On Photography and Urban Space

PTDC/FER-FIL/32042/2017 DL 57/2016/CP1453/CT0040 UIDB/00183/2020 UIDP/00183/2020Developed through a series of conceptual analyses (Edmund Husserl, Vilém Flusser, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Walter Benjamin) and case studies (Fernando Lopes’s Belarmino and Jeff Wall’s Mimic), this article delves into the relationship between gesture, attunement and atmosphere and how it unfolds in photographic works dealing with urban space. The first section focuses on the role played by photography in the film Belarmino, which raises questions about both the representation of urban phenomena and issues related to expression and gesture in boxing. The second section discusses Husserl’s thinking on image consciousness and his surprising reference to a “photograph” of a boxer, which reveals the relevance of his phenomenological approach when it comes to defining the aesthetic properties of gesture-images. The third section examines the principles of Flusser’s philosophy of gestures, focusing on the semantic field of attunement and its connection with various elements related to photography, gesture, moods and affects. The question of gesture in photography—both the gestures of the photographed and those of the photographer—can be articulated with the notions of attunement and atmosphere, which go beyond semiological, psychological and communicational approaches and are important for our understanding of aesthetic and artistic experiences. Finally, if photography is a privileged way of studying atmospheres and gestures (as suggested by the Benjaminian notion of optical unconscious) and their connection with the inner life of the subject, in relation to urban space this study often acquires an intersubjective, social and political dimension, as in Jeff Wall’s Mimic.publishersversionpublishe

O trabalho de projeto em Matemática: questionando a realidade num 3. ano de escolaridade

O presente artigo..

Constraints on Dematerialisation and Allocation of Natural Capital along a Sustainable Growth Path

This paper extends the neoclassical growth model with natural capital by introducing two new concepts: allocation of natural capital and materialization. We consider that anthropogenic environmental impact is correlated with the throughput of the economy (materialisation). Materialisation is the material throughput per unit of economic activity. We capture the effect of the reduction of this throughput dematerialisation in the elasticities of materialisation and aggregate environmental impact. In our framework the fraction of natural capital devoted to production does not provide direct environmental services nor does it contribute to ecosystem functioning namely affecting the carrying capacity of natural capital.We analyse an optimal sustainable growth path, in the context of exogenous technological change. Our main conclusion is that the ratio of dematerialisation elasticities must equal the inverse of the share of natural capital in order to assure unbounded economic growth with constant natural capital

Morphology between August Sander’s photographs and Gerhard Richter’s Atlas

UID/FIL/00183/2013 SFRH/BD/36845/2007In Little History of Photography (1931), while mentioning the photographic portraits of Germans published by August Sander in 1929 under the title of The Face of the Time [Antlitz der Zeit], Walter Benjamin alludes to Goethe by saying that the "photographer did not approach this enormous undertaking as a scholar, or with the advice of ethnographers and sociologists, but, as the publisher says, 'from direct observation'. It was assuredly a very impartial, indeed bold sort of observation, but delicate too, very much in the spirit of Goethe’s remark: 'There is a delicate empiricism which so intimately involves itself with the object that it becomes true theory'." If one disregards the often peculiar way Benjamin incorporates quotations in his texts, not so much as a justification or support of an authority on the subject, but as a clue that allows a new path to be followed, one may perhaps overlook the fecundity of this quotation and of the entire section on Sander’s photographs. The aim of this paper is precisely to follow this clue through a path that will take us from Sander’s photographs – examined from the point of view of Goethe’s morphology and the way it influenced Walter Benjamin – to Gerhard Richter’s Atlas. At the same time, we will have in our mind an advice expressed by Benjamin that found its roots in Goethe and echoes in Richter’s virulent and extreme gestures, when Benjamin describes Sander’s work as, more than a picture book, “an atlas to exercise ourselves”.authorsversionpublishe

3D decomposition as a spatial reasoning process: A window to 1st grade students’ spatial structuring

3D decomposition is considered a spatial reasoning process (Davis et al., 2015). Spatial structuring is a form of abstraction that creates mental models of shapes’ structures (Battista & Clements, 1996). Since early grades, both play an important role in understanding shapes’ structures and in learning how to manipulate them flexibly and fluently. 3D shapes have a strong presence in early grades, yet there is still little research about the way students learn their structures. We seek to answer the following questions: How do 1st graders decompose 3D shapes? How are these decompositions related to spatial structuring?info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Spatial Structuring of 3D Shapes: Constructions Supported by Spatial Reasoning

This paper aims to provide further understanding of strategies used by first graders to reproduce 3D shapes, in what concerns spatial structuring and spatial reasoning processes involved. The data were collected during a teaching experiment where the pupils had to reproduce two 3D shapes using cubes, first from a 3D model and then from a 2D representation of a 3D model. The strategies pupils used indicate different levels of local and global structuring, and, sometimes, a progression to upper levels, based on the establishment of more complex relationships between components and composites, anchored in the use of manipulatives. These relationships also seem to be supported by spatial reasoning processes.RESUMO Este artigo tem como objetivo aprofundar a compreensão acerca das estratégias usadas por alunos do 1.º ano de escolaridade para reproduzir figuras 3D, do ponto de vista da estruturação espacial e dos processos de raciocínio espacial envolvidos. Os dados foram recolhidos durante uma experiência de ensino, onde os alunos tinham de reproduzir duas figuras 3D, usando cubos, primeiro a partir de um modelo 3D e depois a partir de uma representação 2D de um modelo 3D. As estratégias utilizadas pelos alunos indicam diferentes níveis de estruturação local ou estruturação global e, algumas vezes, a progressão para níveis de estruturação mais elevados, a partir do estabelecimento de relações mais complexas entre componentes e compostos, que, por sua vez, surgem durante a manipulação dos materiais. Estas relações também parecem ser apoiadas por processos de raciocínio espacial.R ESUMEN Este artículo tiene como objetivo profundizar en la comprensión de las estrategias de estructuración espacial utilizadas por los estudiantes de 1er grado para reproducir figuras en 3D, desde el punto de vista de la estructuración espacial y de los procesos de razonamiento espacial involucrados. Los datos se recopilaron durante una experiencia de enseñanza, donde los estudiantes tuvieron que reproducir dos figuras en 3D, utilizando cubos, primero a partir de un modelo 3D y luego a partir de una representación 2D de un modelo 3D. Las estrategias empleadas por los estudiantes señalan diferentes niveles de estructuración local o estructuración global y, en ocasiones, la progresión a niveles de estructuración superiores, a partir del establecimiento de relaciones más complejas entre componentes y compuestos, que, a su vez, surgen durante el manejo de materiales. Estas relaciones también parecen estar respaldadas por procesos de razonamiento espacial.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Improve It! Understanding Shape’s Structures

“Can you build these shapes?” “How can you do it?” “Can you explain it?” How often do we hear these questions in a classroom? Probably not so much. Building two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) shapes fosters children’s abilities to understand spatial relationships, when they are challenged to construct, analyze, and improve their constructions and the mental models they possess of them. Composing shapes prompts children to look into structures and the relationships within, promoting higher levels of reasoning. As they move between 2D and 3D representations, they relate parts of a shape and connect different representations, leading to a deep understanding of mathematical concepts (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2017).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

on the temporalities of the photographic image

UID/FIL/00183/2013 SFRH/BPD/95752/2013Within the context of the contemporary heterogeneity of photographic practices, the present text describes some of the possibilities of understanding the temporality of photographs, giving an account of some important theoretical references (Benjamin, Kracauer, Barthes, Derrida). Bearing this in mind, describing photographs as sparks of reality is a way of expanding the Benjaminian proposal and avoiding the strict logics of causality. The strength of photography unfolds the technologically rooted paradox of photographs, whose contemporary relevance can be analysed in the intersection between aesthetics, history and politics. The film 48, by the Portuguese filmmaker Susana Sousa Dias, explores this intersection by using and showing the cracks of the political prisoners’ mug shots.publishersversionpublishe

Rio Fervença: efeitos da perturbação no ecossistema

As atividades humanas interferem nos sistemas aquáticos provocando impactos negativos, diretos e/ou indiretos, na qualidade da água e na biodiversidade dos ecossistemas. Neste trabalho foi avaliada a qualidade ambiental do rio Fervença, com uma periodicidade mensal, i.e. de Janeiro a Dezembro do ano 2012. Foram selecionados 9 locais de amostragem, com diferentes tipologias e graus de perturbação, distribuídos ao longo do eixo longitudinal do curso de água. Foram realizadas amostragens que contemplaram análises físicas e químicas da água, tendo sido medidos, no campo, os parâmetros de condutividade, temperatura, sólidos totais dissolvidos, pH e oxigénio dissolvido e em laboratório o azoto e fósforo total. Paralelamente foi avaliada a qualidade dos habitats aquáticos e ribeirinhos mediante o cálculo dos índices de qualidade dos ecossistemas ribeirinhos (QBR) e grau de qualidade do canal (GQC). Ao nível do biota, foram amostradas as comunidades de macroinvertebrados bentónicos, de acordo com as metodologias definidas nos protocolos da Diretiva Quadro da Água (DQA). Determinaram-se diversas métricas, com especial destaque para o Índice Biótico IBMWP e para o Índice Português de Invertebrados dos rios do Norte (IPtIN). Os resultados obtidos permitiram verificar que o rio Fervença, apesar do funcionamento da ETAR de Bragança, apresenta significativos níveis de perturbação que afetam decisivamente a qualidade e a integridade ecológica deste ecossistema aquático. Com efeito, a poluição doméstica e industrial, a agropecuária intensiva, a regularização de caudais e a degradação de habitats aquáticos e ribeirinhos contribuem para a identificação de zonas, nomeadamente a jusante de Bragança, onde diversas métricas relacionadas com a degradação ambiental (diversidade, riqueza taxonómica, índices bióticos e de qualidade dos habitats) alertam para a necessidade de estabelecer medidas que visem a reabilitação de habitats e melhoria da qualidade da água. Por outro lado, no troço urbano do rio Fervença serão ainda de implementar ações de sensibilização e educação ambiental que modifiquem comportamentos e contribuam, no futuro, para a melhoria da integridade ecológica deste rio e sua conservação.Human activities affect aquatic systems causing negative impacts, direct and/or indirect, on water quality and biodiversity of ecosystems. This work evaluated the environmental quality of the river Fervença, from January to December of 2012. Nine sampling locations, with different types and degrees of disturbance, were selected and distributed along the longitudinal axis of the watercourse. Water quality was sampled considering the following physical and chemical parameters: 1) conductivity, 2) temperature, 3) TDS total dissolved solids, 4) pH and 5) dissolved oxygen, measured in the field ,and 6) total nitrogen and 6) total phosphorus, determined in the laboratory. The quality of aquatic and riparian habitats was also evaluated by calculating the indices: 1) quality of riverine ecosystems (QBR) and 2) degree of channel quality (GQC). Benthic macroinvertebrate communities were selected for biota analysis and sampled, according to the methods and protocols defined by the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Several metrics were determined, with particular emphasis on the Biotic Index IBMWP and the Northern Portuguese Invertebrate Index (IPtIN). The results showed that the river Fervença, despite the operation of the Sewage Plant of Bragança, presented significant levels of disturbance that affected decisively the quality and ecological integrity of the aquatic ecosystem. Indeed, domestic and industrial pollution, intensive agriculture, regulation and degradation of aquatic and riparian habitats contributed to the identification of areas, namely in the downstream stretch (after Bragança). Different responsive metrics to environmental degradation were calculated (diversity, taxonomic richness and biotic indices habitat quality) and the development of several measures for the rehabilitation of habitats and improving water quality are needed. On the other hand, in the future, environmental education actions, namely in the urban stretch of the river Fervença, will help to modify the behavior of citizens in order to contribute to the improvement of the ecological integrity of the river and its conservation

An ontology of the physical geography of Portugal

Tese de mestrado, Engenharia Geográfica e Geoinformática (Sistemas de Informação Geográfica), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2009Com o advento da Web Semântica é cada vez mais premente desenvolver novas formas de partilha de conhecimento que melhorem a interoperabilidade entre sistemas de informação geográfica (SIG). A modelação e representação do conhecimento geográfico sob a forma ontológica é uma das novas possibilidades. Esta dissertação estende uma representação ontológica, de acesso livre da geográfica de Portugal, a Geo-Net-PT01, acrescentando-lhe, aos já caracterizados domínios da geografia humana e da web portuguesa, o domínio da geográfica física. Para tal, foi incorporado no meta-modelo de informação pré-existente suporte para exprimir informação geográfica geo-referenciada numericamente. Desenvolveu-se uma metodologia para produção de modelos ontológicos incorporando o conhecimento do domínio da geografia física recorrendo ás fontes de produção de informação geográfica existentes. Esta metodologia foi utilizada na produção de uma nova versão da ontologia geográfica de Portugal, a Geo-Net-PT02, que agora incorpora dados sobre mais cerca de 24.000 entidades geo-referenciadas do território português.The advent of the Semantic Web raised the need for development of new methodologies for information sharing that improve interoperability among geographic information systems (GIS). The modeling and representation of geographic knowledge in the ontologic form is one of the new possibilities. This dissertation extends an open source representation of the geography of Portugal, Geo-Net-PT01, adding to the previously characterised domains of the human geography and the Portuguese Web, the domain of physical geography. To that purpose, the existing information meta-model was extended with support for expressing geo-referenced information in numeric form. A method for production of ontologic models incorporating the knowledge from physical geography from existing geographic information producers. This methodology was used in the production of a new version of the geographic ontology of Portugal, Geo-Net-PT02, which now incorporates data on over 24,000 geo-referenced entities in the Portuguese territory