diversos estudos teóricos são citados ao longo do texto para contextualizar o efeito das reformas no potencial de crescimento. O setor externo é analisado com profundidade, seguido pela desregulamentação no setor privado, principalmente na atividade industrial e no controle de preços. Estes dois setores foram conjuntamente responsáveis pelo grande salto de produtividade na economia (descrito pelos impactos na produtividade total dos fatores). Alguns aspectos de política monetária e fiscal também são analisados, mas com menor ênfase, visto que as reformas e resultados nesses setores são limitados. A seguir, apresenta-se análise sobre a filosofia Hindu, predominante no país. Introduz-se o tema com breve descrição dos aspectos filosóficos, para seguir com avaliação dos impactos econômicos resultantes. Max Weber e Amartya Sen contradizem-se sobre o sinal do impacto: Weber suportando que a magia hindu impediria o racionalismo; Sen argumentando que o próprio hinduísmo tem histórico de racionalismo heterodoxo, de contestação e criação. Para disseminar dúvidas apresenta-se um modelo econométrico, com base em convergência condicional: impactos diretos e indiretos não se mostram significantes. Levanta-se um debate e um alento a alguns países: um histórico institucional bastante desalentador ao desenvolvimento, baseado em uma filosofia religiosa controversa de nuances pós-vida, pode ser superado com algumas corretas reformas na economia.

Uma proposta para utilização do computador no processo de ensino e aprendizagem dos primeiros números do sistema hindu-arábico

The aim of this work is presenting the development and the results of a research, which focus of interest has been the making of softwares that could help the process of teaching and learning of the hindu-arabic numerals system, on children in the alphabetical stage. Since the most important presupposes to this work are the development of the number concept according to Jean Piaget (1986-1980) and the reality of the classroom, then three different moments have been fixed: the creation of a beginning scheme of computer activities; the aplication of these activities on children in the alphabetical stage; and, finally, an analysis of the limits and possibilities of these activities while an environment cause of actions that would benefit the process of teaching and learning of the mentioned content. Finally, based on the anlysis of the results obtained, the next step was fixing a more consistant set of computer activities, which makes up a proposal to the use of computer in the process of teaching and learning of the first hindu-arabic numbers

Multidisciplinary approach in the teaching of dental sculpture and anatomy

The purpose of the Dental Sculpture and Anatomy discipline is to introduce undergraduate students to the study of the anatomic and morphological characteristics of permanent and primary human dentition, through classes, books and cognitive and psychomotor activities. This discipline supports the teaching of specific knowledge necessary for a more extensive education, involving interdisciplinarity as a means of knowledge exchange among several areas of dentistry, to achieve comprehensive professional education. Students must recognize the dental morphology from samples of preserved teeth, and reproduce the morphology through three-dimensional models made of stone or wax blocks. In this article, the authors describe the process for producing teeth collars and macro dental models made of stone, their importance and benefits of utilization. The purpose of the study was to encourage the teaching of Dental Sculpture and Anatomy toundergraduate students of the Bauru School of Dentistry, University of Sao Paulo, through activities that would associate theory, practice and the development of manual skills.

Le projet Lbc, une ressource "hybride" au service du traducteur dans le domaine artistique et culturel. Analyse de la terminologie de la sculpture dans les traductions francaises de la Vita di Michelangelo

Il presente lavoro mette in evidenza le principali difficoltà che il traduttore di testi specialistici è chiamato ad affrontare durante la pratica della traduzione. In particolar modo, il nostro studio si concentra sulla figura del traduttore che lavora in ambito artistico : oggigiorno la facilità degli spostamenti e il conseguente aumento del turismo culturale hanno reso la traduzione di dépliant, guide turistiche e cataloghi una pratica necessaria e in continua crescita. L’obiettivo prefissato è quello di verificare l’apporto che le risorse lessicografiche e terminologiche attualmente disponibili danno al traduttore di testi a contenuto artistico. Il nostro lavoro si articola in quattro capitoli. Il primo, di stampo teorico, pone l’accento sulla natura polisemica della parola terminologia (disciplina, metodologia e insieme di termini appartenenti ad un ambito specialistico) e sulla distinzione tra pratica terminologica e traduttiva gettando le basi del secondo capitolo che, partendo dall'esposizione degli ostacoli terminologici incontrati dal traduttore, descrive le lacune dei principali dizionari bilingui italiano-francese e delle basi di dati terminologiche oggi a disposizione. Il terzo capitolo, dedicato alla presentazione del progetto Lessico multilingue dei beni culturali (LBC), ne evidenzia i punti di forza e sottolinea la necessità di creare degli strumenti “ibridi”, concepiti per aiutare il traduttore in ambito artistico. Questa conclusione sarà ulteriormente ribadita nel quarto capitolo, di stampo pratico : l’analisi di una quindicina di termini dell’ambito della scultura (estratti dal corpus de La Vita di Michelangelo, appositamente creato nell'ambito del progetto LBC) mostra l’eccessivo numero di strumenti che il traduttore è costretto a consultare per risolvere adeguatamente le difficoltà incontrate, pratica che non rispecchia più il mestiere della traduzione, all'interno della società dell’informazione, sempre più influenzato dalle scadenze imposte.

Mainstreaming a Decade's Experiences in Watershed Management to Meet the Challenges of Environmental Change in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas

Like other mountain areas in the world, the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Ongoing climate change processes are projected to have a high impact on the HKH region, and accelerated warming has been reported in the Himalayas. These climate change impacts will be superimposed on a variety of other environmental and social stresses, adding to the complexity of the issues. The sustainable use of natural resources is crucial to the long-term stability of the fragile mountain ecosystems in the HKH and to sustain the socio-ecological resilience that forms the basis of sustainable livelihoods in the region. In order to be prepared for these challenges, it is important to take stock of previous research. The ‘People and Resource Dynamics Project’ (PARDYP), implemented by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), provides a variety of participatory options for sustainable land management in the HKH region. The PARDYD project was a research for development project that operated in five middle mountain watersheds across the HKH – two in Nepal and one each in China, India, and Pakistan. The project ran from 1996 to 2006 and focused on addressing the marginalisation of mountain farmers, the use and availability of water, issues relating to land and forest degradation and declining soil fertility, the speed of regeneration of degraded land, and the ability of the natural environment to support the growing needs of the region’s increasing population. A key learning from the project was that the opinion of land users is crucial to the acceptance (and, therefore, successful application) of new technologies and approaches. A major challenge at the end of every project is to promote knowledge sharing and encourage the cross-fertilization of ideas (e.g., in the case of PARDYP, with other middle mountain inhabitants and practitioners in the region) and to share lessons learned with a wider audience. This paper will highlight how the PARDYP findings, including ways of addressing soil fertility and water scarcity, have been mainstreamed in the HKH region through capacity building (international, regional, and national training courses), networking, and the provision of backstopping services. In addition, in view of the challenges in watershed management in the HKH connected to environmental change, the lessons learned from the PARDYP are now being used by ICMOD to define and package climate change proof technology options to address climate change adaptation.