Browsing by Subject "Digital Humanities"

Hilma af Klint, an oft-cited but underresearched Swedish artist, is often included in art historical literature on art and spirituality. And yet, the assumed art world affinity between Swedish artist Hilma af Klint and other leading voices on the topic – above all, the Austrian philosopher and esotericist Rudolf Steiner and Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky – demonstrates an urgency to place af Klint within a framework she doesn’t quite belong. This has subsequently led to a misunderstanding of her complexity as an artist and the broader question of spirituality and art. A lack of thorough visual analysis of her early works in much of the secondary scholarship, in addition to the absence of archival research, allows for these speculative claims. However, attending to a closer analysis of her visual imagery as well as available archival information questions the supposed affiliation of af Klint in particular to the assumed work of Steiner. The accepted narrative of af Klint’s relationship to Steiner claims he negatively impacted her works between the years 1908 and 1912. I employ analog, digital, and historical methods to explore this interesting albeit problematic encounter between af Klint and Steiner. These methods afford the opportunity to consider these connections in new and different ways. Analog, digital, and historical methods establish that the Steiner narrative in much of the secondary literature can only be understood as speculative. In addition, digital methods afford an opportunity to analyze this particular moment anew with the assistance of interactive data visualization software and text analytics systems. These systems not only indicate that there was no shift in her iconography before 1908 and after 1912, but also demonstrate the importance of re-evaluating this particular moment in af Klint’s life.

The purpose of this thesis is to visualize the economic system (supply, production, and transportation) and the logistics of the movement of marble in the Roman Empire in an effort to better understand the larger system of material movement in Imperial Rome. This will be accomplished through a digital case study on the largest surviving bath complex in Rome, the Baths of Caracalla, for which we have evidence of the types of materials used in its construction and speculative observations on the quarries from which this material was procured. In order to effectively demonstrate this system and to accurately locate the Baths of Caracalla within the imperial trade network, a detailed visualization of the marble quarries and the web of transportation routes using ArcGIS Pro mapping software was created. Using ArcGIS Pro as a heuristic tool, this map will show the quarry sites and reconstruct the transportation routes by which marble was moved over long distances for the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. While the digital humanities have used the city of Rome as a site for experimental mapping projects on various subjects, this map on the stone quarries in the Roman Empire in relation to the Baths of Caracalla will be the first digital humanities mapping project of its type.

This thesis explores the integration of User Experience (UX) Design in digital humanities, with a focus on Augmented Reality (AR) at Bennett Place. It draws on Brennan's public digital humanity concept, emphasizing the need for public-oriented approaches in digital humanities. The research employs UX design methods, adhering to a workflow comprising research, ideation, design, and user testing.In the research stage, Bennett Place's historical context and visitor personas are analyzed to inform design objectives and user expectations. The ideation stage addresses content design and AR technology selection, aiming for effective information delivery and inclusive user experiences. The design stage details the digital project's implementation. The final delivery of this thesis is an iOS AR app the final stage involves user testing to evaluate the application of AR in enhancing on-site visiting experience at Bennett Place. Although the testing results are not definitive, they provide valuable insights for future digital humanities projects, particularly in public engagement. This thesis demonstrates the effectiveness of AR in enhancing on-site visiting experience at Bennett Place and highlights the potential for incorporating UX methodologies in digital humanities, advocating for more user-focused, engaging, and informative experiences.

The Paris Temple is a monument that has been lost since the start of the 19th century. This thesis aims to digitally reconstruct this monument in a new virtual environment in order to explore the value of digital modeling and mapping. Asking: can we consider these tools effective or not when attempting to reconcile incommensurable historical evidence on spaces that have been either destroyed or transformed? The thesis first reviews the current state of scholarship, in conjunction with the use of digital techniques, surrounding both the Order of the Knights Templar and medieval architecture as a whole.

Through a synthesis of both analog and digital methods a new perspective can be reached. Mapping in this project is only used to contextualize the Paris Temple in the entirety of the Templar Network that spread across Europe. ESRI’s ArcGIS was the mapping tool used to make this map, and a combination of Vectorworks and Autodesk Fusion 360 were used to make the Paris Temple’s model. With these digital techniques the scale of the historical evidence is able to be manipulated in three different ways: in its capacity, temporal qualities, and proximity to the object. Through this manipulation and essential modeling a more holistic understanding of the site was reached.

This purpose of this thesis is to investigate the most significant issues and concerns confronting the Chinese immigrant community in the U.S. through a quantitative analysis of the current states of Chinese America and a qualitative inquiry with Chinese immigrants themselves. Data for this thesis were mainly collected from U.S. Census Bureau and the Immigration Naturalization Services, which served as part of a broad overview of the current states of Chinese society in the U.S. To answer questions that the data alone cannot elaborate on, I inquired into the everyday experience and struggles of immigrant Chinese by conducting oral history interviews.

Based on a careful examination of government records and oral histories, this thesis has recognized that Chinese immigrants’ affluence, high education and cultural identity have positioned Chinese as a “model minority.” However complimentary that term may sound, it represents a stereotype that homogenizes the Chinese community as a successful community and further obscure issues facing the community such as glass ceiling and assimilation. This thesis further examines the complex relationship between Chinese immigrant perceptions regarding model minority as a myth and their expectation to live up to it in the next generation.