Artistic Approach Research Articles

Relentless Melt: visual trends and aesthetics of contemporary visual music films in Hong Kong

In recent years, a growing trend of abstract and experimental animation has emerged in Hong Kong, with an increasing number of works produced over the last two decades, particularly since around 2015. This article examines how Hong Kong artists approach abstract animation, the predominant aesthetic trends, and how these trends relate to or diverge from Western traditions in visual music, following pioneers such as Hans Richter, Viking Eggeling, Oskar Fischinger, Harry Smith and Norman McLaren. Employing content analysis, as used by Emmanouil Kanellos (2018) and textual analysis, this study investigates 95 selected works from the Relentless Melt screening series curated by Max Hattler and organized by the Hong Kong-based society Relentless Melt. By categorizing the data under two separate systems – the ‘What System’ and the ‘Where System’, as suggested by Margaret Livingstone in Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing (2002) – the analysis encompasses aspects related to the perception or recognition of objects, faces, or other properties under the ‘What System’, and the perception of motion, depth, spatial organization and figure/ground segregation under the ‘Where System’. Unlike pioneering visual music artists who largely abandoned mimetic constructions in their aesthetics, some Hong Kong artists employ various types of representational abstraction. In addition, many do not shy away from expressing concepts or narratives in their hybrid visual music works while retaining fundamental elements, such as audio-visual synchronization. This project represents an initial step towards a more systematic understanding of Hong Kong’s visual music practices, aiming to promote plurality over homogeneity by critically examining the multiple facets of artistic practice in Hong Kong. It is hoped that this study will contribute to international scholarly discourse and establish a trajectory for further exploration.

Grown Up Boyz and Girlz. Italian Graphic Novelists’ Trans-European Paths and Gendered Representations

ABSTRACT Encouraged by a growing tendency towards international training and education as well as by the precarity that dominates artistic production in Italy, Italian comics artists are the protagonists of a diaspora as they emigrate to other European countries. This article investigates the effects of migration and geographical in-betweenness on the work of two Italian graphic novelists, Nicoz Balboa and Alice Socal, whose texts feature explicitly gendered representations. A hybrid methodology is employed, combining textual analysis supported by a nomadic feminist theoretical framework with semi-structured interviews with the authors. The article argues that Balboa and Socal inhabit a ‘diasporic space’ both as artists and individuals. This space is characterised by the constant contestation of socio-cultural boundaries and divisions. Furthermore, the gendered representations delineated by these authors systematically interrogate the inflexible binarisms imposed by the patriarchal socio-cultural order. These interrogations extend beyond gender boundaries, challenging the rigid dichotomy that separates youth from adulthood.

Doing landscape: sensorial and artistic approaches to Donkalnis and Spiginas Mesolithic–Neolithic ritual sites in western Lithuania

ABSTRACT During the Mesolithic and Neolithic, foragers dwelling in the Eastern Baltic, Scandinavia and Fennoscandia regions buried some of their dead on lake islands or other coastal sites. Based on ethnographic accounts, these sites are often understood as liminal places where water separates the lands of the dead and the living. In this paper, we take a more relational view of place and suggest that a particular combination of spatial perception of landscape and the dynamic nature of coastal sites might have contributed to the social agency of these places, resulting in their use as places for ritual activity. By exploring two Mesolithic–Neolithic burial places, Donkalnis and Spiginas (western Lithuania), with sensory archaeological and artistic approaches, we suggest that the ancient foragers of this region buried human bodies in these locations to be part of the place itself. Similar to other depositional acts, this could have been done to mark the location or communicate with the surrounding world.

Unveiling women leadership dynamics in public relations: Insights and influential factors

The rapid evolution of information technology and the globalisation of markets underscore the paramount importance of competition for highly skilled professionals in the corporate landscape. Within this context, women leaders play a pivotal role in the development of public relations (PR) by virtue of their distinctive leadership styles and artistic approaches This research paper aims to investigate the various elements as well as factors that contribute to the phenomenon of women leadership. Employing a dual methodology of theoretical exploration and quantitative analysis, the paper attempts to establish a nuanced understanding of the correlation between women leadership and its substantial influencing factors. Drawing from the amalgamation of findings from a comprehensive questionnaire survey and prior research content, the paper categorises these factors into three overarching aspects, namely individual factors, organisational factors, and societal factors. The research’s conclusions offer valuable insights into the intricated relationship among these complex interconnected factors. Among the salient conclusions drawn from the study, cognitive integration, influence and inspire, innovation, resilience, and emotional control emerge as crucial components of women leadership. The research underscores the significant influence of personal, organisational, and societal factors on women leadership, with moral quality standing out as a particularly impactful personal factor.

The Difference of Indifference: Marcel Duchamp and the Possibilities of Dialogical Personalism

Joseph Kosuth, one of Concept Art’s influential practitioners, credited Marcel Duchamp in an important 1969 essay, “Art After Philosophy”, with instigating the shift from the visual to the conceptual by means of indifference and dematerialization. Duchamp’s approach to art was not limited, however, to the realm of artistic intention but also included the (re)contextualization provoked by his readymades. This (re)contextualization elucidated the embodied, dialogical encounters of the artist-artwork-audience, what I identify as an “aesthetics of difference”. This designation sets forth a framework of meaning that draws upon a burgeoning subset of early-twentieth-century personalist philosophy called dialogical personalism in order to offer a more suitable plausibility structure than the usual explanations of Duchamp and his approach to art, which typically revolve around nihilism, absurdity, and a solipsistic understanding of freedom. In doing so, Duchamp’s artistic approach retains not only a more viable ontology for continuing to question the nature of art, but also has important epistemological and ethical implications.

Business center at 69 Dekabristov street: history first

Interaction between new projects and historical buildings is explored on the example of the business center at 69 Dekarbistov Street. The role of this business center in the structure of the historically significant area in Yekaterinburg is established through analysis of its spatial and urban compositions, and plastic and coloristic solutions. Opinions from practicing architects and architecture theorists have enabled general architectural and artistic approaches to the design of new architectural objects in historical contexts and criteria for their analysis to be formulated. A review of similar objects from Russian and international practice provided an evaluation scale with two opposite values: "full contrast" and "full nuance" of architectural solutions for a new facility in relation to the existing surrounding buildings. In conclusion, the importance of the business center is revealed as an object that harmoniously interacts with the historical environment and forms a corner of the city block.

Developing an Artistic Approach to Ethnographic Research

This paper argues that an artistic approach can enhance the power of ethnographic research by slowing down reasoning, processing emotions and complying with the ethics of representation. The author reflects on her experiences during fieldwork in Norway among minoritized Norwegians working in the art and cultural sector, and the intense emotions and bodily reactions she experienced while listening to painful stories of trauma. She describes how this emotional intensity led her to start drawing images, and later to create a traveling exhibition.

The documentary rhetoric of courtroom art

ABSTRACT Courtroom art, as in comics, self-insertion and self-portraiture invite a metatextual discussion of the relationship between the artist and the reality they seek to depict. Courtroom art is an under-theorised medium discussed, almost exclusively, in the history and practices of law. The tools of comics studies, I seek to show, can provide a language to discuss the sociological and formal aspects of the work of courtroom artists. As such, in this paper I argue that, despite the apparent unsuitability of drawing as a documentary method, courtroom art is an effective vehicle for truth claims. Courtroom artists not only mitigate but leverage the lack of objectivity of their medium to offer a different kind of documentary from technological reportage; they record not only an impression of what occurred but how an event was experienced. In the sections below I offer an overview of the history and practices of courtroom art and theories of documentary comics, a discussion of the relationship between courtroom and comics art, and a series of close readings of examples of courtroom art which effectively leverage the form’s interpretive capacity.

Bridging comic art and research: lessons from an interdisciplinary collaboration project in a palliative care context

The Dutch graphic novel Naasten, about palliative family caregiving, is the product of an interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers and two comic artists. This paper aims to present lessons, reflections and...

Artistic approach to the WFS system

This paper, “Artistic Approach to the Wave Field Synthesis system,” explores the diverse characteristics of the WFS system as a musical instrument and examines artistic approaches to spatializing sounds in electroacoustic music composition. It delves into the unique attributes of the system, providing detailed examples of compositions and discussing potential challenges and limitations. The paper raises questions about how such a spatial audio rendering system can impact our listening experience, particularly in relation to fixed media compositions. Additionally, the possibilities of using WFS in live electronic music are also explored.

An artistic approach is taken that uses principles in quantum mechanics to understand the signature sound created by granular synthesis in an undergraduate course on music synthesis techniques

Music Synthesis Techniques is an advanced undergraduate course that explores how various methods are used to create and manipulate synthesized sounds used in sound design and audio production. Students explore their understanding through the creation of a series of short, one-minute compositions that utilize each technique. This paper focuses on that of granular synthesis. Granular synthesis is a music synthesis technique that is used to create unique and alluring sounds that has captivated modern music listeners. For audio engineers and sound designers, the term granular synthesis has always held an aura of mystery surrounding it. Recent developments in plug-ins for digital audio workstations allow them to easily create its signature sound, which have created a way to use granular synthesis as an art form. Unlike other methods, granular synthesis is rooted in the laws of quantum mechanics. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is explored to understand how granular synthesis creates its signature sound, which in turn is then used to create artistic compositions through the manipulation of the variables. Several examples from student work as well as collaborative work will be included.

Interview with Translator Edward Gauvin

Abstract In this interview, award-winning translator and author Edward Gauvin reflects on his practice as a translator of over four hundred graphic novels, including works by major French comics artists, illustrators, and scriptwriters, such as Gébé, Marjane Satrapi, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Emmanuel Guibert, Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Zeina Abirached, Christophe Blain, Philippe Druillet, Enki Bilal, Blutch, and so on. He discusses how he approaches the theoretical and practical problems he has encountered as a translator—from well-trodden topics like speech balloon fit to his dynamic understanding of genre fiction. He also offers an insider's perspective on translators’ (often precarious) position within the larger the comics industry and talks about his favourite translations, as well as his current and future projects.

Visual Rhetoric and Spatial Sovereignty in Gord Hill’s The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book

Abstract: This article offers a close analysis of the interventionary visual rhetoric and comic techniques in The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book by Gord Hill (Kwakwaka’wakw). It positions Hill’s comic book as an act of discursive resistance that challenges imagery and narratives of colonial history using the affordances of comic arts. As a multimodal genre, as an audience-directed educational text, and as an account of warriorhood, The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book is an important contribution to Indigenous studies.

Penyalahgunaan Scanlation Menurut Fatwa MUI No. 1/MUNAS VII/MUI/5/2005 Tentang Perlindungan Hak Kekayaan Intelektual

Digitalization has had a significant impact on the comics industry in Indonesia, reaching new readers, expanding its role and potential in the creative economy. However, copyright piracy is a problem that is closely related to the development of information and communication technology. Scanlation is defined as the act of scanning and translation which refers to the distribution of comics by multiplying illegal digital comics for copying and distribution. This research is related to copyright law piracy which offers protection and law enforcement in dealing with scanlation fraud in Indonesia. The research method is an empirical juridical method regarding the enactment of Law No. 28 of 2014 regarding copyright and MUI fatwa NO. 1/MUNAS VII/MUI/5/2005. In the MUI fatwa NO. 1/MUNAS VII/MUI/5/2005 does not clearly regulate procedures for complaints of violations of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and the need for a concept of statutory regulations that regulate the form of protection of comic works in the digital space in order to create legal certainty for comic artists and their roles. active participation from law enforcement agencies, the public and the private sector to tackle acts of scanlation piracy

Refiguring comic book imagery in a post-digital moment: conspicuousness, hybridity and ontological strangeness

ABSTRACT While today’s mainstream comic books confront us with the replacement of hand-created images with computer-driven techniques and styles, the aesthetic dimension of the use of digital tools in the creation of comic art has received limited critical attention. This article addresses this lack by reflecting on a tension between conspicuous uses of computer colouring and hand-colouring. Furthermore, I discuss a hybridity that relativises distinctions between ‘digital’ and ‘traditional’ comic book art. Drawing upon the writings on media scholars Lev Manovich and D.N. Rodowick and examples from works associated with comics auteur Frank Miller, I argue that digital tools have augmented comics creation with new properties. Furthermore, I propose that these properties test our confidence in knowing what these images ‘are’ from an ontological perspective. The analysis is set against the backdrop of how thinking in terms of ‘digital’ versus ‘analogue’ has become secondary in a present post-digital moment. I conclude by suggesting that we need to move the discussion beyond the ‘newness’ of the digital to build a better understanding of the ontological uncertainties and the genealogies surrounding digitally created comic book imagery.

A Study of the Phenomenon of the Wandering Philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda by Means of Contemporary Visual Art

The article examines the phenomenon of the traveling philosopher of the Ukrainian Baroque era Hryhoriy Skovoroda and examines the Ukrainian mentality by means of current artistic visions within the framework of the art project "...And rise!", dedicated to the 300th anniversary of his birth. The project presented various artistic approaches to the visualization of selected aspects — from traditional narrative to abstract. The article demonstrates how the project revealed important aspects of the thinker's legacy and proved that his ideas can be relevant for understanding contemporary issues and challenges, stimulating dialogue between different generations and helping to better understand how the past can influence contemporary artistic expressions and contribute to deepening the discussion of important today's topics through the prism of Skovoroda's philosophical heritage.

Trips in “The Stranger’s Letter to the Beloved” Abu Asida Al-Baja’i: An objective study

Objectives: This study illuminates key aspects of Abu Asida al-Baja’i's travel literature, "The Stranger’s Letter to the Beloved." It aims to explore the literary and scientific value of the trip, offering insights beneficial to literary scholars, writers, and researchers in the field of travel literature. Despite its significance, this trip has not received the attention accorded to others in the past, warranting a closer examination. Methods: The study adopted an inductive-analytical approach to trace the contents of the “The Stranger’s Letter to the Beloved”, and to present an overview of the conditions of the society and its surroundings. Results: The study concluded that the trip is full of intense cognitive nature, which includes a huge amount of knowledge and topics in the cultural and civilized environment that emerged from it. In it was a presentation of a picture of the different aspects of life: religious, including religious rituals in the Hijaz, and proximity to the Messenger PBUH social and psychological, including praising friends and scholars, alienation, and nostalgia. Thus, it represents an important document that was translated for its owner and for the prominent figures of his era whom he met and his correspondence to his friend Al-Mishdali. Conclusions: The study delves into Abu Asida Al-Bajai's diverse life experiences, covering social, religious, and intellectual dimensions with an artistic reflection of his era. Considering the results, it suggests an artistic approach to "The Stranger’s Letter to the Beloved," emphasizing key phenomena like intertextuality in its various forms.

Tinkering and Modeling

In high school Geometry, three dimensional solids are often overlooked and not part of the regular curriculum. The exclusion of three-dimensional (3D) geometry can affect spatial relationships and cause learner anxiety, correlating to a negative relationship with environmental navigation (Lawton, 1994). To mitigate learner anxiety in the introduction and manipulation of spatial figures, Tinkercad was utilized for creative virtual design and papier mâché was used for a hands-on, artistic approach to mathematics.

Outsmarting the algorithm or leaving the grid through surveillance artivism

Privacy feels like a distant memory since it is virtually non-existent nowadays. Cameras are all around, though we are not only visually monitored from any possible angle, but also with every movement and every trackable parameter. Faced with the feeling of being transparent and constantly recorded by various systems, the idea of becoming invisible is explored: finding inspiration from the ways that artists have tackled the issue of surveillance in their work – being exposed and evading it. Discussing artistic approaches as a means of raising awareness and exploring strategies to outsmart the algorithms can offer us alternative ways of existing outside the world of electricity and its manifold constraints. As the issue has been around for some time, the introduced artistic positions span the past 50 years and allude to the fast-evolving technologies in artistic research projects but also performances and artworks, which appear aesthetically pleasing at first glimpse but are insinuating a much more severe topic. Artworks inside the museum or gallery space might be much more refined, although intervention in the public space may reach a wider and more diverse audience. Raising the question of the evaluation, interpretation and exploitation of the material, the current discourse around artificial intelligence comes to mind and specifically the implications of machine learning and image generation in regard to the authenticity of the image in general, precipitating a broader conversation on surveillance and its antidotes.

Artist Jean Shin Interviewed By Jess Wilcox

The interview touches on five projects in sculpture parks from 2003 to 2022 that range from a modest waterfront urban city-owned plot to an exquisitely cultivated sprawling mountainous family-run grounds. Through one artist's approach to distinct ecologies, histories, and audiences of the sculpture parks, several shared features come into relief: the importance of care, decolonial imperatives, and a reevaluation of material and social resources.