Art and celebrity : a study of the celebritisation of artists in Taiwan 1987-2010

This thesis examines the emergence of celebrity art in Taiwan in the postmartial law period since 1987. It analyses the different forces that have contributed to the construction of celebrity art as a prevalent phenomenon and explores its changing significance in Taiwan’s contemporary art scene and society. Based on extensive primary evidence from different kinds of materials, including journals and newspaper articles, magazine reports, exhibition catalogues and reviews, television programmes and Internet resources, gallery and museum visits, and interviews with celebrity artists and curators, this thesis argues that the construction of celebrity art in Taiwan demonstrates a constant negotiation between artists’ aspirations for celebrity recognition, media, corporate business and political interests. I argue that in the celebritisation process, businesses and corporations utilise art to cultivate a positive brand image, generate commercial activities, accumulate cultural capital and consolidate their power and influence. In this sense, celebrity art becomes an aspect of business operations, in ways that are similar to those criticised by scholar Julian Stallabrass’s in the Western context. However, the development of corporate art intervention in Taiwan has distinctive features which are associated with the process of democratisation and its strong impact on the emergence of celebrity art. Furthermore, the government’s promotion of celebrity artists has enabled it to promote its national political identity in the global arena. This relates especially to the changing political scene in Taiwan since 1987 in which that celebrity art has become a means for different political parties to express their political concerns. At the same time, these processes have empowered artists to engage with larger social, cultural and political forces, demonstrating the capacity of celebrity art to serve as a vehicle of new social and aesthetic values about issues such as gender and womanhood. Certain aspects of Taiwan’s celebrity art also contribute to a new ‘cool’, largely young, and socially distinctive urban taste culture in Taiwan, by bringing innovative characteristics to Taiwan’s art scene that bridge high and popular culture. The celebritisation of art in Taiwan thus has many similarities with those discussed by Walker, Stallabrass and other Western scholars with reference to Western tendencies, but is distinctive in its political and social-economic causes. The first chapter introduces my aims and arguments, and gives an overview of the historical and political, media, institutional and global changes that facilitated the emergence of celebrity art in Taiwan. This chapter also describes my research methodology. Chapter two provides an analysis of relevant historical and theoretical perspectives on the construction of the celebrity and celebrity art, and examines their social, cultural and economic importance in both Western and East Asian societies. Chapter three to seven respectively examine different cases of celebrity artists, namely Lee Ming-sheng, Chu Cha-ray, Cai Guoqiang, Tang Huang-chen and the VT Artsalon group. Each of the cases exemplifies particular features—overlapping with and distinct from each other—of the concept of celebrity art in Taiwan. Through close examination of these cases, the thesis investigates an important aspect of Taiwan’s changing art scene that has not to date featured in scholarly work on contemporary culture in Taiwan.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Influence of aluminium sheet surface modification on the self-piercing riveting process and the joint static lap shear strength

Self-piercing riveting (SPR) has been widely used in automotive as one of the major joining technologies for aluminium structures due to its advantages over some of the more traditional joining technologies. Research has shown that friction is a very important factor that influences both the riveting process and the joint strength for SPR, but these influences have not been fully understood. In this paper, AA5754 sheets with different surface textures, such as original with solid wax, hot water washed, sandpaper ground and grit blasted, were used to study the influence of friction on therivet inserting process, joint features and static lap shear strength. The results of joint features and rivet setting displacement-force curve showed that hot water wash and sandpaper grinding on aluminium sheet did not have significant influence on the rivet inserting process and joint features; however, for joints with grit-blasted substrates, the rivet -setting forces were higher at the beginning, and a middle section of the curve and the joint features, such as interlocks and minimum remaining bottom material thickness (Tmin), were clearly altered. The lap shear tests showed that hot water washing can slightly increase the lap shear strength, sandpaper grinding increased the static lap shear strength further and grit blasting increased the static lap shear strength the most

Unsteady Unidirectional MHD Flow of Voigt Fluids Moving between Two Parallel Surfaces for Variable Volume Flow Rates

The velocity profile and pressure gradient of an unsteady state unidirectional MHD flow of Voigt fluids moving between two parallel surfaces under magnetic field effects are solved by the Laplace transform method. The flow motion between parallel surfaces is induced by a prescribed inlet volume flow rate that varies with time. Four cases of different inlet volume flow rates are considered in this study including 1 constant acceleration piston motion, 2 suddenly started flow, 3 linear acceleration piston motion, and 4 oscillatory piston motion. The solution for each case is elaborately derived, and the results of associated velocity profile and pressure gradients are presented in analytical forms

Preparation of Monodisperse Iron Oxide Nanoparticles via the Synthesis and Decomposition of Iron Fatty Acid Complexes

Iron fatty acid complexes (IFACs) are prepared via the dissolution of porous hematite powder in hot unsaturated fatty acid. The IFACs are then decomposed in five different organic solvents under reflux conditions in the presence of the respective fatty acid. The XRD analysis results indicate that the resulting NPs comprise a mixture of wustite, magnetite, and maghemite phases. The solvents with a higher boiling point prompt the formation of larger NPs containing wustite as the major component, while those with a lower boiling point produce smaller NPs with maghemite as the major component. In addition, it is shown that unstable NPs with a mixed wustite–magnetite composition can be oxidized to pure maghemite by extending the reaction time or using an oxidizing agent

Unsteady Unidirectional MHD Flow of Voigt Fluids Moving between Two Parallel Surfaces for Variable Volume Flow Rates

The velocity profile and pressure gradient of an unsteady state unidirectional MHD flow of Voigt fluids moving between two parallel surfaces under magnetic field effects are solved by the Laplace transform method. The flow motion between parallel surfaces is induced by a prescribed inlet volume flow rate that varies with time. Four cases of different inlet volume flow rates are considered in this study including (1) constant acceleration piston motion, (2) suddenly started flow, (3) linear acceleration piston motion, and (4) oscillatory piston motion. The solution for each case is elaborately derived, and the results of associated velocity profile and pressure gradients are presented in analytical forms

Biochanin A, a Phytoestrogenic Isoflavone with Selective Inhibition of Phosphodiesterase 4, Suppresses Ovalbumin-Induced Airway Hyperresponsiveness

The present study investigated the potential of biochanin A, a phytoestrogenic isoflavone of red clover (Triflolium pratense), for use in treating asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Biochanin A (100 μmol/kg, orally (p.o.)) significantly attenuated airway resistance (RL), enhanced pause (Penh), and increased lung dynamic compliance (Cdyn) values induced by methacholine (MCh) in sensitized and challenged mice. It also significantly suppressed an increase in the number of total inflammatory cells, neutrophils, and eosinophils, and levels of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-5, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of the mice. However, it did not influence interferon (IFN)-γ levels. Biochanin A (100 μmol/kg, p.o.) also significantly suppressed the total and ovalbumin (OVA)-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in the serum and BALF, and enhanced the total IgG2a level in the serum of these mice. The PDE4H/PDE4L value of biochanin A was calculated as >35. Biochanin A did not influence xylazine/ketamine-induced anesthesia. Biochanin A (10~30 μM) significantly reduced cumulative OVA (10~100 μg/mL)-induced contractions in the isolated guinea pig trachealis, suggesting that it inhibits degranulation of mast cells. In conclusion, red clover containing biochanin A has the potential for treating allergic asthma and COPD

GPER-induced signaling is essential for the survival of breast cancer stem cells.

G protein-coupled estrogen receptor-1 (GPER), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, mediates estrogen-induced proliferation of normal and malignant breast epithelial cells. However, its role in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) remains unclear. Here we showed greater expression of GPER in BCSCs than non-BCSCs of three patient-derived xenografts of ER- /PR+ breast cancers. GPER silencing reduced stemness features of BCSCs as reflected by reduced mammosphere forming capacity in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo with decreased BCSC populations. Comparative phosphoproteomics revealed greater GPER-mediated PKA/BAD signaling in BCSCs. Activation of GPER by its ligands, including tamoxifen (TMX), induced phosphorylation of PKA and BAD-Ser118 to sustain BCSC characteristics. Transfection with a dominant-negative mutant BAD (Ser118Ala) led to reduced cell survival. Taken together, GPER and its downstream signaling play a key role in maintaining the stemness of BCSCs, suggesting that GPER is a potential therapeutic target for eradicating BCSCs