The effect of multidisciplinary collaborations on research diversification

This work verifies whether research diversification by a scientist is in some measure related to their collaboration with multidisciplinary teams. The analysis considers the publications achieved by 5300 Italian academics in the sciences over the period 2004-2008. The findings show that a scientist's outputs resulting from research diversification are more often than not the result of collaborations with multidisciplinary teams. The effect becomes more pronounced with larger and particularly with more diversified teams. This phenomenon is observed both at the overall level and for the disciplinary macro-areas

Thomas Hoccleve and the Poetics of Reading

Thomas Hoccleve, the early fifteenth-century London poet who first promoted the notion that Chaucer was the father of English literature, demonstrates an acute awareness that readers would change the form of his own texts over time. Although many scholars consider Hoccleve\u27s style to be derivative of his English predecessors, I argue that his awareness of readers contributed to an innovative style that casts writing and reading as mutually dependent acts of performance. Thus, in depictions of manuscript production and circulation processes, Hoccleve treats his audiences as his creative collaborators. The rich surviving manuscript history for Hoccleve reveals how his texts reflect and incorporate the experiences of readers. Additionally, owing to the fact that Hoccleve\u27s manuscript record includes three autograph manuscripts of his verse, I argue that Hoccleve himself must be counted among his own readers. In this dissertation, I first explore the relationships between autograph and scribal manuscripts of his texts, and between the content and form of his poems in variant scribal manuscripts. I then discuss how readers and copiers interacted with his poems\u27 visual layouts, and how this impacted future reading performances of his texts. Finally, I examine the relationship between Hoccleve\u27s explicit criticism of readers of his poem, the Letter of Cupid, and his own rereading of the poem in one of his autograph manuscripts. From these investigations, I propose that the poetics of reading in Hoccleve\u27s works represent his response to cultural concerns with the instabilities of literary authority in the late Middle Ages. Hoccleve\u27s effort to involve readers both literally and figuratively in the construction of his texts, and his recentering of literary authority in his audiences, are his major contributions to English literature in the fifteenth century

Drawing on the Victorians: The Palimpsest of Victorian and Neo-Victorian Graphic Texts

Late nineteenth-century Britain experienced an unprecedented explosion of visual print culture and a simultaneous rise in literacy across social classes. New printing technologies facilitated quick and cheap dissemination of images—illustrated books, periodicals, cartoons, comics, and ephemera—to a mass readership. This Victorian visual turn prefigured the present-day impact of the Internet on how images are produced and shared, both driving and reflecting the visual culture of its time. From this starting point, Drawing on the Victorians sets out to explore the relationship between Victorian graphic texts and today’s steampunk, manga, and other neo-Victorian genres that emulate and reinterpret their predecessors. Neo-Victorianism is a flourishing worldwide phenomenon, but one whose relationship with the texts from which it takes its inspiration remains underexplored. In this collection, scholars from literary studies, cultural studies, and art history consider contemporary works—Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Moto Naoko’s Lady Victorian, and Edward Gorey’s Gashlycrumb Tinies, among others—alongside their antecedents, from Punch’s 1897 Jubilee issue to Alice in Wonderland and more. They build on previous work on neo-Victorianism to affirm that the past not only influences but converses with the present. Contributors: Christine Ferguson, Kate Flint, Anna Maria Jones, Linda K. Hughes, Heidi Kaufman, Brian Maidment, Rebecca N. Mitchell, Jennifer Phegley, Monika Pietrzak-Franger, Peter W. Sinnema, Jessica Straleyhttps://ohioopen.library.ohio.edu/oupress/1011/thumbnail.jp

Drawing on the Victorians

Late 19th-century Britain experienced an explosion of visual print culture and a simultaneous rise in literacy across social classes. New printing technologies facilitated quick and cheap dissemination of images—illustrated books, periodicals, cartoons, comics, and ephemera—to a mass readership. This Victorian visual turn prefigured the present-day impact of the Internet on how images are produced and shared, both driving and reflecting the visual culture of its time. From this starting point, Drawing on the Victorians explores the relationship between Victorian graphic texts and today’s steampunk, manga, and other neo-Victorian genres that emulate and reinterpret their predecessors. Neo-Victorianism is a flourishing worldwide phenomenon, but one whose relationship with the texts from which it takes its inspiration remains underexplored

Philosophical Archeology in Theoretical and Artistic Practice

The aim of this thesis is to examine philosophical archeology and the feasibility of knowledge that derives from researching it simultaneously through theoretical and artistic practice. Philosophical archeology essentially embodies one’s relation to history and historiographic research—a research methodology at the core of which lies a “historical a priori”, that which a priori conditions the historical development of a phenomenon. However, this research conceives of philosophical archeology more broadly, as a multifaceted term that traverses the discourse of the humanities at large. By pursuing this doctoral research, my original contribution to knowledge is twofold: (1) I historicize philosophical archeology—a term that hasbeen in use throughout humanities-based research since 1793,when it was formulated for the first time in this manner; and (2) expanding on its history, I show how, in the broader context of contemporary art and particularly in my artistic practice, philosophical archeology is conceived and carried out as a modus operandi. Section I outlines philosophical archeology in theoretical practice. Based on Giorgio Agamben’sœuvre(andthe work of other pertinent thinkers), it explicates Agamben’s conception of messianic timethat in turn conditions his conception of history. Messianic time is conceivedas the paradigm of historical time par excellence, mainly drawing onSaint Paul’s text Epistle to the Romans(and in reference to Agamben’s work on it, The Time that Remains) and WalterBenjamin’s text “Theses on the Philosophy of History.”The concept of messianic time is further elaborated by discussing (under the framework of aesthetics) Benjamin’s method of montage that likewise contributes to his theory of historical signature/consciousness. Section II is an integral component of my thesis exhibition titled Philosophical Archeology Space 2009–2019—a space that is constituted as, and by, philosophical archeology in my ongoing artistic practice; this archeological/historiographic operation, in the framework of artistic research, resulted in the identification of three signaturescomprising the (material-based) “historical a priori” of my artistic practice. The section contextualizes archeological orientation in contemporary art, and examineswhether philosophical archeology (as artisticmodus operandi) is in a position to distend history and historiography rather than vice versa

Domesticating the modern : an interrogation of the visual rhetoric of South African graphic designer Ernst de Jong (1934 - 2016)

In 1957, South African born Ernst de Jong returned to Pretoria, South Africa, after studying painting and information design at the University of Oklahoma in the USA. De Jong and his American wife, Gwen Drennan, immediately set about opening a graphic design studio that profited from de Jong’s transformative experiences in Oklahoma and established itself as a pioneer of identity design in South Africa. The modernising rhetoric of Ernst de Jong Studios (EDJS), and indeed de Jong himself, came to signify the utopian aspirations of a putatively bright, new and modern Republic. As the political and cultural contexts of the country changed, so did the nature and fortunes of EDJS; de Jong closed his design practice in 1994 and then gradually faded from view. This study is a discursive space, an interrogation of and often personal reflection on the circumstances of de Jong’s life and creative practice, as well as the inventive task of ‘prying open’ the artefacts, events and relationships that informed this practice. I aim to make visible an influential life, but also to question how it was constructed, and then re-presented — both by the participants and myself — for the purposes of this study. Concomitantly, I flesh open the drive, in a post-colonial community, to appropriate modernism in its project of individualisation. Oral history, and in particular ‘life history’, provides the starting point and underlying framework for my narrative that explores design briefs executed for the journal Lantern, the Rand Afrikaans University and the Afrikaanse Taalmonument. Although the three case studies cannot provide a comprehensive account of the vast output of EDJS, they serve to throw light on mainstream graphic design experiences in publication design, university branding and heritage design in the years 1957 to 1975 in South Africa.Visual ArtsPhDUnrestricte

User Stories of Erkki Kurenniemi’s Electronic Musical Instruments, 1961–1978

The focus in this study is on electroacoustic music and the design of electronic musical instruments in Finland during 1961–1978, approached from both a historical and an analytical perspective. There are three main threads: music history (the historical and cultural context in the Nordic countries in the 1960s and 1970s), music technology (the design and use of electronic musical instruments), and electroacoustic music (aesthetics and musical analysis). The study belongs to the domain of music technology research and the scientific stance is interdisciplinary. On the one hand, I employ music analysis and the concepts of the modern historiographical paradigm, ethnography and aesthetics theory in my analysis and description of the cultural and historical context of electroacoustic music. On the other hand, I adopt concepts from Science and Technology Studies (STS) in describing the technological developments and social networks. At the core of the study are the musical instruments and music of the Finnish instrument designer and composer Erkki Kurenniemi (1941–2017). At the time when technology dedicated to electronic music production was practically nonexistent and studios accommodating the genre were rare, and expensive to set up, Kurenniemi’s designs enabled and facilitated the work of several composers. In addition to his Finnish collaborators, he worked with many Nordic composers and artists. His visionary ideas and technical expertise were influenced by the works of many of his contemporaries – and vice versa. Kurenniemi’s work serves here as a lens through which I observe the broader picture of the cultural and historical circumstances of electroacoustic music – even beyond the Finnish scene. Instead of concentrating on the canonical works and central actors in the field, I focus on the small Helsinki-based community, which had active links to Sweden and Norway as well as frequent connections with Central European studios. The study sheds light on these less commonly studied social connections. Beyond the temporal and the geographical, the works of Kurenniemi and his Nordic collaborators provide overarching perspectives on the interaction between music and technology. For example, static and detailed descriptions of musical instruments do not suffice to depict the impact of technological development on musical aesthetics. To study this aspect further, I examine Kurenniemi’s instruments in the hands of their users. In analyzing the use of his instruments, I show how technological artifacts develop in complex interaction between the original designer, the users, and the artifact itself rather than in an isolated laboratory with a lonely designer. Kurenniemi’s own musical output, on the other hand, provides an example of a music-production process in which the works are created in close – and often real-time – interaction with the production technology. In extreme cases, the role of the technology is strongly emphasized and could even be the most influential factor in the music-making. This type of technology-driven music production and composition process challenges the traditional concept of a musical work, questions the typical intentions of a composer, and anticipates many production methods that have emerged, especially in experimental productions and popular music.Väitöstutkimuksessani tarkastelen elektroakustisen musiikin historiaa sekä sähkösoitinsuunnittelua Suomessa vuosina 1961–1978. Tutkimukseni kolme pääteemaa ovat musiikinhistoria (historiallinen ja kulttuurinen konteksti Pohjoismaissa 1960–70-luvuilla), musiikkiteknologia (elektronisten soitinten suunnittelu ja käyttö) ja elektroakustinen musiikki (estetiikka ja musiikianalyysi). Työni kuuluu musiikkiteknologian tutkimuksen alaan, ja se muodostuu monitieteisistä tutkimusteemoista. Elektronisen musiikin kulttuurihistorian kuvaukseen ja analyysiin sovellan modernin historiankirjoituksen, etnografian ja esteettisen teorian käsitteitä sekä musiikkianalyysiä. Sosiaalisten verkostojen ja teknologian kehityksen hahmottamiseen hyödynnän tieteen ja teknologian tutkimuksessa (Science and Technology Studies, STS) kehitettyjä teorioita ja käsitteitä. Työni keskeinen toimija on soitinsuunnittelija ja säveltäjä Erkki Kurenniemi (1941–2017). Kurenniemen soittimet mahdollistivat elektronisen musiikin tuottamisen Suomessa aikana, jolloin kyseisen musiikkityylin toteuttamiseen soveltuvat studiot olivat harvinaisia ja teknologia kallista. Suomalaisten yhteistyökumppaneidensa lisäksi Kurenniemi työskenteli myös monien pohjoismaisten säveltäjien ja taiteilijoiden kanssa. Hänen visionäärinen ideointinsa ja tekninen asiantuntemuksensa vaikutti monien hänen aikalaistensa töihin – ja päinvastoin. Kurenniemen työ musiikkiteknologian parissa toimii tutkimukseni lähtökohtana ja linssinä, jonka kautta tarkastelen pohjoismaisen elektronisen ja kokeellisen musiikin kulttuurihistoriallista tilannetta sekä usean säveltäjän ja avantgardetaiteilijan töitä. Kanonisoitujen teosten ja elektroakustisen musiikin keskeisten toimijoiden tarkastelun sijaan tutkimukseni painopiste on helsinkiläisessä pienessä yhteisössä, jolla oli aktiiviset yhteydet Ruotsiin ja Norjaan sekä jopa Keski-Euroopan studioihin. Tutkimukseni yhdeksi keskeiseksi teemaksi muodostuu historiallisten toimijoiden sosiaalisen verkoston ja yhteistyön kuvaaminen. Työni ajallisen ja maantieteellisen rajauksen ohella Kurenniemen ja hänen yhteistyökumppaneidensa tuottama musiikki ja kokeellinen taide luovat pohjan myös musiikin ja teknologian vuorovaikutussuhteen yleisemmälle tarkastelulle. Soitinten staattinen ja yksityiskohtainen kuvailu ei yksinään riitä musiikin teknisen kehityksen ja musiikin esteettisen muutoksen vuorovaikutussuhteen analysointiin. Tutkiakseni tätä muutosta tarkemmin tarkastelen Kurenniemen soittimia erityisesti niiden käyttöyhteyksissä. Analysoimalla Kurenniemen instrumenttien käyttöä osoitan, kuinka teknologiset artefaktit kehittyvät pikemminkin alkuperäisen suunnittelijan, käyttäjien ja itse artefaktin välisessä monimutkaisessa vuorovaikutuksessa kuin yksinäisen suunnittelijan keksintöinä, muusta maailmasta eristetyssä laboratoriossa. Kurenniemen oma taiteellinen tuotanto tarjoaa esimerkin musiikin tuotantoprosessista, jossa teokset luodaan tiiviissä – usein reaaliaikaisessa – vuorovaikutuksessa tuotantoteknologian kanssa. Äärimmäisessä tapauksessa teknologian rooli korostuu ja voi olla jopa musiikintuotantoprosessin tärkein tekijä. Useat elektroakustisen musiikin sävellykset syntyvät tiiviissä vuorovaikutuksessa käytettävän laitteiston kanssa. Jopa siinä määrin, että käytössä oleva teknologia on tärkein musiikin tekemistä ohjaava tekijä. Tällainen musiikintuotantoprosessin äärimmäinen muoto haastaa laajentamaan perinteistä taideteoksen määritelmää sekä kyseenalaistaa säveltäjän intention luomisprosessin osana

Compilation and critique : the essay as a literary, cinematographic and videographic form

This dissertation critically engages the meaning and scope of the category of the ‘essay film’; a term that has gained increasing currency in recent decades in film studies and contemporary art to group a diverse array of moving-image works. Departing from recent literature on the essay film, the essay, as I argue, should be conceived less as a stable generic category, than as a dynamic form and experimental mode of writing and filmmaking, which employs and cuts across diverse literary, cinematic and televisual genres and sub-genres, and which is historically subject to critical transformation as it encounters new social, technological and cultural forms and mediums. The introduction provides a critical survey of some of the leading proponents of the essay film, and outlines a working definition of the essay as a literary and cinematographic form. Chapter 1 examines the history of the essay and criticism as a literary and philosophical form, focusing on the essayistic and critical writings of Michel de Montaigne, the early German Romantics, Walter Benjamin, Theodor W. Adorno and Roland Barthes. Central to the critical and experimental nature of the essay, as the chapter underlines, is the deployment of various indirect, allegorical, and modernist rhetorical and poetic strategies and devices – such as citation, irony, fragmentation, and parataxis – which attempt to engage the reader in the text’s reflective process through the constellation of enigmatic and disjunct moments and perspectives. Chapter 2 explores the emergence of various essayistic forms in the Soviet avant-garde in the 1920s, relating debates around the privileging of literary and photographic documentary montage practices in Soviet Factography to Esfir Shub’s historical compilation films, Dziga Vertov’s experimental newsreels, and Sergei Eisenstein’s project to make a plotless film-essay based on Karl Marx’s Capital. Chapter 3 focuses on Jean-Luc Godard’s film and video essays – from Camera Eye (1967) to Histoire(s) du cinéma (1988-1998) – delineating the crucial shifts in Godard’s various attempts to present a critical discourse on cinema and the media through the montage of image and sound. Chapter 4 investigates the essay films, archival video essays, and essayistic video installations of Harun Farocki, attending to how his works endeavour to render the ciphered social life of images and the historical transformations in technologies and techniques of seeing and imaging available for critical interpretation. Central to my account of the essay as a literary, cinematographic, and videographic form is the question of compilation; namely, how (from Montaigne to Farocki) knowledge and history (whether in the form of text or image) is archived and assembled through the juxtaposition and critical weighing of disparate citations and images. Paramount in relation to Godard and Farocki, as I underscore, is their respective shifts to working with video technology, which afforded both filmmakers the capacity to more freely combine and analyze images from divergent media sources, as well as to devise novel forms of videographic montage based on the construction of historical correspondences between audio-visual elements. I conclude the dissertation with a consideration of the impact of digital technology on contemporary essayistic audio-visual practices, and how issues raised in the preceding chapters – around audio-visual criticism, the spatialization of montage in moving-image installation work, and documentary and archival film practices – have been affected by such technological and cultural shifts