Queer(y)ing Consumerism: Butch Identity Expression and Consumer Culture

When we think about how our identities are constructed and expressed, how often do we consider the importance of physical and material signifiers? For many butch-identified lesbians, physical and material signifiers play a strong role in expressing identity, requiring the consumption of commodities in order to be read as “butch.” But what happens when these resistant commodities become marketable? Perhaps the physical signifiers of butch identity are initially donned as resistance, but the line between being a resistor and being a passive subject becomes blurred when resistance or transgressive behavior requires participation in broader capitalist culture. When butch identity is predominantly caught up in expressions of style—through attention paid to desired attire and clothing—butch identity may become an identity simply of style, stripped of the historically significant elements of gender resistance and social activism. Building on Barry Brummett’s foundational work A Rhetoric of Style and Dick Hebdige’s Subculture: The Meaning of Style, this thesis will explore how butch identity and style are connected to capitalism and consumerism. While butch subjects participate in capitalist consumer culture within print and web media, it is primarily in print media where we see the complex relationships between style, identity, and consumer capitalism. Narratives of butch identity on the web, by contrast, are comparatively limited in their critical analysis, a finding that is surprising given the typical assumption that online spaces are more democratic or open for individual expression. An analysis of these media therefore addresses the tension between resisting and participating in dominant culture. By considering opportunities for disidentification in both contemporary lesbian print culture and butch online spaces, it becomes apparent that there are radical opportunities to queer the butch subculture’s relationship with consumerism and capitalism

In Search of Virtuosity through the Manipulation of the Textiles Screen Printing Method: A Report

A print maker can impart their unmistakable trademark style through the dexterous manipulation of the silk screen, the squeegee and the inks available to them. Such finished products become the known style of the exponent, and could win recognition and acclaim. Styles are achieved from a cultural continuum, and whatever choices a designer or artist or print maker practices are somehow derived from what already exists. These and become an extension of the cultural resources of that society. This paper reports on Ashiedu Ogboli's interaction with the screen print method within the limitation of materials and equipment in the studio in Maiduguri, Borno State Nigeria. What can be achieved and how they are achieved are sometimes seen as departures from “mainstream” techniques or methods. The influences of the immediate environment and its realities are explored. This paper documents some designs that were executed, and how they were handled from the beginning to the end in a rather under-resourced studio in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. Keywords: Dexterity; Serigraphy; Virtuosity; Improvisation; African Rhyth

Perceived quality of multimedia educational content: A cognitive style approach

This is the post-print version of the Article. The oficial published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright, 2006 SpringerCognitive styles influence the way how humans process information, with previous research demonstrating that they have significant effects on student learning in multimedia environments. On the other hand, the perceptual quality of the human multimedia experience is notoriously difficult to measure. In this paper, we report the results of an empirical study, which investigated the relationship between user cognitive styles and perceptual multimedia quality, in which users had the possibility to specify their desired Quality of Service settings — in terms of frame rates and color depth. Results show that whilst color choice is impacted by a participant's cognitive style, such Quality of Service parameters do not significantly affect perceived multimedia quality, and that users do not necessarily choose optimum presentation settings to enhance their perceived enjoyment and assimilation of multimedia informational content

Mobile, should publishers bother?

The paper starts with a review of print publishing – how the process worked and the skills needed. It then focuses on the future of electronic publishing and the need to standardize the structure and format, including the use of metadata and style sheets. Lastly the focus is on the issues to consider such as new skills needed, additional costs and how to protect your content. The bottom line is that technology is part of life now and there is a need to innovate and conceptualize its use for tomorrow

An Exploration of Intaglio Processes Influenced by the Woodblock Style of Utamaro

An exploration of the intaglio processes as influenced by the woodblock style of Kitagawa Utamaro is examined in this paper. A brief introductory section is devoted to the history of European and Japanese printmaking. The Japanese, for the most part, used woodblock prints while the European artists more frequently made intaglio prints. The European intaglio prints were the work of one man while the more complicated woodblock prints were developed by the collective efforts of Japanese craftsmen. The intaglio technique allows the artist to work with one plate, but many blocks of wood may be needed for effective linear design in the Japanese print. To achieve the magnificent lines and colors in the Japanese prints, Utamaro embellished his style through beautiful designs of women. Utamaro, the greatest print designer of the Golden-Age, was an inspiration to the linear style that was used to explore the intaglio process. In subsequent sections, the intaglio process is explained and compared to the complicated relief process as practiced by the Japanese. Intaglio techniques and materials are described to give an idea of how they were affected by the metal plate that was used for printing. Five color plates follow the text and present examples of the way Utamaro\u27s style can be utilized when using the intaglio process instead of the complicated Japanese relief process. Three examples of the work by the artist Kitagawa Utamaro are included

The Short, Passionate and Close-Knit History of Personal Style Blogs

Most media histories of style blogging commence their narrative in 2009, at the moment when a select few fashion and personal style bloggers were invited to sit front row at a number of shows on the Spring/Summer Ready-to-Wear ‘Fashion Month’ schedule. Yet that moment, symbolic of the ‘arrival’ of fashion bloggers in the industry (albeit a partial and contested one), was precipitated by years of fashion blogging. This developmental period has not yet been mapped. This article, then, will present a historical narrative tracing the development of personal style blogging through the archive. It will engage with the earliest independent fashion blogs (which predated distinct sub-genres of fashion blogging) to map how they, along with early digital and print media, influenced and led to the emergence of personal style blogging as a distinct sub-genre of the wider fashion blogosphere. I will draw on oral history from bloggers as well as the archives of their (and other) blogs, as well as the digital archive of early fashion websites, online articles and blogposts from current style blogs. I will also draw on prior studies of personal style blogging by Rocamora and Luvaas, among others, as well as work by Lévi-Strauss and Butler, to contextualise this discussion

An Exploration of Intaglio Processes Influenced by the Woodblock Style of Utamaro

An exploration of the intaglio processes as influenced by the woodblock style of Kitagawa Utamaro is examined in this paper. A brief introductory section is devoted to the history of European and Japanese printmaking. The Japanese, for the most part, used woodblock prints while the European artists more frequently made intaglio prints. The European intaglio prints were the work of one man while the more complicated woodblock prints were developed by the collective efforts of Japanese craftsmen. The intaglio technique allows the artist to work with one plate, but many blocks of wood may be needed for effective linear design in the Japanese print. To achieve the magnificent lines and colors in the Japanese prints, Utamaro embellished his style through beautiful designs of women. Utamaro, the greatest print designer of the Golden-Age, was an inspiration to the linear style that was used to explore the intaglio process. In subsequent sections, the intaglio process is explained and compared to the complicated relief process as practiced by the Japanese. Intaglio techniques and materials are described to give an idea of how they were affected by the metal plate that was used for printing. Five color plates follow the text and present examples of the way Utamaro\u27s style can be utilized when using the intaglio process instead of the complicated Japanese relief process. Three examples of the work by the artist Kitagawa Utamaro are included

Jesuit Art

Mia Mochizuki draws upon masterpieces and material culture from around the world to show how the pre-suppression Society of Jesus (1540–1773) pioneered structural innovations in the history of the image. ; Readership: All interested in early modern, religious, and global art history, and anyone concerned with Renaissance and Baroque art and architecture, Jesuit studies, and the world-wide circulation of prints. Keywords: Renaissance art, Baroque art, religious art, Jesuit art and architecture, global art history, print history, 1540–1773, Jesuit style, Spiritual Exercises, Evangelicae historiae imagines, Imago primi saeculi Societatis Iesu, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier

Online Support for a Distance Learning Course “Research in English Language Teaching”

This paper presents a case study of how an online learning support for the distance learning course “Research in English Language teaching (ELT)” has been designed, developed, and delivered to distance students at Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia. It begins with the context in which the course is offered, followed by discussion on the nature of the distance learning course, its blue print, instructional delivery, learning support, and media used. Online learning support for the course is discussed in terms of its design and delivery, online components of the course, students’ participation, interaction and communication, learning style, and tutoring style. Assessment of student learning for the course is presented in terms of its components, namely participation, assignment, discussion, and examination. This paper concludes that online learning support assists student learning in ways that enhance student learning. This is particularly relevant to the objective of the course to develop student ability to do research in ELT to improve the quality of the English language instruction

Investigating attributes affecting the performance of WBI users

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Computers and Education. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2013 Elsevier B.V.Numerous research studies have explored the effect of hypermedia on learners' performance using Web Based Instruction (WBI). A learner's performance is determined by their varying skills and abilities as well as various differences such as gender, cognitive style and prior knowledge. In this paper, we investigate how differences between individuals influenced learner's performance using a hypermedia system to accommodate an individual's preferences. The effect of learning performance is investigated to explore relationships between measurement attributes including gain scores (post-test minus pre-test), number of pages visited in a WBI program, and time spent on such pages. A data mining approach was used to analyze the results by comparing two clustering algorithms (K-Means and Hierarchical) with two different numbers of clusters. Individual differences had a significant impact on learner behavior in our WBI program. Additionally, we found that the relationship between attributes that measure performance played an influential role in exploring performance level; the relationship between such attributes induced rules in measuring level of a learners' performance