http://hdl.handle.net/1811/164 2013-05-21T16:28:03Z http://hdl.handle.net/1811/52160 Seeds of Collapse: Exploring the Role of the Public in the Wake of Industrial Collapse Atkinson, Joel I am using printmaking as a medium for the dissemination of my critique of industrial civilization in order to affect the level of social consciousness within our society. By taking graphic and disturbed images within my prints and pairing them with a more optimistic and colorful set of images I am highlighting the process of civilization collapsing and my hopeful view of nature taking over once again. Part of this process involves increasing the public's interest in growing food and building sustainable food production in an urban environment. By using printmaking I am engaging the public in this transition by the literal spreading of seeds that are physically contained within the print. I have placed vegetable seeds into tabs that are meant to be pulled and planted by the viewer who engages this work. This act may lead to an increase in public involvement in building an urban agriculture movement. I have received the Aida Cannarsa Snow Endowment Grant, Robert Marion Gatrell Undergraduate Scholarship Award, and the Undergraduate Research Small Grants for my thesis work 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z Atkinson, Joel http://hdl.handle.net/1811/52078 Some Things We Forgot or Didn't Know in the First Place Bullock, Catherine The aim of my project is to explore the possibilities of creating infinite or impossible spaces within the confines of relatively small objects and structures. I am navigating the challenge of this search for space by attempting to recreate various phenomena I have researched, or in most cases personally observed and documnented. A majority of these fleeting visual happenings are moments most everyone has come across at one point or another. However, they tend to go overlooked or unexperienced entirely. Through my intensive investigation, I have experimented with the potential of light and shadow to create illusions in space. In addition, the simple manipulation of the physical nature of seeing itself, in all of its liberties and limitations, can truly catapoult the observer into the abrubtly obvious state of simply not knowing, even if only for a second. I am hoping that, by eliminating context, it is possible to isolate phenomena and present and expand upon something familiar that is usually dissmissed as something entirely new and unconsidered. 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z Bullock, Catherine http://hdl.handle.net/1811/52041 Volumetric Drawing: The Marriage of Forced Flatness with Dimensional Objects Smith, Sarah Dimensional restraints limit the ability of illusionistic drawing to break beyond its barriers. As a result, I made a point of exploring how the drawn image responds when placed in a situation that involves volumetric objects. In order to highlight the changes in the drawing, I utilized highly perspectival imagery in the form of industrial architecture, and juxtaposed the voluminous drawings against flattened ones in an effort to expose the shortcomings of the illusionary picture plane. The secondary conceptual focus of the work resides around the premise of architecture as portrait, and its logical extension to the industrial building. I received $2000 to complete this project. 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z Smith, Sarah http://hdl.handle.net/1811/51941 Dancing in the Vertical Plane: An exploration of vertical expressivity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and site-specific performance. Kristin, Loy Traditionally, dance is bound by gravity. Vertical expressivity can only be achieved by how high a dancer can jump, reach, or be lifted into the air. In traditional dance theatre spaces, a large amount of vertical space above the dancing body is underutilized. My research explored dancing in the extreme: on the vertical plane. Rather than being confined to the ground by gravity, I investigated the possibilities of dancing, choreographing, and performing on a climbing wall. The purpose of my research was to investigate movement in the vertical plane, to combine the athleticism of climbing with the creativity of dance, and to break dance out of the confines of a theater space. This research culminated in site-specific performances at the Outdoor Adventure Center at The Ohio State University. As part of my creative research, I studied aerial dance. I learned ways of moving suspended in a harness creating the illusion that a vertical wall is the horizontal ground. I collaborated with my cast of dancers and climbers to utilize dance aesthetics and climbing techniques to choreograph movement on both the horizontal and vertical planes. By having my dancers and climbers perform a variety of vignettes on the in the air, on the wall, and on the ground, I created a performance that was bound by gravity, defied gravity, and challenged the audience’s perception of space. 1st place at Denman Undergraduate Research Forum in Arts/Architecture 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z Kristin, Loy http://hdl.handle.net/1811/51635 Deconstructing Self: Ceramics in China Klein, Nathan An exploration of the deconstruction and reconstruction of one's self through ceramics. 2012-03-01T00:00:00Z Klein, Nathan http://hdl.handle.net/1811/48699 Research in Visual Arts: Communication Through Materials Widomski, Rachel Paintings are my forms of communication, creating harmonic poetry and prose through the dancing arrangement of marks, line, pigment, texture, and materials. These tools that I use to communicate are chosen through extensive experimentation and research. Just as a scientist toils in the laboratory, or a writer armed with a dictionary and thesaurus expands their vocabulary, so does the artist with their own investigative process. For me this research came in the form of extensively exploring paint making. In search of a visual vocabulary I created over one thousand ‘experiments’ using ancient and modern processes and materials. I became an alchemist in search of the golden elixir, the appropriate palette that best communicates my chosen narrative. The results of the research were transformed into a temporary installation piece focusing on light, movement, growth, preservation, and decay. The experimental results of visually defining these words were not filed away in a file cabinet or computer hard drive, but instead they hang on vellum sheets, from three moveable rods in my studio. This structure allows easy access for the visual mind to reference and gain inspiration. These experimental findings are not an absolute, but rather interact with the consistent change of my conceptual endeavors. 2nd Place - The Denman Research Forum, 2011 2011-06-01T00:00:00Z Widomski, Rachel http://hdl.handle.net/1811/45683 The Last Five Years Mills, Emily As a student of both theatre and music I am interested in the intersection of these two art forms. More specifically, I am interested in the stereotypes and often negative images which musical theatre carries; it has the stigma of being overacted, forced, and ridiculous. The main criticism is usually an unreasonable spontaneity of song. Musical theatre’s negative image is usually concentrated in the transition between dialogue and music. For my Honors Distinction Project I will explore the borders and relationship of music and theatre along with all the stereotypes and connotations of musical theatre. I will concentrate on contemporary productions in order to confirm that the issues addressed are relative to the genre as it exists today and not simply questions of historical or theatrical conventions. Next, I will produce The Last Five Years in the New Works Lab at Drake Performance and Event Center from June 3-6, 2010. I will oversee the production, acting as Musical Director. My duties during this production would include helping cast the show, serving as rehearsal pianist, teaching parts to the actors, and organizing and conducting the orchestra during performances. This position will provide me with the perfect view to observe the process and results of the production as applies to my research. Furthermore, since I am pursuing a career in Musical Direction, this will be the perfect opportunity for direct experience with the work. While I have not done any extensive research as of yet, I do have a few questions and hypotheses I would like to explore. One hypothesis I have considered is that a rough transition between speech and song could be related to different or divided rehearsal habits between a director and a musical director. Also, I have considered that seemingly forced transitions between dialogue and song may be a result of the physical separation of the actors from the musicians. Could intermixed placement or even intermixed performance responsibilities of actors and musicians contribute to increased continuity and feasibility of musical theatre? After exploring these questions through my research, I will then test my hypotheses about contemporary musical theatre performances by directly applying them to the production. I will then be able to judge the efficacy of my ideas. I anticipate that my research and exploration of the hypotheses mentioned above will prove that the production of contemporary musical theatre benefits from incorporated rehearsal processes mixing music and speech, as well as an experimentation with the physical placement of all artists. Additionally, I expect to find that modern negative stereotypes of musical theatre stem from iconic yet dated traditional examples of book musicals rather than contemporary practices. I will research the relationship between theatre and music then test my hypotheses through direct application to a production which I will serve as musical director. Approved project for graduation with distinction. 2010-06-01T00:00:00Z Mills, Emily http://hdl.handle.net/1811/45637 Nostalgia-Inducing Music and Perceptions of Social Support Satisfaction Paul, Brandon Recent empirical studies suggest that nostalgic emotions strengthen and extend a person’s awareness of their own social bonds with friends, family, and loved ones. Often a reported emotion while listening to autobiographically-salient songs, nostalgia evoked by music may be able to demonstrate a similar social utility. First, a review of relevant empirical literature on nostalgia is given. Discussion covers how the definition of nostalgia changes from that of a disease to a psychological construct. In the late 20th Century, empirical studies first take place by marketing researchers and then by social psychologists. More recently, nostalgia and music have become of interest to researchers. Second, a survey and experiment were conducted to test the hypothesis that nostalgia-inducing music can increase perceptions of social support. A survey was conducted where participants identified songs that made them feel nostalgic. In addition, the ages of the participants were collected. From the information provided by the survey, the age of the participants at the date of release for the song was determined to be on average between 15 and 18 years. In a subsequent experiment, song stimuli were selected from this age range for participants 19-30 years of age. This experiment exposed a target group to nostalgia-inducing songs and then measured satisfaction with their present social support. A control group listened to songs that were not identified as nostalgic. Results indicate that participants who heard nostalgia-inducing autobiographical songs did not report higher satisfaction with social bonds than the control group. Last, implications of the study and its results are discussed at length. 2010-06-01T00:00:00Z Paul, Brandon http://hdl.handle.net/1811/45537 Discovering Content Through Process Coressel, Garrett I use a method of transferring weathered table surfaces from drawing rooms onto paper using acetone. These surfaces have a distinct quality that I felt could be used in making a dynamic background. Planes of varnish that transfer onto the paper have a certain level of depth that creates a washed out sense of positive and negative space. In many instances I found that pencil, paint, and ink were able to react with the acetone as well. This highlighted the idea that I was collaborating, in a sense, with my peers. Some of the sketches and notes began to show up in my studies: a scratch from a utility knife, small bits of leftover tape, or ink stains on the table surface. These marks were not made by my hand but collected to make up what is now a drawing. Former students of drawing classes account for every mark in this work. It was their residual imprints that caught my attention. At first this was beyond my comfort level to have some variable notes and doodles in the transfer since I was most interested in the scratched grid-like varnish. As I spent more time making the work I was more comfortable allowing them to have a presence. They are a history of this surface. People were in these rooms long before me and had a hand in every mark that interested me. How old are these tables? How many projects were conceived here? 2010-06-01T00:00:00Z Coressel, Garrett http://hdl.handle.net/1811/37253 The Colony - A New Work by Galen Roth Roth, Galen This is a new piece of theatre created to explore life, art, and fate. Six artists interact in 90s Seattle while their stories intertwine. When certain members of the group become dissatisfied, they take matters into their own hands. The way they handle themselves judges how their stories will play out. This piece also explores some of the stereotypes associated with the "artist" and a "Bohemian" lifestyle. 2009-06-01T00:00:00Z Roth, Galen http://hdl.handle.net/1811/37242 Unbroken McCartney, Mary Katherine Line in the form of string knitted together takes on new properties as the scale increases to be larger than humans. 2009-06-01T00:00:00Z McCartney, Mary Katherine http://hdl.handle.net/1811/37151 Inherited Movement, Traditions Redefined Young, Robyn Movement of the African Diaspora has a rich history that has yet to be studied and practiced as widely as other movement traditions today. The integration of movement of the African Diaspora into required curriculums across institutions of education is relatively small. Access to viewing this genre of movement also remains smaller than more prevalent forms of dance such as ballet and modern. Through this research we intended to expand our knowledge and movement vocabulary in order to help perpetuate the rich traditions that lie within movement of the African Diaspora. We desired to continue to create opportunities for citizens to view, analyze, and appreciate this type of movement. We conducted research via various texts, online articles, interviews, and study of choreographic and performance processes that represented movement of the African Diaspora. We directed a concert that involved several dancers that were allowed to learn and experience dance of the African Diaspora that is not studied intensely or as a requirement in the department of dance at The Ohio State University. We continue to bring this genre of movement to a broader audience by doing lecture/demonstrations at schools within the community, classes at The Ohio State University and various local venues. Our concert allowed our audience, fellow dancers and ourselves to indulge in and experience black dance in a concert setting. We realized that not everyone understood the history and meanings behind movement of the African Diaspora. We broadened the audience of this movement and distributed the history of this tradition. Institutions should integrate these traditions into their curriculums because it is important to provide students with knowledge of all forms of dance. We will further our studies of dance of the African Diaspora in order to offer people its history and traditional practices. The research for this thesis won the 2nd place award in the 2009 Denman Research Forum in the category of Arts/Architecture. 2009-06-01T00:00:00Z Young, Robyn http://hdl.handle.net/1811/37146 Performing The Zoo Story and Writing Morality Day Two Character Development Processes: Exploring Character Development Challenges for the Actor and the Playwright O'Rourke, Kevin Jr. Explores the challenges of character development as a playwright and as an actor, and the commonalities between the two that are crucial to the collaborative art of live theatre. 2009-06-01T00:00:00Z O'Rourke, Kevin Jr. http://hdl.handle.net/1811/37006 Scandinavian Functionalist Ceramics & the Landscape Ryba, Christopher R. This thesis examines and reinterprets the landscape that informed the period of Scandinavian Functionalist Ceramic Design (1930-1960). 2009-06-01T00:00:00Z Ryba, Christopher R. http://hdl.handle.net/1811/36533 Red Umbrellas Heimlich, Betsy Red Umbrellas is a photographic project that explores concepts of composition, space, color, object and memory. Undergraduate Research Scholarship 2008 2009-03-01T00:00:00Z Heimlich, Betsy http://hdl.handle.net/1811/36047 Psychology of Removal: An Artist's Perspective Louer, Nancy The art of painting can be combined with a subtractive process to work like a secure form of journaling for use in therapy. The Undergraduate Research Grant: Department of Art 2008-12-01T00:00:00Z Louer, Nancy http://hdl.handle.net/1811/32343 Columbus Moves: The Design of Urban Transportation Hickey, Katherine Projects like the Downtown Columbus Streetcar Group have the potential to act as a viable transportation network solution that encourages economic development by using an effective visual campaign to communicate its benefits to the public. Through this research, I hope to continue with my studies in information design and visual wayfinding systems that I began last fall in Zurich, Switzerland. This thesis will look at the design concept of the Columbus streetcar proposal. A visual representation of the Columbus Streetcar project will have a role in the planning, advertisement, and implementation of the project in the community. The research for this project will draw on design topics including branding, information design, signage, typography, visual identity systems, and the wayfinding systems. Methods of research will include observational study, market research, and data collection by way of interviews, questionnaires, cartography study, prototype analysis, and observation. Research findings will help guide the design process and will focus on the background, visual identity, and sign development for the streetcar project. The history of the streetcars in Columbus will be studied, as well as how they used to work and why they fell out of use. Studies of transportation systems in other cities and countries will provide reference for visual systems that are already functional. The objective of this research is to utilize visual communication to increase awareness about the streetcar proposal. The thesis will include the production of a design concept manual that outlines the proposal for the streetcars and a marketing campaign including print and web materials. The manual will summarize research including the visual identity branding of the streetcar, background on the history of streetcars in Columbus, transportation models from other cities, and integration of the streetcars with automobiles. A printed poster will also bring attention to the streetcar project. Design can help aid the goal of the streetcar project in establishing a strong public transportation system in Columbus that would reduce traffic congestion from cars and provide citizens of disability with a more equal opportunity for getting around town. 2008-06-01T00:00:00Z Hickey, Katherine http://hdl.handle.net/1811/32241 An Exploration in Dramaturgy: A Comparison of Classical and New Work Dramaturgy Baggs, Laura In the world of theatre, the least known and therefore least understood position is that of the dramaturg. In fact, most theatre-goers have never heard of a dramaturg. The dramaturg is the person on the production team for a play who researches everything the actors and director could possibly need to know in order to successfully perform the piece of theatre. The research covers everything from definitions and explanations of the text, to the history of the play and its various transformations, to information about the time period it was set in by the playwright and in some cases by the director. Due to the lack of undergraduate classes about dramaturgy and the dramaturgical practice, the only way a student at The Ohio State University can learn about dramaturgy is to dramaturg a show. I had the pleasure and challenge of dramaturging OSU’s Department of Theatre’s main stage production of William Shakespeare’s "Much Ado About Nothing", directed by Professor Mandy Fox, during the 2008 Winter Quarter. The research I did for the cast was extensive, as it was very important that the actors understand what they are saying and the world in which Shakespeare was writing. In addition to the background research, the director developed a concept which placed the production in a 1960s Beach Movie inspired world. Naturally, research to support her concept as well as inform the actors about the Beach Movies of the 60s was imperative. In contrast to my experience dramaturging a Faculty-directed main stage production, I was also the Dramaturg for a New Work by Akil Babb, fellow undergraduate student in the Department of Theatre. "Inspiration of Love" is a play dealing with interracial relationships, STDs, and the stress these factors put on love. The playwright wrote the play. My job was to do research in order to provide him with the facts needed to accurately portray the issues in the play. In addition to traditional research on STDs, I also contributed to the writing process by helping the playwright form and structure the play, as well as write the first drafts of the scenes which take place in the gynecologist’s office. These two dramaturgy experiences were then documented in my Thesis. My creative research also included being interviewed on the radio by Morning Edition Host Marilyn Smith on WOSU NPR News and Classical Music about the role of the Dramaturg in the theatre. In addition to my own discoveries through both processes, I’ve also relied heavily on the feedback of Professor Fox, the cast of "Much Ado About Nothing", playwright Akil Babb, and the cast of "Inspiration of Love". Their feedback was documented with surveys and interviews, and it has shown the importance of dramaturgs to the rehearsal process. 2008-06-01T00:00:00Z Baggs, Laura http://hdl.handle.net/1811/32150 Columbus Cares: A Benefit Dance Performance Grund, Meagan E. During the summer of 2007, I traveled to New York City to collect data on audience development for dance. At meetings, I talked with a variety of professional dance companies and theatre groups about their strategies and struggles of marketing dance. Through this research I found that the more involved a company was in their community by maintaining a constant presence, the more successful their audience development was. Dancers Responding to AIDS is a program of Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS based in New York City. Through audience appeals and volunteer performances of dancers, DRA raises money to donate to AIDS service organizations across the county. It has been my goal to bring a DRA program with a similar approach to audience development to Columbus, Ohio. This year, I have been working on a collaboration between Ohio State’s Dance Department and Dancers Responding to AIDS for an evening performance at Capitol Theatre. This event will unite young dancers, college students and professional dance companies as they share their art to support their community in a fight against AIDS. The young dance studios and student organizations will be selling tickets to fundraise for the event. This will enable the event to draw from a variety of audiences around the Columbus community. Through this effort, dancers will learn the importance of supporting their community, develop a positive presence, support each other and expose an audience to a variety of dance companies while raising awareness of AIDS. The event is called Columbus Cares and will take place on May 10th at Capitol Theatre. At this point in the process, I have been coordinating dance schools, student organizations and dance companies to perform, sending letters to companies to ask for support, working with production and designing and maintaining an event website. By the end of the event, it is my goal to have raised $25,000 to donate to Dancers Responding to AIDS. Through the planning and analysis of this event I will acquire skills essential to event planning and understand how a philanthropic effort in dance works to expand dance audiences. 2008-06-01T00:00:00Z Grund, Meagan E. http://hdl.handle.net/1811/32147 Taking Care of a Dancing Body: An investigation of how anatomical knowledge effects a dancer's risk of injury and performance quality Lehman, Sarah My Senior Distinction project, Taking Care of a Dancing Body, investigates how the body can be trained to extend the career of a contemporary dancer. This study’s goal is to develop a movement series that prepares a dancer’s body for athletic movement encountered in choreography. The purpose of the research deals with injury prevention, as well as investigating the possible secondary benefit of improved performance quality. My research method involves comparing the theories and findings of related topics from various fields such as Pilates, Yoga, strength training, and contemporary dance techniques. I am also working with a group of five dancers from the Department of Dance to help me construct the series and observe their progress as these ideas are discussed and applied. So far, I have been exploring the importance of anatomical symmetry of musculature versus meticulous stretching. Strength and flexibility are essential to dancers but unfortunately, stretching before exercise is not always sufficient in injury prevention. The human body tends to compensate for unevenness in the body by increasing tension in muscles and joints. This can eventually lead to injury. My research has been concentrated on the complex anatomy of the spinal joints and surrounding muscles. I hypothesize that lower back pain and injury can be prevented through the awareness and correction of asymmetry in the surrounding anatomy, the strengthening of the agonistic and antagonistic muscle groups, as well as maintaining and improving joints' range of motion. In addition, I believe the mere knowledge and awareness of the bodily structures and how they all systematically coordinate to allow integrated movement can increase physicality in a dancer. As experience is beginning to outweigh youth in the modern dance field, it is of the utmost importance that dancers take care of their bodies. Maintaining a healthy spine is essential to the success of a dancer’s ability to keep dancing through years of stress on the body. With the information gathered through my study, I hope to bring awareness to dancers about the possible steps that can be taken in order to ensure a lifelong career in this unique performing art-form. 2008-06-01T00:00:00Z Lehman, Sarah http://hdl.handle.net/1811/32124 Combining Forces Perry, Katherine Throughout my dance studies at Ohio State, I developed a special interest in integrating dance with multimedia. My senior project, Combining Forces, is a choreographic dance study uniting human movement with video media. The project is a collaborative effort between the visionary dance choreographer Salim Gauwloos and myself. Gauwloos, an accredited New York City choreographer, created the project’s movement. His dance style blends ascetics from jazz, ballet, and modern dance, and together creates his individual style of contemporary dance. I rehearsed with Gauwloos over a five-day period in New York City. I learned the choreography and the approach behind each individual movement. Through this process, I developed a deeper kinesthetic awareness and appreciation for the movement. I used unique movements in Gauwloos’ choreography to serve as inspiration for the video design. The contrasting abstract and concrete images from Gauwloos’ choreography were the starting point in developing the video. I was faced with the challenge of how to successfully integrate my interpretation of the images to a video treatment, which would serve to compliment and enhance Gauwloos’ choreography. The research has taken place throughout winter and spring. The project’s premiere performance will take place at the Senior Dance Concert in late May 2008. I am continuing to study and investigate Gauwloos' movement. In doing so, I am developing a more knowledgeable approach to fully engage the whole body in the performance of his choreography. The video’s main purpose is developing as another visual reference for the audience to take in information while viewing the performance. When watching the performance an audience participant will be challenged to make decisions about their focus. The body’s live movement in combination with video projection transforms the stage into a dance and technology experience. The project, Combing Forces, is very important to my research as a dancer performer and designer. The process of working with a professional choreographer, like Salim Gauwloos, was exciting and rewarding, and enhanced my growth as a dance performer. The knowledge that I learned through this project will serve as a reference for future endeavors as an artist. Combining Forces pushes the boundaries in dance performance and performing arts by combining more than one visual medium. This media in performance project serves as a jumping off point for more personal explorations and creations. 2008-06-01T00:00:00Z Perry, Katherine http://hdl.handle.net/1811/25239 From the Arrow to the Fish: The Architectural Thinking of Paul Klee Daniel, Jessica The Swiss artist Paul Klee (1879 – 1940) worked largely in paper, experimented with various techniques, and produced over ten thousand paintings. His works are dense with signs, letters, numbers, and motifs that are cryptic in nature yet, as I hope to show, comprise a lexicon of specific meaning. Three key groups of symbols (the arrow, the “blueprint” and the fish) have been narrowed to a body of works that Klee produced during his teaching at the German Bauhaus (1921-1931): the influential school created by Walter Gropius. The aim of my research is to explore how these symbols belong to Klee’s “architectural” turn of mind. While these symbols have been examined from the standpoint of primitivism (because of Klee’s cultivation of naïveté) as well as sophisticated methodologies involving structuralism and semiotics, my contention is that they are linked specifically to his pedagogy. My intent is to use Klee’s Bauhaus teachings found in his seminal publications, The Pedagogical Sketchbook (1925) and The Thinking Eye (1956), as well as paintings Klee completed while teaching at the Bauhaus, to better understand the use of specific symbols in his paintings. I am particularly concerned with examining how the dialogue between Gropius’ principles - that a combination of fine arts and applied arts should be reached resulting in the final product of architecture - inspired Klee to take a more architectural approach to painting. I hope to show that Klee’s paintings completed during his years at the Bauhaus express an interest in spatial concerns similar to those being explored by contemporary architects. My thesis provides a place for Klee within the context of the formation of modern architecture to which he has never been ascribed. As a painter who grappled with the same spatial concerns as contemporary architects at the Bauhaus, it seems reasonable and appropriate to examine him from this perspective. 2007-06-01T00:00:00Z Daniel, Jessica http://hdl.handle.net/1811/24056 Calder and Mondrian: An Unlikely Kinship Yonas, Eva In October, 1930, sculptor Alexander Calder was introduced to painter Piet Mondrian, and he was at once struck with inspiration: “It was a very exciting room. Light came in from the left and from the right, and on the solid wall between the windows there were experimental stunts with colored rectangles of cardboard tacked on. Even the victrola, which had been some muddy color, was painted red. I suggested to Mondrian that perhaps it would be fun to make these rectangles oscillate. And he, with a very serious countenance, said: ‘No, it is not necessary, my painting is already very fast.’ This visit gave me a shock . . . This one visit gave me a shock that started things.” Mondrian’s apartment was organized along the ideals of Neo-Plasticism, a theoretical movement based on the pursuit of purity in abstraction. For the first time, Calder observed abstract art, and he immediately reacted as a sculptor. His initial response was to propel the colored rectangles, to move them into the third dimension. Calder’s brief introduction to abstraction eventually led to his creation of what Marcel Duchamp termed “mobiles” - kinetic sculptures constructed of carefully balanced parts hanging from a ceiling. These sculptures are the fully realized form of Calder’s initial reaction to Mondrian’s apartment. They bring actual, physical movement to the geometric shapes tacked on Mondrian’s walls. Although Mondrian’s paintings had an intrinsic rhythm, it wasn’t until Calder began to create mobiles that Neo-Plastic art truly realized physical motion. This study will explore Calder’s art in order to illustrate their progression from the second dimension into the third. Drawing from specific oil paintings, wall mobiles (mobiles that extend from a wall and not a ceiling), stables (sculptures that resemble a mobile but have no kinetic parts), mobiles, and monumentals (stabiles made on an immense scale), the research will show the inherent Neo-Plastic nature of Calder’s oeuvre. It must be noted that this is a visual development, and not necessarily a chronological one. However, the evolution of his art must begin with the initial historical catalyst: Calder’s visit to Mondrian’s apartment. From this point, I will trace the maturation of Neo-Plastic kinetic theory as the medium extends from the flat plane of the canvas to the three-dimensional space of the mobiles. By examining Calder’s art through the medium, I will show that his abstract works are deeply rooted in the Neo-Plastic ideals that Mondrian first demonstrated to Calder one day in October. 2006-08-01T00:00:00Z Yonas, Eva http://hdl.handle.net/1811/6023 The New Architecture: Iakov Chernikhov and the Russian Avant-Garde Elliott, Deborah E. During the period between 1917 and 1932, the Russian avant-garde dominated the art institutions of Petrograd. This period is also defined by social revolution and political upheaval that provides an apt backdrop for the revolutionary nature of Suprematist and Constructivist art. The most salient characteristic of this art is thus the search for a new artistic form relevant to a new epoch. The focus of this paper, defined by Malevich’s asserted evolution toward a new architecture, outlines the melding of two major art forms—painting and architecture—seen in the work of Iakov Chernikhov. Neither Suprematist nor Constructivist, Chernikhov epitomizes the many different societal roles of an architect with his prolific writing, teaching, and visionary architectural drawing. Chernikhov’s participation in the transition from the traditional to the avant-garde within the academy at Petrograd allows his work and the work of his colleagues to be placed in a larger historical progression. Amid the revolutionary rhetoric, visual and ideological allusions to the classical past of both Russian and Western architecture were still very much alive—though in a new idiom that addressed the issue of architecture’s expressiveness. Both generations—that of Malevich and that of Chernikhov—created art for real space, art that could be active within society. These vestiges of classical art within the avant-garde itself present the later shift to Socialist Realism as a next stage of progression, not necessarily the death or failure of Chernikhov and the avant-garde. In studying Chernikhov’s work, the challenge is to reconcile the individual ambitions and influences that present continuity as the dominant artistic aspect with the societal fluxes that stress stylistic change within modern art and architecture. 2006-03-01T00:00:00Z Elliott, Deborah E.