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- Title
- ART THERAPY TREATMENT WITH INCARCERATED WOMEN.
- Creator
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Erickson, Bonnie, Young, Mark, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study examined the effectiveness of art therapy in decreasing symptoms of trauma and psychological distress in women who were incarcerated in county jails in the Southeastern United States. In order to protect the integrity of the study, control subjects were in different dormitories from the treatment subjects. While the dormitories were randomly assigned to treatment or control, the subjects were not. The dependent measures were paper and pencil tests, the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45...
Show moreThis study examined the effectiveness of art therapy in decreasing symptoms of trauma and psychological distress in women who were incarcerated in county jails in the Southeastern United States. In order to protect the integrity of the study, control subjects were in different dormitories from the treatment subjects. While the dormitories were randomly assigned to treatment or control, the subjects were not. The dependent measures were paper and pencil tests, the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2) and the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) given at pretest and posttest. A demographic questionnaire was completed in the first session to better characterize the participants. In addition, a post study evaluation with open ended questions was completed at the end of the study that allowed participants to share their feelings about the treatment experience. Additional qualitative information was obtained through observation data collected by the investigator who served as the provider of treatment. Art therapy group participants attended six sessions of art therapy over a three week period which was administered using six standard art projects. Like treatment subjects, control participants had access to the treatment available in the jail to all inmates, and were offered art therapy treatment after final data were obtained. Though the statistical data gathered in this study did not provide empirical evidence that the group art therapy treatment was effective in reducing symptomatology, the qualitative responses indicated that the treatment was rated very positively by the participants. No statistically significant changes were found in overall scores, however, some significance was found on some individual treatment scales. Scores measuring psychological distress and trauma symptoms generally decreased over time for all study participants, however, treatment participant scores improved at a greater rate. The study was limited due to small sample size (N=26). Nearly half of the original participants were lost to attrition associated with administrative actions in the county jail system. The measurement instruments used were not specifically adapted to incarcerated individuals and may not have provided adequate measurement for this population. Responses from the participants were overwhelmingly positive. Inmates responses to the post study evaluation indicated that they had enjoyed the experience and would recommend the group to others. More than 75% stated that they felt that the treatment had helped them deal with difficult experiences in their past. The most frequent suggestion for the future was that the groups needed to be continued, and should be longer and more frequent.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002407, ucf:47753
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002407
- Title
- Agents of Change: Producing the Palpable from the Intangible through the Human Experience.
- Creator
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Anagnoson, Chealsea, Buyssens, Ryan, Watson, Keri, Adams, JoAnne, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The world around us is in a continual state of change; we, as humans, are agents of change simply through our existence. Moreover, our choices become catalysts of change and have profound effects on our environments. This paper will use the chemical formula of glycolysis as an extended metaphor to expound the notion of the human existence in a continual state of change. C6H12O6 + 6(O2) --(>) 6(CO2) + 6(H2O) + ATP The above chemical formula represents glycolysis, a chemical reaction during...
Show moreThe world around us is in a continual state of change; we, as humans, are agents of change simply through our existence. Moreover, our choices become catalysts of change and have profound effects on our environments. This paper will use the chemical formula of glycolysis as an extended metaphor to expound the notion of the human existence in a continual state of change. C6H12O6 + 6(O2) --(>) 6(CO2) + 6(H2O) + ATP The above chemical formula represents glycolysis, a chemical reaction during which glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (6O2) combine to produce carbon dioxide (6CO2), water (6H2O), and energy (ATP). This is the first step in aerobic cellular respiration, a process that all complex organisms use to convert nutrients into usable energy.This formula metaphorically illustrates my creative process. Glucose represents the fabrication process through the combination of concepts (C6), materials (H12), and interactions (O6), with the addition of my own interactions with my environment (6O2) to produce a conceptual experience (6CO2) with a physically interactive component (6H2O) to elicit change (ATP). However, as in aerobic respiration, glycolysis is simply the first step; my finished work is only a beginning.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006712, ucf:51894
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006712
- Title
- BEYOND THE BATTLEFIELD.
- Creator
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Seymour, Gary, Price, Mark, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
I am exhibiting several drawings, paintings, and sculptures representing a visual record of my creative research into, and my handling of, snails. Although I depict snails and their environment in a loose representational style, I have begun to incorporate digital drawing to enhance my art in a mixed media approach. I have created illustrative images of a forest floor as I imagine it would look to a snail in a giant, menacing world. Close-up images of grass become unusual jungle scenes, and...
Show moreI am exhibiting several drawings, paintings, and sculptures representing a visual record of my creative research into, and my handling of, snails. Although I depict snails and their environment in a loose representational style, I have begun to incorporate digital drawing to enhance my art in a mixed media approach. I have created illustrative images of a forest floor as I imagine it would look to a snail in a giant, menacing world. Close-up images of grass become unusual jungle scenes, and my once tiny snails achieve a measure of control in this fanciful world. The inspiration for my art is my recollection of the insecurity and struggles I encountered while growing up as a military brat.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003707, ucf:48841
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003707
- Title
- The Immaculate Condemnation.
- Creator
-
Robertson, Corey, Raimundi-Ortiz, Wanda, Cooper, Larry, Isenhour, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
My work is a continuously evolving self portrait formulated by a combination of past experiences and influences. The Immaculate Condemnation body of work is a cathartic reaction that confronts Catholic Sin and rebels against gender conformity. As both a confirmed Catholic and transgender woman, I speak from an authentic voice that seeks open conversation regarding these topics. I also hope to demystify the transsexual body for the non-transgendered viewer. Additionally, I use allegoric...
Show moreMy work is a continuously evolving self portrait formulated by a combination of past experiences and influences. The Immaculate Condemnation body of work is a cathartic reaction that confronts Catholic Sin and rebels against gender conformity. As both a confirmed Catholic and transgender woman, I speak from an authentic voice that seeks open conversation regarding these topics. I also hope to demystify the transsexual body for the non-transgendered viewer. Additionally, I use allegoric imagery to communicate my interpretation of beauty, power, horror, and sex. I combine performance, photography, sculpture, video, audio, and graphic design to execute my installations. I intentionally develop environments that both attract and repulse the viewer in order to mimic the relationship I have with Catholicism and Gender Issues.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004431, ucf:49334
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004431
- Title
- The Fabricated Shopping Experience: An Impersonal Impression on Consumerism.
- Creator
-
Nienass, Sherri, Poindexter, Carla, Isenhour, David, Kovach, Keith, Raimundi-Ortiz, Wanda, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
I have a compulsion to document my surroundings. I do this in all forms possible; through a picture text-message, a point-and-shoot camera, or through a high end camera. Like most women in contemporary society, I feel an expectation to be gorgeous. While I do not feel this pressure directly from my boyfriend or close friends, I am constantly surrounded by advertisements for beauty products enforcing the importance of being attractive. My current occupation as a cosmetic counter makeup artist...
Show moreI have a compulsion to document my surroundings. I do this in all forms possible; through a picture text-message, a point-and-shoot camera, or through a high end camera. Like most women in contemporary society, I feel an expectation to be gorgeous. While I do not feel this pressure directly from my boyfriend or close friends, I am constantly surrounded by advertisements for beauty products enforcing the importance of being attractive. My current occupation as a cosmetic counter makeup artist relies on convincing women to enhance their appearance. I am fascinated by how easily I can persuade clients to purchase unnecessary products. My art is both a celebration and commentary on the beauty industry and contemporary consumerism. My approach to this series is varied and complex. The individuals photographed are unaware of their participation in the creation of my work. I do not intend to exploit the subjects or places that I photograph, rather my work comes from a very natural understanding of this environment based on several years working in a major department store. I attempt to attach multiple emotions of (-) empathy, humor, and sometimes sympathy (-) to the moments I capture. My work is not fabricated or recreated, (-) it is documentary. I am aware of the times I live in, and the people that inhabit these times and places. Once documented, the captured moments in time can be reflected on from a multitude of perspectives at a later place and time. Because I also contribute to the general shopping and grooming experience, the details of these images come from a trained eye and attentive approach. I have chosen to write this thesis in an auto-biographical narrative because I play many roles. I am the retail specialist, the artist, the photographer, and the consumer.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004316, ucf:49461
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004316
- Title
- PLACE, SPACE, AND FORM CAPTURED THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHIC MEDITATION.
- Creator
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Stead, Sarah, Robinson, Elizabeth Brady, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Inspired by Buddhist philosophy, the photographic series Architectural Zen attempts to beautify banal and pragmatic architecture through limiting and preexisting artificial light conditions. The selective illumination of artificial light eliminates the non-essential details and enhances the pure forms and saturated color presented by the camera lens. This encourages the photographer and the viewer to enter a state of meditation. The resulting process is similar to a Zen approach to image...
Show moreInspired by Buddhist philosophy, the photographic series Architectural Zen attempts to beautify banal and pragmatic architecture through limiting and preexisting artificial light conditions. The selective illumination of artificial light eliminates the non-essential details and enhances the pure forms and saturated color presented by the camera lens. This encourages the photographer and the viewer to enter a state of meditation. The resulting process is similar to a Zen approach to image making. The ancient Zen artistÃÂ's compositions are strengthened by a meditation on form and subsequent elimination of the non-essential elements of the subject. Through embracing this Zen mentality and mindfulness,aspects of Eastern aesthetic and balance also appear through the work. The warm glow of artificial lights, long recessed shadows, and surreal colors contribute to the feeling of rest, contemplation, isolation, and solitude. Although the work in Architectural Zen is not directly about Buddhist doctrines, the process of creating the art parallels the ideas and practices of Zen Buddhism and meditation, finding the Buddha nature of typically unappealing architectural forms during a different time of day.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003092, ucf:48292
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003092
- Title
- Synaesthetics.
- Creator
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Turner, Samantha, Listengarten, Julia, Wood, Vandy, Weaver, Earl, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Synaesthetics is a new philosophy of the arts. Expanding on its predecessors, aesthetics and its many branches of thought, Synaesthetics bridges the long-standing explanatory gap across the disciplines of science, spirituality, and art. The arts become the vehicle of exploring new ways to synthesize and study their cognitive effects and implications on aesthetes, be they audience or creators. The examination of a synthesis in color and sound, inspired by research in synaesthesia, is a model...
Show moreSynaesthetics is a new philosophy of the arts. Expanding on its predecessors, aesthetics and its many branches of thought, Synaesthetics bridges the long-standing explanatory gap across the disciplines of science, spirituality, and art. The arts become the vehicle of exploring new ways to synthesize and study their cognitive effects and implications on aesthetes, be they audience or creators. The examination of a synthesis in color and sound, inspired by research in synaesthesia, is a model for explaining the new philosophy, as well as investigating its impact. Theatre is introduced as the most valuable art form with which to engage this area of thought, due to its inclusive nature of all sister artforms. Pulling from a strong philosophical background, quantum physics, psychology, neuroscience, and esotericism are compounded to create this new lens, with which to interpret, study, and evolve in a dialectical manner. The hypothesis posits a spiritually significant evolution, utilizing these elements of science and a framework of the arts; the methodological accomplishment ultimately reached through Synaesthetics.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006960, ucf:51640
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006960
- Title
- For Alexander: An Exploration of Good Ole Boy Identity and Mortality.
- Creator
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Johnson, Chad, Kim, Joo, Kovach, Keith, Isenhour, David, Price, Mark, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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(")For Alexander(") is an exhibition about masculinity as it is exhibited by Southern (")good ole boys("). I rely on original and appropriated imagery, as well as memories of loss and humor from my childhood in Alabama. Combining mixed media and sculptural elements has allowed me to investigate the subjects that interest me. I explore and artistically comment on these subjects through a mix of personal and culturally loaded imagery that records what I have either experienced or researched,...
Show more(")For Alexander(") is an exhibition about masculinity as it is exhibited by Southern (")good ole boys("). I rely on original and appropriated imagery, as well as memories of loss and humor from my childhood in Alabama. Combining mixed media and sculptural elements has allowed me to investigate the subjects that interest me. I explore and artistically comment on these subjects through a mix of personal and culturally loaded imagery that records what I have either experienced or researched, and which I realize through the ironic use of non-traditional materials, such as sequins and rhinestones.My work examines stereotypes and my own beliefs about Southern good ole boys. I also reflect on elements of Southern hypocrisy, and I question long standing social practices with the help of historical and contemporary media sources.My exhibition is dedicated to my great uncle, who was murdered by his father, a preacher, during the Great Depression.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004698, ucf:49856
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004698
- Title
- Transient Motel.
- Creator
-
Hammond, Bryce, Kim, Joo, Price, Mark, Isenhour, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
(")Transient Motel(") is an exhibition that investigates the interactions of people and physical environments in low-income areas of Daytona Beach, Florida. The purpose of the exhibition is to raise social awareness of low-income communities among the public through visual art.Interactions between motel guests were documented as first-hand sound recordings of conversations, interviews and other activities. These recordings are projected through speakers within a constructed life-sized replica...
Show more(")Transient Motel(") is an exhibition that investigates the interactions of people and physical environments in low-income areas of Daytona Beach, Florida. The purpose of the exhibition is to raise social awareness of low-income communities among the public through visual art.Interactions between motel guests were documented as first-hand sound recordings of conversations, interviews and other activities. These recordings are projected through speakers within a constructed life-sized replica of the motel rooms in which they were recorded. Found and appropriated furniture and fixtures from the actual rooms are arranged within the replica as objects of art to familiarize the public with conditions of poverty.During my exhibition, the public is encouraged to participate by entering and exploring the replica of the motel room. The participant experiences authentic objects, sounds and smells of Daytona Beach motel rooms that have been inhabited by victims of transient poverty.?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004688, ucf:49868
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004688
- Title
- SUBJECTS OF THE GAZE: RUBENS AND HIS FEMALE PORTRAITS.
- Creator
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van Ravenswaay, Gabrielle C, Mendoza, Ilenia Colon, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
My paper investigates Peter Paul Rubens' female portraits in terms of the male and female gaze, psychoanalytic analysis, and historical context. My research will support the idea that Rubens painted women in a sexualized manner based on what Foucault coins the male gaze.[1] The paintings evaluated in this project include portraits of Rubens' wives, Isabella Brandt and Helene Fourment, and portraits of wealthy patrons such as Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria, Anne of Austria, and Marie de'...
Show moreMy paper investigates Peter Paul Rubens' female portraits in terms of the male and female gaze, psychoanalytic analysis, and historical context. My research will support the idea that Rubens painted women in a sexualized manner based on what Foucault coins the male gaze.[1] The paintings evaluated in this project include portraits of Rubens' wives, Isabella Brandt and Helene Fourment, and portraits of wealthy patrons such as Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria, Anne of Austria, and Marie de' Medici. It is incorrect to view these paintings as pure, complete depictions of identity because women in this time were always defined and observed by men.[2]However by deconstructing the male gaze and also acknowledging the role of the active female gaze of the subjects of these works, a more complex construction of female identity is uncovered. Throughout history the feminine has been generalized to be passive and silent. My project aims to build on recent feminist scholarship that works to uncover more responsible and representative descriptions of the images of women in history. [1]Michel Foucault, "Discipline and Punish" from Literary Theory: An Anthology, ed. by Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan, (Malden: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2004), 549-565. [2]Patricia Simons, "Women in Frames: The Gaze, the Eye, the Profile in Renaissance Portraiture," edited by Norma Broude and Mary Garrard, The Expanding Discourse: Feminism and Art History (New York: Harper Collins, 1992): 44.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFH2000209, ucf:46053
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000209
- Title
- GENETICALLY ENGINEERED ADAPTIVE RESONANCE THEORY (ART) NEURAL NETWORK ARCHITECTURES.
- Creator
-
Al-Daraiseh, Ahmad, Georgiopoulos, Michael, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Fuzzy ARTMAP (FAM) is currently considered to be one of the premier neural network architectures in solving classification problems. One of the limitations of Fuzzy ARTMAP that has been extensively reported in the literature is the category proliferation problem. That is Fuzzy ARTMAP has the tendency of increasing its network size, as it is confronted with more and more data, especially if the data is of noisy and/or overlapping nature. To remedy this problem a number of researchers have...
Show moreFuzzy ARTMAP (FAM) is currently considered to be one of the premier neural network architectures in solving classification problems. One of the limitations of Fuzzy ARTMAP that has been extensively reported in the literature is the category proliferation problem. That is Fuzzy ARTMAP has the tendency of increasing its network size, as it is confronted with more and more data, especially if the data is of noisy and/or overlapping nature. To remedy this problem a number of researchers have designed modifications to the training phase of Fuzzy ARTMAP that had the beneficial effect of reducing this phenomenon. In this thesis we propose a new approach to handle the category proliferation problem in Fuzzy ARTMAP by evolving trained FAM architectures. We refer to the resulting FAM architectures as GFAM. We demonstrate through extensive experimentation that an evolved FAM (GFAM) exhibits good (sometimes optimal) generalization, small size (sometimes optimal size), and requires reasonable computational effort to produce an optimal or sub-optimal network. Furthermore, comparisons of the GFAM with other approaches, proposed in the literature, which address the FAM category proliferation problem, illustrate that the GFAM has a number of advantages (i.e. produces smaller or equal size architectures, of better or as good generalization, with reduced computational complexity). Furthermore, in this dissertation we have extended the approach used with Fuzzy ARTMAP to other ART architectures, such as Ellipsoidal ARTMAP (EAM) and Gaussian ARTMAP (GAM) that also suffer from the ART category proliferation problem. Thus, we have designed and experimented with genetically engineered EAM and GAM architectures, named GEAM and GGAM. Comparisons of GEAM and GGAM with other ART architectures that were introduced in the ART literature, addressing the category proliferation problem, illustrate similar advantages observed by GFAM (i.e, GEAM and GGAM produce smaller size ART architectures, of better or improved generalization, with reduced computational complexity). Moverover, to optimally cover the input space of a problem, we proposed a genetically engineered ART architecture that combines the category structures of two different ART networks, FAM and EAM. We named this architecture UART (Universal ART). We analyzed the order of search in UART, that is the order according to which a FAM category or an EAM category is accessed in UART. This analysis allowed us to better understand UART's functionality. Experiments were also conducted to compare UART with other ART architectures, in a similar fashion as GFAM and GEAM were compared. Similar conclusions were drawn from this comparison, as in the comparison of GFAM and GEAM with other ART architectures. Finally, we analyzed the computational complexity of the genetically engineered ART architectures and we compared it with the computational complexity of other ART architectures, introduced into the literature. This analytical comparison verified our claim that the genetically engineered ART architectures produce better generalization and smaller sizes ART structures, at reduced computational complexity, compared to other ART approaches. In review, a methodology was introduced of how to combine the answers (categories) of ART architectures, using genetic algorithms. This methodology was successfully applied to FAM, EAM and FAM and EAM ART architectures, with success, resulting in ART neural networks which outperformed other ART architectures, previously introduced into the literature, and quite often produced ART architectures that attained optimal classification results, at reduced computational complexity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0000977, ucf:46696
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000977
- Title
- Changing the Channel: A Study of Agenda, Immersion and Social Commentary in Art.
- Creator
-
Kalemba, Nicholas, Poindexter, Carla, Lotz, Theo, Kovach, Keith, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This thesis examines the concepts and ideas that pervade my body of work in painting. These concepts include immersion and scale, interactions in space, harmony and disunity, flat and dimensional space and perhaps most importantly, ambiguity. I intentionally use these formal devices to create immersive environments that appear as a familiar but skewed version of reality. By forcing together disparate languages of visual representation into the theoretical space of a painting, I strive to...
Show moreThis thesis examines the concepts and ideas that pervade my body of work in painting. These concepts include immersion and scale, interactions in space, harmony and disunity, flat and dimensional space and perhaps most importantly, ambiguity. I intentionally use these formal devices to create immersive environments that appear as a familiar but skewed version of reality. By forcing together disparate languages of visual representation into the theoretical space of a painting, I strive to expose some of the humor and decay of our social institutions. In using the format of collage, my paintings have the opportunity to incorporate a wide array of iconography and imagery, while adding commentary through their juxtapositions. This thesis further explores the notion of oversaturation of images in media and how it has resulted in a clashing of imagery in the public space, akin to the format of collage in art-making. By using more easily readable or accessible iconography like cartoons or digital images to draw viewers in to the work on a visceral level, I discuss how the audience becomes witness to something sinister or something in the process of decay. Since I do not fully understand my own position as an artist and consumer of images, painting serves as a way to examine and question my relationship to society and culture as a whole. The artworks are inevitably questions in themselves: Who is to blame? What does it mean to be American? What is my duty as an artist?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007472, ucf:52664
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007472
- Title
- NAKED WOMEN, THE UNITY IN DIALECTIC FORCES.
- Creator
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Albekord, Nargges, Price, Mark, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study investigates my art works, their context, content, and the process by which they were produced. The first part of the study addresses my background ideas and philosophies, their impact on my works, and the environmental and psychological context which made those ideas relevant to my paintings. I am not concerned with answering the usual questions, What is art? and Who is an artist? My intention is to find out who I choose to be and what I choose to do. The second part investigates...
Show moreThis study investigates my art works, their context, content, and the process by which they were produced. The first part of the study addresses my background ideas and philosophies, their impact on my works, and the environmental and psychological context which made those ideas relevant to my paintings. I am not concerned with answering the usual questions, What is art? and Who is an artist? My intention is to find out who I choose to be and what I choose to do. The second part investigates the form and design of the art works from the materials used to make them to the various formal elements utilized in creating them. The connection of form and content in these art works is emphasized. The last part of the study investigates the influences of a few significant artists and the impacts of their works on my art. The future of my art work is, of course, not predictable, and it does not depend on this study. This study is only as factual, reliable, and truthful as my art work is.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003648, ucf:48826
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003648
- Title
- An intelligent editor for natural language processing of unrestricted text.
- Creator
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Glinos, Demetrios George, Gomez, Fernando, Arts and Sciences
- Abstract / Description
-
University of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; The understanding of natural language by computational methods has been a continuing and elusive problem in artificial intelligence. In recent years there has been a resurgence in natural language processing research. Much of this work has been on empirical or corpus-based methods which use a data-driven approach to train systems on large amounts of real language data. Using corpus-based methods, the performance of part-of...
Show moreUniversity of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; The understanding of natural language by computational methods has been a continuing and elusive problem in artificial intelligence. In recent years there has been a resurgence in natural language processing research. Much of this work has been on empirical or corpus-based methods which use a data-driven approach to train systems on large amounts of real language data. Using corpus-based methods, the performance of part-of-speech (POS) taggers, which assign to the individual words of a sentence their appropriate part of speech category (e.g., noun, verb, preposition), now rivals human performance levels, achieving accuracies exceeding 95%. Such taggers have proved useful as preprocessors for such tasks as parsing, speech synthesis, and information retrieval. Parsing remains, however, a difficult problem, even with the benefit of POS tagging. Moveover, as sentence length increases, there is a corresponding combinatorial explosing of alternative possible parses. Consider the following sentence from a New York Times online article: After Salinas was arrested for murder in 1995 and lawyers for the bank had begun monitoring his accounts, his personal banker in New York quietly advised Salinas' wife to move the money elsewhere, apparently without the consent of the legal department. To facilitate the parsing and other tasks, we would like to decompose this sentence into the following three shorter sentences which, taken together, convey the same meaning as the original: 1. Salinas was arrested for murder in 1995. 2. Lawyers for the bank had begun monitoring his accounts. 3. His personal banker in New York quietly advised Salinas' wife to move the money elsewhere, apparently without the consent of the legal department. This study investigates the development of heuristics for decomposing such long sentences into sets of shorter sentences without affecting the meaning of the original sentences. Without parsing or semantic analysis, heuristic rules were developed based on: (1) the output of a POS tagger (Brill's tagger); (2) the punctuation contained in the input sentences; and (3) the words themselves. The heuristic algorithms were implemented in an intelligent editor program which first augmented the POS tags and assigned tags to punctuation, and then tested the rules against a corpus of 25 New York Times online articles containing approximately 1,200 sentences and over 32,000 words, with good results. Recommendations are made for improving the algorithms and for continuing this line of research.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1999
- Identifier
- CFR0008181, ucf:53055
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFR0008181
- Title
- Enterface : a novella.
- Creator
-
McLeod, Hubert Calip, Rushin, Pat, Arts and Sciences
- Abstract / Description
-
University of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; A computer screen places each of us in an interface and virtual reality provides a totally simulated environment, a virtual world that we can enter. Enterface is a novella that examines the question first posed by Michael Heim: How far can we enter cyberspace and still remain human? It also explores the power and the limitation of language and the role of stories to shape reality in human life. Its themes are death, technology...
Show moreUniversity of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences Thesis; A computer screen places each of us in an interface and virtual reality provides a totally simulated environment, a virtual world that we can enter. Enterface is a novella that examines the question first posed by Michael Heim: How far can we enter cyberspace and still remain human? It also explores the power and the limitation of language and the role of stories to shape reality in human life. Its themes are death, technology, ethics, and love. It is informed by Wittgensteinian philosophy, Norse mythology, and the "metaphysics of virtual reality." The plot involves Moses Mackinow, a former Air Force officer and entrepreneur, who decides there should be a way to simply live forever. He hits upon the idea that life could be digitized, and a civilization, a world of complete, sentient humans could be created in cyberspace--a world he could enter upon his death and continue to live. A variety of technologies are available to digitize the physical human (x-rays, CTSCNS, Magnetic Resonance Images, graphic images, etc.), but the big problem is how to synthesize his human heart. Moses decides that the stories of his life are the keys to creating the "rag and bone shop" of his eternal heart. Getting the stories "right" is critical to the prospect of digitizing life and is a major focus of the novella action. The novella traces the reduction of Moses as a a human being as he pursues his obsession, compromising one principle after another. Everything in the environment of the novella, reflects this reduction. Everything becomes less than it was, a glimpse of humanity reduced to bits and bytes, floating 1's and 0's. Enterface is a work at war with itself.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1999
- Identifier
- CFR0011964, ucf:53091
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFR0011964
- Title
- The Suburban Nightmare: A Study of Atmosphere, Mood and Emotion.
- Creator
-
Sobrack, Ericka, Poindexter, Carla, Lotz, Theo, Kovach, Keith, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In this thesis body of work, I focus on the implied human presence through the lack of actual human figures. I believe there is more to say in a landscape with the absence of the figure, allowing the dialogue to be read and interpreted by a larger audience. I am particularly satisfied with White Knuckles, shown in figure 3, because I collide reason with imagination, thus contradicting the context and interpretation of the subject matter. In White Knuckles, I deal with formal elements such as...
Show moreIn this thesis body of work, I focus on the implied human presence through the lack of actual human figures. I believe there is more to say in a landscape with the absence of the figure, allowing the dialogue to be read and interpreted by a larger audience. I am particularly satisfied with White Knuckles, shown in figure 3, because I collide reason with imagination, thus contradicting the context and interpretation of the subject matter. In White Knuckles, I deal with formal elements such as composition, atmosphere, lightness and darkness as well as nuances of color. I have also considered the emotive impact the painting could reflect to the viewer, specifically feelings of tension and unease. The placement of the viewer outside the picture plane was carefully considered to suggest the audience is a participant in the suggested narrative. I often strive to create an ambiguous moment, reflecting feelings of uncertainty and apprehension. Like White Knuckles, my body of work employs unexpected narratives to reveal some of the uncomfortable truths of our human experience. I am interested in exploring the relationship between the mundane and the abnormal in the paintings, a feeling that could be described as a (")suburban nightmare.(")
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007532, ucf:52587
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007532
- Title
- Concrete Painting.
- Creator
-
Cafcules, Stephanie, Burrell, Jason, Reedy, Robert, Hall, Scott, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This thesis explores the evolution of my artwork with synthetic materials through influences of the Minimalist and Process Artists of the 1960's and 1970's, inspiration from natural forms, and my exploration of concrete painting. Each work reveals discoveries of different processes and materials, accelerating the creation of new works. It is my hope this thesis will inform viewers about the process and concepts that my work embodies.
- Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005140, ucf:50686
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005140
- Title
- The Weight of Words: Collecting and Visualizing Data from Twitter.
- Creator
-
McSwain, Daniel, Adams, JoAnne, Salter, Anastasia, Kovach, Keith, Smith, Peter, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The Weight of Words is a web-based artwork designed to capture snapshots of Twitter discussions concerning the most popular topics of the day. The growth of social media in recent years has led to a sharp increase in thought and opinion sharing among the vocal population on the Internet. Twitter's use of trending topics allows users to be aware, and be a part of fun or silly stories as well as important news headlines and social movements. The Weight of Words is an exploration into using...
Show moreThe Weight of Words is a web-based artwork designed to capture snapshots of Twitter discussions concerning the most popular topics of the day. The growth of social media in recent years has led to a sharp increase in thought and opinion sharing among the vocal population on the Internet. Twitter's use of trending topics allows users to be aware, and be a part of fun or silly stories as well as important news headlines and social movements. The Weight of Words is an exploration into using Twitter's always changing landscape of conversation to generate graphic visualizations based on the most frequently used words at the time. This thesis includes a discussion regarding design considerations, application architecture, and data mining, as well as an examination of data visualization, social media, and human behavior. Through the construction of these visualizations I aim to provide a unique opportunity to discover patterns and trends from the popular topics of that current day. By providing viewers of this work with a unique perspective, I hope to encourage reflection and discussion of the current state of our culture's behavior and values.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006479, ucf:51422
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006479