Working to Scale

‘Working to Scale’ explored how techniques traditional to Chinese ceramic manufacture could inform contemporary work. Aylieff focused on the decorative technique of Famille Rose enamel painting: Fencai. Aylieff’s research into Fencai included studying historical sources and object collections to understand the origins and development of this decorative technique, and the structure of imagery and patterns associated with its use. She also undertook practical investigations into the traditional means of applying and firing the enamels. This research underpinned the contemporary pieces Aylieff produced, which referenced traditional forms and surface patterns of Fencai techniques in their surface decoration. The use of Fencai had traditionally been restricted to modestly sized vessels. Owing to its firing requirements, it was not previously thought possible to deploy it on a larger scale. Aylieff chose to innovate in this direction, a decision that entailed her having to master the demands of large-scale porcelain production. She also developed ways of applying extensive areas of enamel and complex firing cycles to accommodate the scale of the works and the multiple firings Fencai requires. Aylieff undertook the research, practical testing and manufacturing of the vessels in ceramic workshops in Jingdezhen, China. The resulting pieces were technically innovative and also created a new relationship with the viewer owing to their overall monumental quality and the extent of the ‘ceramic canvas’ each work displayed. The research culminated in a solo exhibition of six monumental and six small vessels at Contemporary Applied Arts (CAA), London, between October and November 2009. A catalogue of Aylieff’s oeuvre was published to coincide with the CAA exhibition, funded by the Arts Council and with an essay by Ann Elliott. As a further development, two new works using this process of Fencai were acquired by the Cheltenham Museum (supported by the Art Fund, 2013)

Étude sur Les Perceptions et les Attentes des Professionnels de Santé, des Bénévoles et des Familles des Malades dans le Cadre de la Prise en Charge des Soins Palliatifs

This qualitative study, conducted in three metropolitan areas, Champagne Ardenne, Ile-de-France, and Languedoc-Roussillon explores current palliative care practices in 37 facilities, both for dependent elderly (nursing homes) and for adults and children with severe disabilities (MAS and IME). The study confronts the viewpoints of the different actors that revolve around a patient: doctors, nurses and other health professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, etc.), relatives, volunteers and patients themselves. 40 cases of sick children and adults were observed. From the analysis of the interviews, it appears that the palliative approach is still not fully adopted by teams that are reluctant to deal with the end of life and postpone the most difficult cases. Among the priorities to be developed are: the harmonization of the initial training of caregivers and ongoing training and the mobilization of specialist palliative care that could better support and assist caregivers in this sector

Flora and Fauna in East Asian Art

Flora and Fauna in East Asian Art is the fourth annual exhibition curated by students enrolled in the Art History Methods course. This exhibition highlights the academic achievements of six student curators: Samantha Frisoli ’18, Daniella Snyder ’18, Gabriella Bucci ’19, Melissa Casale ’19, Keira Koch ’19, and Paige Deschapelles ’20. The selection of artworks in this exhibition considers how East Asian artists portrayed similar subjects of flora and fauna in different media including painting, prints, embroidery, jade, and porcelain. This exhibition intends to reveal the hidden meanings behind various representations of flora and fauna in East Asian art by examining the iconography, cultural context, aesthetic and function of each object.https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/artcatalogs/1025/thumbnail.jp

Portraits de femmes au Biafra: Étude comparée de Chinua Achebe et Leslie Ofoegbu

This study explores the impact of the Nigerian Civil War on the daily lives and interpersonal relationships of Biafrans as they are depicted in Chinua Achebe’s Femmes en guerre et autres nouvelles and Leslie Ofoegbu’s Blow the Fire. Achebe, whose work has been translated into several languages, was the first writer to expose the Igbo country to the international scene. Ofoegbu is a Scottish woman married to a Nigerian who lived in Biafra during the war years. Beyond their differences, both authors offer insider testimonies on the conflict which tore the country apart from 1967 to 1970. Femmes en guerre et autres nouvelles is a collection of short stories, three of which are directly inspired by the conflict. Blow the Fire is an autobiographical novel which bears witness to the authors’ and her family’s daily lives at the time. This article highlights traditional values and changes of behaviour in the face of uprooting, exodus, danger and the omnipresence of death. It also reveals the crucial role played by women as the “guardians of life” in the encircled area

Family Structure and Reproductive Health Decision Making among the Ogu of Southwestern Nigeria: A Qualitative Study

This study examines the structure of the Ogu family and its influence on reproductive health decision-making using a qualitative approach. Data were sourced through nine focus groups organized in the study area among married men and women. The data reveal that the family structure in the study area is changing, although the dominant pattern remains extended. The findings of the study suggest that there are on-going internal transformations that tend to enhance gender equity in reproductive health decision-making between husbands and wives. These changes may be attributed to the widespread influence of western culture and the spread of education in the study population, which are necessary concomitants of economic, political and cultural changes taking place in the society.Cet article examine la structure de la famille Ogu et son influence sur la prise de d\ue9cision en mati\ue8re de sant\ue9 de la reproduction. Les donn\ue9es utilis\ue9es sont des donn\ue9es qualitatives obtenues \ue0 partir de 9 "Focus Group" organis\ue9s entre hommes et femmes mari\ue9es du milieu d'\ue9tude. Les donn\ue9es montrent que la structure de la famille dans ce milieu d'\ue9tude \ue9volue bien que le type dominant reste la famille \ue9largie. Les r\ue9sultats de l'\ue9tude montrent que des transformations internes tendant \ue0 promouvoir l'\ue9galit\ue9 entre les genres en mati\ue8re de prise de d\ue9cision concernant la sant\ue9 de la reproduction entre \ue9poux et \ue9pouses sont entrain de s'op\ue9rer. Ces \ue9volutions peuvent \ueatre dues par l'influence croissante de la culture occidentale et la g\ue9n\ue9ralisation de l'\ue9ducation dans la population \ue9tudi\ue9e qui accompagnent n\ue9cessairement les transformations \ue9conomiques, politiques et culturelles en cours dans la soci\ue9t\ue9

French Canadian Participation in the War of 1812: A Social Study of the Voltiguers Canadians

During the War of 1812, the participation of French Canadians in colonial militia units such as the Voltigeurs Canadiens was of great importance for the defence of Lower Canada. The colony’s lack of regular British toops combined with threats of American invasion rendered crucial to the mobilization of the local populace, most of which was of French descent. Although lacking the discipline and structure of British regular soldiers. Lower-Canadian militiamen were able to neutralize numerous American invasion attempts. Altogether, this impressive participation in the war effort helped redefine the military character of French Canadians. It also dissipated the British authorities’ fears that French Canadians were disloyal subjects. This study analyses the military organization of the Voltigeurs Canadiens to demonstrate the importance of French Canadian participation in the war, especially in Lower Canada, their military campaigns and how the Voltigeurs’ victories became the pride of all French Canada

L’analyse démographique et la famille : prémisses d’une autocritique

Dans cet article, l’auteur montre que ce qui caractérise la démographie de la famille, c’est que l’unité statistique y est la famille, et non l’individu, comme en démographie générale. Par ailleurs, les démographes se sont jusqu’ici intéressés davantage à la famille « biologique » qu’à la famille « statistique », ce qui suppose une adaptation des méthodes traditionnelles d’analyse. Les événements démographiques familiaux qui modifient le nombre de familles statistiques font habituellement l’objet d’un enregistrement qui permet l’analyse. Dans une perspective longitudinale, l’auteur découpe l’histoire de la famille en séquences successives qu’on peut appeler le calendrier démographique de la famille. Cependant, les variables permettant l’étude de ce calendrier ne font pas l’objet d’un enregistrement approprié, particulièrement les intervalles et les durées. En dépit de son intérêt évident, la démographie de la famille est peu développée. Les défaillances de l’observation de certains événements (séparations, migrations, départs des enfants) ont grandement nui à l’émergence d’une démographie de la famille. De plus, la démographie s’est intéressée jusqu’ici à l’étude des phénomènes contribuant directement au renouvellement quantitatif de l’ensemble de la population, délaissant l’analyse sur une base familiale. L’essor d’une véritable démographie de la famille nécessitera la généralisation et la systématisation de l’utilisation du couple et de la famille comme unités d’observation et d’analyse

L’organisation et la gestion de l’espace dans la langue et la culture igbo du Nigeria

This study based on Igbo language and literature – especially proverbs and folktales – focuses on the use of space, the way it is distributed, organised and managed. It reveals a highly structured use of a communal space organised around the person, considered as member of the group. Traditions, which protect the communal space and ensure its being handed down from one generation to the next, equally give everyone an individual share in it. This space is both versatile and highly partitioned, closely managed and distributed according to age, gender and the sons’ rank in the family. Folktales describe the human world, represented by the village where life revolves around the house and the market, as close to that of the spirits, with the forest and the stream acting as boundaries. Humans and spirits share this space on the understanding that men are only managing it for a while as representatives of their family

Autour de la mort prématurée dans l’oralité igbo

This study, based on nine folktales recorded between 1972 and 1987 in Anambra, Enugu and Imo States of Nigeria, considers the traditional attitude towards untimely deaths, especially repeated children’s deaths as presented in oral literature. The article focuses on three of these folktales, told by the same story-teller from Umuida, in Enugu-Ezike (northern Igboland) and recorded in September-October 1986 and March 1987, which provide a clear picture of the phenomenon. Traditional Igbo society has always explained these untimely deaths as having a supernatural cause, and oral genres, especially folktales, embed this explanation in narratives centred around young characters described as ogbanje (o gba nje « traveller ») children who come and go and cannot/choose not to stay in this world