Invisible Space Research Articles

Spatial configuration analysis of a traditional garden in Yangzhou city: a comparative case study of three typical gardens

ABSTRACT This study examines the spatial layout characteristics of three existing traditional gardens from the 18th–19th century with featured historical backgrounds and landscape designs in Yangzhou City: Heyuan Garden (1862), Geyuan Garden (1818), and West Garden of the Daming Temple (1751). Two space syntax models, i.e. visibility graph analysis and segment angular analysis, were used to clarify the characteristics of the garden spaces. A quantitative analysis was conducted using statistical programs to reveal similarities and differences in invisible space-structure relationships among the three gardens. These gardens exhibited comparable centralities in terms of their accessibility distribution characteristics. The “mean depth” and “intelligibility” values were allocated such that visitors could access the global spaces effortlessly owing to the arrangement of these gardens. Scrutinising the “connectivity” parameter revealed that the intuitive perceptions of visitors were more diverse at the knee and eye levels because of the spatial structure of the gardens. This study can help understand the effect of cultural practices and societal norms on the design of traditional gardens. The findings of this study can aid in the conservation of cultural heritage and help restore the gardens in Yangzhou City from the perspective of analysing invisible space structures.

In the Invisible Space – The Phenomemon of Crypts in Ostia

The article addresses the issue of Mithraism in Ostia. It discusses the latest discoveries, the nature of the Mithra cult in Ostia, with particular emphasis on the place of Mithra’s shrines in the city space.

Sound-space: a listener’s creative outcome through an acousmatic performance at the Spatial Sound Institute

ABSTRACT This research focuses on the invisible space built by sound as subject of study, developing through a practice-based methodology a creative process during a residency period in the Spatial Sound Institute (SSI), mainly to investigate the sound features of non-existing architectures. The process ended with a performance that invited listeners to experience a deeper awareness of perception for reaching spaces that exceed the limits of physical possibilities. In this sense, active listening becomes fundamental, not only for forming a personal interpretation of this expanded reality, but for creating sound-spaces from a performative experience.

The Structure of Dichotomies in Čapek’s Drama The Mother

The Mother is Karel Čapek's final play. The work, written in 1938, reveals a departure from the usual scientific and fantastical themes heretofore employed by the writer, such as robots, immortality, terminal illness and so on.
 This play, resembling a classical drama, is framed by a series of dichotomic conflicts. Of the various conflicts presented in the play, including life versus death, the visible versus the invisible space, the older generation versus the younger generation, the most fundamental conflict is that between the world of women and the world of men.
 Through the framework of these confliction dichotomies, we see the gradual change in the mother's views by the end of the play. This is almost certainly the writer’s intention. Like the grandly dramatic endings of past classical dramas, the playwright creates the utmost impact with the mother’s final words, ‘Go!’ The meaning of confrontation by Čapek in his work is not to emphasize that they are at odds with each other. The open confrontation between man and woman in everyday life has been taken for granted over a long period of time, just as black and white oppose. This difference does not mean that we should exclude each other and one should prevail. Just as Čapek did not say that either of the opposite things was right, he shows that we need to recognize that they co-exist and acknowledge each other’s differences.
 What sets this play apart from previous works is the author’s attitude. Each idea or issue has its own principles and logic, so Čapek, who does not say that a particular one is correct, chooses one in this work.

와카 표현과 공간 -『만요슈』를 중심으로-

This study surveys Waka in terms of the concepts of visible and invisible space. Some Waka is written with either a visible or an invisible spatial setting, and some have both spatial settings. The different spatial settings reflect the author’s generational mood or style. This study clarifies the definitions of visible and invisible space and tries to interpret Man’yōshū 8–12 from the perspective of the definitions. The analysis identifies the fact that Waka commonly uses visible space. Zōka and Sōmon in Volumes 8 and 10 are the specific visible space where the main body of the Waka is presented. “Waka as the direct expression of one’s mind” in Volumes 11 and 12 does not specify a particular visible space, but a space where the main body of the Waka has emerged. Finally, Jōka emerges as “Waka in the form of metaphorical expression of objects.” In most cases, these Waka contain spatial aspects and use Jokotoba to describe the real scenes in one’s view.

Memory of the wound : An attempt to interrogate invisible space

The power of silence, however, it might attend an invisible discourse framework, it goes further to the sphere of killing the opportunity of exploring the invisibility codes. Exploring the space that has been explored previously, there was a simple narrative of the victims’ stories, that could help the researcher go much deeper through different kinds of concepts that could help in the interpretation process, or create an intentional approach for the sake of the victims' subjectivities and opening wider space for its appearance.
 In other words, to get out of the limitations of silence we must appropriate several terms from different context to help us face its hegemony and embarking in its strong boundaries. For instance, when we simply look at an image, we do not know the intention or purpose of the image (photograph in particular) is the process of perpetuating the moment of taking it, or to freeze the time in the moment of any process. We do not look at the circumstances and the situation that produces the image, as far as our focus goes to the faces and components within the image. This mainstream and simple comprehension is a clear sign of a lack of understanding to the image’s language. That language helps to show what is touring inside who has been captured, who simply says: I was there.
 This study tries to find the keys that give the power of expression to the image, so that it can represent the wounded’s memory, therefore, starts to convey it through a carefully deliberated process from invisible to visible, from narrative to imagery.Dealing with the memory of wounds spreading on the Kurdish body needs a different type of approach, in a way that has not been explored previously. Explore through different means away from the prevalent and familiarity.The researcher believes that taking benefit from the experience of others in the process of representing the wounded can help in the elimination of hesitancy domination and incursion into other more open spaces by exploring a set of criteria and factors that form other extents of expression such as motion picture, cinema for example.
 From this standpoint, we find that the process of representing the memory of the victims in the massacres of the Jews (The Holocaust) is the most successful process during the last century until nowadays. Therefore, taking into account how to take advantage of the methods and the forms that has been used in the Holocaust imagery process can take us to a broad and informed horizon.
 This research tries to explore a way that can help the victims to get rid of psychological constraints and express themselves through a trustable medium that could be cinema. In the case of Kurds, exploring that type of cinema which can enhance the victims to narrate their stories without any restrictions.

Alexander Burganov: a New Code of Time and Space

Summary: The article is devoted to the analysis of the work of Alexander Burganov, an outstanding contemporary sculptor and graphic artist. The study of the categories of Space and Time on the example of his works is the main theme of the article. The author believes that Time and Space in Burganov’s work are unique categories and correspond to reality least of all; the author gives examples of specific works and convinces that Burganov has modeled a bright, recognizable, unique personal code with the help of sculptures, graphic works, texts, installations, and artistic gestures. Today, this is especially noticeable as the culture of the 21st century has sharpened and almost brought to a logical conclusion the awareness of artistic being, formed in the second half of the 20th century, and is now on the verge of new creative realities leading to conceptual discoveries in art. The author believes that the artist keenly captures the invisible waves emitted by the developing cultures and subcultures of the 21st century, in which a body devoid of naturalistic sensuality is coldly and symbolically akin to antique statues. The author pays great attention to the analysis of new materials in Burganov’s creative work, believing that the 21st century has brought great changes not only to the form but also to the substance of the bodies of statues and sculptural compositions. Marble is replaced with plastic, bronze coexists with gypsum, metal meshes surround voids and follow the movements of the wind. Paper on an iron frame is a rightful hero of this “Olympus”. It should be noted that there is no place for imitation. New material dictates its conditions for shaping and participates in the interpretation of a new image.Analyzing the contemporary space of culture, the author states that the experiences of European crises have brought into art restraint and minimalism, democracy and the idea of some kind of universal permissiveness in creating and judging art. However, the predominance of mass culture, which received a completely new face and opportunity owing to the virtual space spilled over reality, was the main marker of the culture of the early 21st century. Today, a mixture of styles and cultures, a combination of incongruous is a new reality introduced into our lives by virtual culture. The author emphasizes that it was this invisible space that Alexander Burganov could feel and has reflected in his work. This has made his works relevant and understandable to a new generation which almost does not feel the classics. The author concludes that Alexander Burganov’s work has become a kind of bridge connecting the worlds of classics and modernity, high and grassroots culture, myths and reality.

THE SEMIOTICS OF BANYAN TREE SPACES IN DENPASAR, BALI

ABSTRACT
 The concept of Banyan space (spaces under Banyan tree) possesses both secular and ritual values. Secular values are related to the use of space for socio-economic activities, such as trading to others and meeting with friends. Ritual values are related to activities that take place around the Banyan tree as an expression of belief on the tree’s “tenget” (sacred) values. Secular and ritual values create the concept of space on Banyan tree, based on the elements of space and the conception used of these spaces. A system of signs (signifier and signified) mark the values or meanings of “sekala” and “niskala” space. This research aims to find out the elements that create the “sekala” and “niskala” space by analysing the space system of signifier and signified. “Sekala” is tangible or visible space which can be perceived by five senses. “Niskala” is intangible or invisible space, yet it exists and Balinese Hindus believe in its presence. The research focuses on the system of activities from selected cases by purposive sampling using qualitative naturalistic method and approach. The results of this research emphasize that (1) there are elements (signifier and signified) that create the “sekala” and “niskala” space and (2) there are normative and scientific concepts of Banyan trees as the background for the creation of the “sekala” and niskala space. 
 
 Keywords: sekala space, niskala space, secular and ritual values, signifier and signified space

Enchantment in psychiatric medicine.

Max Weber's 1918 essay "Science as a Vocation" posits that increasing scientific knowledge has contributed to a disenchantment of the natural world. His argument has implications for medicine, an applied science aimed at the improvement of health, including psychiatric medicine. Using Weber's argument, this paper discusses the ambivalent relationship psychiatry has with technology. On one hand, based on the historical roots of the specialty and the influence of psychodynamic psychotherapy, psychiatrists believe themselves to be masters of the invisible space between physicians and their patients. They claim to have the skills and insight that enable them to establish a unique kind of relationship in which communication not only allows them to diagnose, but also to heal through a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques. As a result, many psychiatrists are wary of the introduction of technology into therapeutic setting and the potential for this type of communication to be disrupted or diminished in value, often basing their concern on the ways in which technology has been witnessed to be "disenchanting" in other medical specialties. On the other hand, others see the future practice of psychiatry best guided through whole-hearted embrace of brain-based medical technology, which has been stunted by the complexity of the brain and relative lack of research funding compared to other medical specialties. This discussion within the field is timely, as on the horizon lies the holy grail of technological advancement for psychiatric practice: definitive biomarkers to diagnose mental illness and provide individualized treatments.

편액에 함의된 경관 및 상징요소의 출현특성 - 한국의 담양원림과 중국의 소주원림을 중심으로 -

16세기 한국의 담양원림과 중국 소주원림의 편액에 함의된 경관 및 상징요소의 출현특성을 비교분석한 본 연구의 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 편액에 함의된 경관요소 중, 식물요소의 출현율이 양국 원림에서 높게 나타났다. 담양원림의 경우 원림 주변에 조성된 죽림과 자연림이, 소주 원림의 경우 인공적으로 조성한 가산(假山)과 수변 주변의 연, 대나무, 소나무를 포함한 다양한 식물이 편액의 의미에 반영 된 것이 특징이다. 반면, 풍경의 정취를 고조시키는 비, 바람, 달 등을 포함한 기후 및 천체요소는 담양원림의 편액과, 건물과 다리, 책 등을 포함한 인공요소는 소주원림의 편액과 관련되는 것이 특징이다. 이는 산수가 수려한 곳에 찾아 들어가 인공을 최소화하고 자연과의 합일을 미적 이상으로 삼는 한국원림의 특징과, 평탄한 곳에 원림의 경계와 경물을 인공적으로 조성하고 자연과의 동화를 미적 이상으로 삼는 중국원림의 특징을 명확히 하는 근거로 수렴될 수 있겠다. 둘째, 편액에 함의된 상징요소 중, 성인(聖人)의 기본덕목인 도덕적 인품이 두 지방 원림의 사유세계에 있어 보편적 특징으로 나타난다. 반면, 정치안정에 대한 의지는 담양원림의 편액과, 선조를 회고하고 기리는 마음은 소주원림의 편액과 관련되는 것이 특징이다. 이는 사회 정치적 양상과 연관된 것으로, 당시 호남세력들의 정치적 이상이, 강남 봉건세력들의 유교적 이념이 원림 향유 속에 드러난 것으로 이해된다. 셋째, 담양원림의 편액에 함의된 상징요소 "도덕"과 "정치안정"은 기후와 천체요소가 만들어내는 정경(情景)적 분위기와, 소주원림의 편액에 함의된 상징요소 "도덕"은 식물이 갖는 상징적인 의미와 깊게 관련되어 있고, 이는 한중 원림의 영역을 눈에 보이지 않는 비가시(非可視)영역으로 확장하는 특징과 연결된다. The comparative analysis result of appearance characteristic of landscape elements and symbolic elements implied by the tablets on the 16th century's Korean Damyang garden and Chinese Suzhou garden is as follows. First, among the landscape elements implied in the tablets, appearance rate of botanical factors appeared high in the gardens of both areas. Damyang garden displayed bamboo grove and natural forest around the garden, while Suzhou garden displayed artificial mountain(假山) created artificially and a variety of plants including lotus, bamboo, and pine surrounding it were associated with the significance of the tablets. On the other hand, climatic/celestial elements including the rain, wind, and the moon were associated with the tablets of Damyang garden, while the artificial factors such as the building, bridge, and book, etc. were mostly were associated with the tablets of Suzhou garden. Second, among the symbolic elements included in the tablets, ethical personality which is the basic virtue of a noble man(聖人), was the universal characteristic of the meditation world of the garden in both areas. However, a will for political stability was mostly associated with the tablets of Damyang garden, while the retrospect heart for the immortal was mostly associated with the signboard in Suzhou garden. It was concerned with political ideal and the thought of Confucianism respectively. Third, the symbolic elements that appeared frequently in the tablets of Damyang garden, "Ethics" and "Political stability", were associated with the scene atmosphere created by the climatic elements and celestial elements. On the contrary, the symbolic elements which most frequently appeared in the tablets of Suzhou garden, "Ethics", was associated with the symbolic significance of the plant. The invisible space of gardens was expanded by tablets in both areas.

Synthesis of Scan- and Frequency-Invariant Low-Sidelobe Tapers for Planar Array Antennas

The impact of the array factor (AF) on the synthesis of a low-sidelobe taper for planar array antennas with a periodic element grid is investigated. A low-sidelobe taper that is synthesized for those far-field directions of the AF belonging to only visible direction, cosine $u$ - $v$ space, can seriously deteriorate with respect to peak sidelobe level (PSLL) when the main beam is scanned or the operating frequency is raised. In order to get a scan- and frequency-invariant taper, its synthesis must comprise all far-field directions of the AF including those of invisible $u$ - $v$ space. This communication describes the Fourier properties responsible for the degradation of taper sidelobe level performance when the taper synthesis excludes the invisible space region of the AF. Examples are presented for a circular array antenna to illustrate the impact of the invisible region of the AF on sidelobe performance. The presented results refer to phase-only and amplitude-only sidelobe tapers. The requirements to realize for aperiodic planar array antennas’ scan and frequency proof patterns with invariant PSLL are shortly addressed.

Ternary Decomposition and Dictionary Extension for Khmer Word Segmentation

In this paper, we proposed a dictionary extension and a ternary decomposition technique to improve the effectiveness of Khmer word segmentation. Most word segmentation approaches depend on a dictionary. However, the dictionary being used is not fully reliable and cannot cover all the words of the Khmer language. This causes an issue of unknown words or out-of-vocabulary words. Our approach is to extend the original dictionary to be more reliable with new words. In addition, we use ternary decomposition for the segmentation process. In this research, we also introduced the invisible space of the Khmer Unicode (char​) in order to segment our training corpus. With our segmentation algorithm, based on ternary decomposition and invisible space, we can extract new words from our training text and then input the new words into the dictionary. We used an extended wordlist and a segmentation algorithm regardless of the invisible space to test an unannotated text. Our results remarkably outperformed other approaches. We have achieved 88.8%, 91.8% and 90.6% rates of precision, recall and F-measurement.

Some Unexpected Occupant: Elaborating the Invisible in “The Jolly Corner”

This article attempts to add to the conversation surrounding the place of consciousness in Henry James's fiction by embedding it in the invisible spaces of mind and articulating how Spencer Brydon and the invisible space about him mutually constitute his self. Guided by the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, this paper shows how invisible space in The Jolly Corner—regarded as material and extended through interior and exterior space—elaborates itself into the “flesh of the world, escaping sight, knowledge, and narration while maintaining its ability to inflect consciousness from the deep, dim recesses of being and matter.

Posters for Unwritten Plays

At eighteen years old I was prepared to enter l’Institut des Beaux Arts. The day before the exam I inexplicably changed my mind and went instead to the Institute of Theatre and Cinema Studies. I graduated with honors in theatre criticism and got a job in the literary department of the National Theatre in Bucharest. I hated the censorship (Beckett and Ionesco were forbidden, words were under constant surveillance), but I loved the theatre. I loved what I imagined was happening between the words. In that invisible space of true freedom and solidarity. It was then that I met the legendary Ellen Stewart for the first time. It was a revelatory moment and, certainly, a predestined encounter in my life. Soon after, I managed to escape Ceausescu’s dictatorship. I flew to New York with a bandaged hand: my best friend, the dog across the street, bit me the night before my departure. In New York, while attending the PhD program in theatre at City University, my interest turned to playwriting. I then moved to California where I got an MFA in playwriting from the University of California, San Diego.

Underground space needs an interdisciplinary approach

During a very long period of time, civil engineers have been the only ones to be designated as the experts for underground space, while the planners and architects were the ones of the development at the surface. This silo approach to work is now a thing for the past in most major cities, but solving this fragmentation of the disciplines does not happen overnight. It first took a few thinkers to promote and publish on the subject, such as Edouard Utudjian, founder of GECUS in 1937, and also that planners abandon their ambiguous position on this invisible space, become part of multi-disciplinary teams and participate in the dissemination of new knowledge, particularly through some international associations such as ACUUS. With biennial scientific conferences dating back to 1983, the organization actively promotes since partnerships amongst all actors in the field of planning, management, research and uses of urban underground space in all its forms. The originality of ACUUS comes from its success in attracting public, private and university levels into a cohesive network of mutual cooperation, which is not so common in international organizations.

Meraque or Triple Energizer (San Jiao): Actual or Virtual Organ in Traditional Medicine - A Hypothetical Viewpoint

Background/Objective: In traditional medicine, there are a number of terms and organs that have not yet been reported in Western medicine. For example, ‘Meraque' in Iranian traditional medicine and ‘Triple Energizer' or ‘San Jiao' in traditional Chinese medicine (as one of the Fu organs) are examples of such terms. The organs they refer to can explain many of the clinical signs and symptoms which have been noted as psychosomatic disorders in Western medicine. One hypothesis is that this organ might be a real space. From the viewpoint of embryology and anatomy, this report will try to create a new perception in the reader's mind of the Meraque/Triple Energizer/San Jiao of the human body. Methods: We searched through the major databases for the key words ‘traditional medicine', ‘Meraque', ‘meridians', ‘acupuncture points', ‘San Jiao' and ‘Triple Energizer'. Results: There were no reports on the relevant concepts of San Jiao/Triple Energizer and Meraque. Discussion: During embryonic development and after gastrulation, three layers called the ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm are formed. The mesoderm is the source of most of the internal organs, dividing into two layers, the somatic and the visceral, with an invisible space in between that is called the coelom. This space could possibly be the same as the Meraque/Triple Energizer/San Jiao (as a hollow organ) and, furthermore, the same as a cavitary tissue forming a pathway to connect the internal organs of the body with the surface of the body. In this case, many of the mechanisms of traditional medicine and acupuncture can be explained. In other words, for the first time the coelom is proposed as the Meraque and the Triple Energizer/San Jiao in Iranian and Chinese traditional medicine, respectively.

Forms of Perspective and Chaucer's Dream Spaces: Memory and the Catalogue in <em>The House of Fame</em>

In the medieval intellectual tradition, the interior of an architectural space was well established as a metaphor for a different kind of interiority, the invisible space within the mind. The classical conceit of the memory palace--an ancient rhetorical technique for the organization of the memory as an internalized series of rooms--provided medieval authors with a practical tool for mnemonic enhancement as well as an imaginative means by which to link mental and physical interiors within the spaces of narrative. (1) Several recent discussions of space in medieval English literature, building on the work of theorists such as Henri Lefebvre, have explored the social, political, and cultural implications of but few have closely considered the relationship between these two different forms of interior the material and the mental/memorial. (2) The role that plays in the narrative representation of space fundamentally links these two forms of interiority, and, in his discussion of Perspective and the presentation of space, F. K. Stanzel usefully emphasizes the connection between visual or spatial and the subjective perspective of narration (115-22; section 5.2). Tracing the complexity of interior spaces in inward-looking medieval fictions can extend and nuance the conclusions about in narrative that Stanzel draws based largely on 19th and 20th-century novels. (3) Although in the past romance has played the most prominent role in the application of narrative theory to medieval texts, (4) the conventions of the medieval dream vision--in which an autodiegetic narrator or narrator-hero typically reports the events of a dream after waking--ideally position this genre for investigation in terms of the relationship between and the representation of interior space. (5) For medieval writers like Chaucer, the depths of the mind and physical interior spaces could not be mapped onto one another perfectly, nor were they incommensurable: the medieval first-person narrative can demonstrate how the perceiving mind or consciousness organizes and makes sense of physical space in ways that resemble how the trained mind or memory organizes and makes sense of its own accumulated cognitive contents. Three of Chaucer's dream visions--The Book of the Duchess, The Parliament of Fowls, and The House of Fame--closely link interior spaces with subjectivity, inwardness, and problems of perspective, but this essay will focus primarily on The House of Fame, a dream narrative structured as a personal journey through a series of three interior spaces. (6) Each of these dream visions, however, follows its respective narrator-dreamer as he moves through various interior spaces, on one level reproducing the mise-en-abyme effect of framed dream narrative itself, a multiply embedded voyage within the mind. The temples, palaces, walled gardens, and stranger interiors represented in these dream poems are most often constructed through the literary device of the catalogue, in which the contents of a given room are listed at length but rarely placed in precise spatial relation to one another. Drawing uncritically on Stanzel's distinction between perspectival and aperspectival spatial representation, one might not hesitate to associate these dream visions with the uncomplicated aperspectivism of the early Victorian novels to which he points. Yet the contexts and complications of spatial in medieval narratives like the House of Fame challenge the binary impulse of typologies like Stanzel's. The poem includes both aperspectival inventories and a handful of more perspectival depictions of spatial relations among objects, but the key technique of the list or catalogue, understood in the context of the medieval rhetorical arts, must be reevaluated as a unique organizing schema for representing and making sense of interior spaces. To employ the catalogue as the primary tool of spatial description may seem capable of producing only a jumbled, aperspectival representation of an interior, but the strategy aligns with the narrator's difficult task of organizing into narrative description and rendering intelligible the overwhelming profusion of information confronting his senses. …

The Bounds Between the Line of Demarcation and Porousness

At the core of this article lies the concept of identity as the result of an unbroken journey from one visible location to another from which one can return, and of a circular process of an endless creation of possibilities in which every choice, act and behaviour actualises an aspect of the possible, transforming it into reality, thereby simultaneously creating yet another possibility. From this perspective arises the centralness of invisible space which concurrently distinguishes and connects the possible and the realised: a kind of ‘third state’ lying between the restraints of the sense of reality and the spectrum of opportunity offered by opening up to contigency. This ‘intermediate space’ in which the tension between the two aforementioned fires pulses and from which meaning emerges, which is characterised by a certain ‘translucence’ which renders it partly invisible not only to the eye of the other but also to one’s introspective analysis, should not be completely obscured lest one remain victim to an elusive and incomplete individuation. This approach obliges one to pass from an ‘objectifying’ mindset to one based on a new way of conceptualising the human subject, in which alongside reality, one begins to identify the formation of the possible and of the project, as an equally legitimate way of sighting the human experience This contributes to fuel the idea that in the evolution of the process of individuation, the expressions of the inner world play a fundamental role, those manifestations of the driving force of our thought which expresses itself through reciprocal communication and language, and above all by mediating the products of literary and artistic creativity.

Research on pedestrian escape route without visibility based on Markov chain model

It is a pioneering work to use a Markov chain model to study the pedestrian escape route without visibility. In this paper, based on the Markov chain probability transition matrix, the algorithms with random numbers and the spatial-grid, an escape route in a limited invisible space is obtained. Six pace states (standing, crawling, walking, leaping, jogging, and running) are applied to describe the characteristics of pedestrian behaviors. Besides, eight main direction changes are used to describe the transition characteristic of a pedestrian. At the same time, this paper analyzes the escape route from two views, i.e., pedestrian pace states and directions. The research results show that the Markov chain model is more realistic as a means of studying pedestrian escape routes.

Ecoaesthetics: A Manifesto for the Twenty‐First Century

Is the history of humanity also not a history of violence, what Walter Benjamin calls the barbarism of civilisation? Our six thousand or so years of civilisation have given us tremendous knowledge, of ourselves, of the world around us and of the cosmos. We are now much more knowledgeable and can penetrate the invisible space of the universe. But we are often unable to resolve even small disagreements or disputes among ourselves without resort to confrontation leading to all kinds of violence. Art today is also trapped in the facile idea of confrontation, which merely produces media scandals where its function is merely to provide the artist with success in the art market. This inflates the artist’s narcissistic ego further and turns him or her into a celebrity, providing spectacular entertainment for the public but without any significant critical or social function. This manifesto proposes that artists should stop playing the silly games of neo‐Dada confrontation. Artists should instead focus their imagination on what is in life, to enhance not only their own creative potential but also the collective life of earth’s inhabitants. The world today is facing enormous violence and this will increase in the twenty‐first century as the Earth’s resources shrink due to the stupidity of the life humans have been pursuing. Art can and should strive for an alternative that is not only aesthetically affirmative and productive but also beneficial to all forms of life on our planet. We humans are the gift of mother Earth, and it is now our duty as its guardians to protect the earth from impending disaster.