Integrating photovoltaic cells into decorative architectural glass using traditonal glasspainting techniques and fluorescent dyes

Photovoltaic cells can be integrated into decorative glass, providing a showcase for this renewable technology, whilst assisting in the creation of sustainable architecture through generation of electricity from the building surface. However, traditional, opaque, square, crystalline-silicon solar cells contrast strongly with their surroundings when incorporated into translucent, coloured glazing. Methods of blending photovoltaic cells into their surroundings were developed, using traditional glass painting techniques. A design was created in which opaque paint was applied to the areas of glass around underlying photovoltaic cells. Translucent, platinum paint was used on the glass behind the photovoltaic cells. This covered the grey cell backs whilst reflecting light and movement. The platinum paint was shown to cause a slight increase in power produced by photovoltaic cells placed above it. To add colour, very small amounts of Lumogen F dye (BASF) were incorporated into a silicone encapsulant (Dow Corning, Sylgard 184), which was then used hold photovoltaic cells in place between sheets of painted glass. Lumogen dyes selectively absorb and emit light, giving a good balance between colour addition and electricity production from underlying photovoltaic cells. When making sufficient quantities of dyed encapsulant for a 600 x 450 mm test piece, the brightness of the dye colours faded, and fluorescence decreased, although some colour was retained. Improvement of the method, including testing of alternative encapsulant materials, is required, to ensure that the dyes continue to fluoresce within the encapsulant. In contrast, the methods of adding opacity variation to glass, through use of glass painting, are straightforward to develop for use in a wide variety of photovoltaic installations. Improvement of these methods opens up a wide variety of architectural glass design opportunities with integrated photovoltaics, providing an example of one new medium to make eco-architecture more aesthetically pleasing, whilst generating electricity

The Transformation of Tibetan Artists\u27 Identities from 1959-Present Day

The notion of Tibetan art as a preservation of the Shangri-La culture that existed before Chinese occupation is a pervasive ideology among western scholars. Buddhist thangka paintings were and still are an important aspect of Tibetan heritage and sense of identity. This paper, however, focuses on the shifting roles of Tibetan artists from the onset of the Chinese liberation of Tibet in 1959 to present day. The tremendous lack of scholarship on contemporary Tibetan artists, including both those who still live in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and those who have traveled abroad, has served as a catalyst for the research presented in this thesis. The major theme of this paper, which encompasses the shifts in Tibetan artistic identity over the past sixty years, is presented three different sections. The first section explains artistic identity as it was before the Chinese occupation. The second section presents Tibetan art identity as it existed under Communist rule and the Cultural Revolution, and the third section notes the changes in contemporary art identity in regards to the post-Mao era to present day. The change in social and political climates dictates how Tibetans classify and explain their identity and the roles of artists change with both internal and external influences. The Buddhist thangka artists, socialist-realist painters, and contemporary artists, all define Tibetan artistic identity over the last sixty years and create a visual, interconnected timeline of Tibetan people\u27s suffering and transformatio

The Transformation of Tibetan Artists\u27 Identities from 1959-Present Day

The notion of Tibetan art as a preservation of the Shangri-La culture that existed before Chinese occupation is a pervasive ideology among western scholars. Buddhist thangka paintings were and still are an important aspect of Tibetan heritage and sense of identity. This paper, however, focuses on the shifting roles of Tibetan artists from the onset of the Chinese liberation of Tibet in 1959 to present day. The tremendous lack of scholarship on contemporary Tibetan artists, including both those who still live in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and those who have traveled abroad, has served as a catalyst for the research presented in this thesis. The major theme of this paper, which encompasses the shifts in Tibetan artistic identity over the past sixty years, is presented three different sections. The first section explains artistic identity as it was before the Chinese occupation. The second section presents Tibetan art identity as it existed under Communist rule and the Cultural Revolution, and the third section notes the changes in contemporary art identity in regards to the post-Mao era to present day. The change in social and political climates dictates how Tibetans classify and explain their identity and the roles of artists change with both internal and external influences. The Buddhist thangka artists, socialist-realist painters, and contemporary artists, all define Tibetan artistic identity over the last sixty years and create a visual, interconnected timeline of Tibetan people\u27s suffering and transformatio

Creating a Maltese register for mathematics in Malta

In Malta it is a common practice to use code-switching or mixing for the teaching and learning of mathematics. While this offers pedagogic benefits, some educators have argued in favour of using English throughout. It is less common for educators to argue that mathematics should be taught wholly in Maltese. In this paper, I take up this latter idea and discuss the creation of a standard Maltese mathematics register, which would be necessary for such a hypothetical context. Using Halliday’s (1978) definition of register, wherein he considers how grammar is used to express interpersonal, textual and ideational elements, I consider the availability of Maltese mathematical terminology that parallels English expression. I conclude that Maltese lends itself well to expressing mathematics, although some new nouns and verbs may need to be established. On the other hand, while the passive voice in English renders a mathematical text more ‘formal’, the restricted use of the passive voice in Maltese implies that this grammatical function may not be a key feature of formality. Finally I note the unavailability of some verbs in Maltese that in English are used when mathematics serves as its own context, and wherein mathematics is rendered an autonomous system devoid of real life contexts or human agency.peer-reviewe

The Potential of Printed Electronics and Personal Fabrication in Driving the Internet of Things

In the early nineties, Mark Weiser, a chief scientist at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), wrote a series of seminal papers that introduced the concept of Ubiquitous Computing. Within this vision, computers and others digital technologies are integrated seamlessly into everyday objects and activities, hidden from our senses whenever not used or needed. An important facet of this vision is the interconnectivity of the various physical devices, which creates an Internet of Things. With the advent of Printed Electronics, new ways to link the physical and digital worlds became available. Common printing technologies, such as screen, flexography, and inkjet printing, are now starting to be used not only to mass-produce extremely thin, flexible and cost effective electronic circuits, but also to introduce electronic functionality into objects where it was previously unavailable. In turn, the growing accessibility to Personal Fabrication tools is leading to the democratization of the creation of technology by enabling end-users to design and produce their own material goods according to their needs. This paper presents a survey of commonly used technologies and foreseen applications in the field of Printed Electronics and Personal Fabrication, with emphasis on the potential to drive the Internet of Things

\u3ci\u3eOut of the Box\u3c/i\u3e: Bridging the Long-Distance Gap Between Consumer and Product in Online Experiences by Using AR to Facilitate a Deeper Connection Through Virtual Try-Ons

As consumers are more and more preferring online experiences to brick-and-mortar shopping, there is a growing need for new and creative marketing strategies that can overcome the physical distance between consumer and product. In this paper, I demonstrate how augmented reality can bridge that gap, allowing consumers to connect with a product in a way that is not possible through traditional online media forms such as images and video. To that end, this paper includes a detailed breakdown of the conception and creation of Out of the Box, an augmented-reality application developed to enable users to virtually interact with a ring by “trying on” a ring as well as by customizing the appearance of a ring in real time

‘Dark Tourism’ and the ‘Kitschification’ of 9/11

This paper aims to interrogate the framing of New York’s Ground Zero as a ‘dark tourist’ destination, with particular reference to the entanglement of notions of kitsch in academic discussions of the events of September 11th 2001. What makes Ground Zero contentious, even scandalous, for many scholars is the presence of a conspicuous commodity culture around the site in the form of tourist souvenirs, leading to accusations of kitschification of memory and the constitution of visitors as ‘tourists of history’. Drawing upon theoretical ideas of Jacques Ranciere, Bruno Latour and W. J. T. Mitchell around image politics, the alignment of kitsch with the figure of the tourist will be questioned, along with the conviction that the so-called ‘teddy-bearification’ of 9/11 threatens the formation of dangerous political subjectivities. In attempting to rid the debates of their default settings, and reliance on essentialist notions of kitsch, it is hoped that that the way will be cleared for the sociological, ethnographic and empirical work necessary to considering the cultural and political significance of the Ground Zero souvenir economy

For Your Viewing (Dis)Pleasure: Investigating Power, Bodies, and Objectification Through Performance-Based Video Art

Using my relationship with my own body as a queer, gender non-conforming woman as a lens, the work discussed in this thesis investigates the role of objectification in the sociopolitical and cultural structures that forcibly position womenʼs bodies as sites of control under “white supremacist, capitalist [hetero]patriarchy.” Central to my work are the concepts of the male gaze, the sexual objectification of women, agency, and the pleasure of looking as discussed in feminist film theorist Laura Mulveyʼs classic essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” By discussing my process of thinking/making—a circular process in which thinking generates making which generates thinking, and so on—in building this body of work, I hope to unpack some of the workʼs meanings and to contextualize the work both within contemporary art and within critical theory—namely feminist theory

Teaching Coping Skills Through Altered Book Making with Adolescents in Acute Crisis Treatment: Development of a Method

This thesis examines how altered book making can be used as a coping skill for adolescents between the ages of 13 to 18 in an acute setting within the Partial Hospitalization Program in northern Massachusetts. Altered books are mixed media art journals that can be a platform for coping with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, just as previous research has shown journals have been for many decades. Research has outlined that adolescents need an equal mix of structure and freedom and crave the idea of being insightful and involved in their own treatment. The group process is a unique format to teach altered book making, giving clients the opportunity to impress upon one another. This thesis will allow the reader to gain insight on two weeks of art therapy sessions with adolescents in the PHP, showing how they adopted the use of altered books to help them cope while they were experiencing difficult symptoms of various mental health diagnoses. Clients who attended the program were able to start their own altered books using materials provided to them. During the research, it was found that implementing an altered book project with a large group of adolescents was challenging, yet successful in introducing a healthy coping skill to over 20 clients in the PHP. Clients also evidenced the importance of using good art materials and working alongside other adolescents who they trusted and felt safe with