Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Vision. Sound'

The introduction of synchronised sound to moving pictures brought the birth of a new form of entertainment, the sound film. As a contemporary moving image medium to the live action film, animated film also successfully adopted synchronised sound. The process of animation is, by its nature, inherently silent so any use of sound involves decisions away from the creation of the image. Thus, there are many opportunities for an inventive audiovisual dialogue to affect an animated film's narrative intention. The marriage of sound to image was initially thought to provide two opportunities of interpretation. The first, that the sound could simply match the expectations of everyday life by working in parallel with the visual action, supporting it in a realistic manner. The second suggested enhancing the narrative by providing sound information that acted in counterpoint to the displayed visual, thus providing a new, different interpretation of meaning to this audiovisual event. In film, a dialogue between sound and image can be created through applying a combination of parallel and counterpoint sound throughout a film's duration. However, after ninety years of the sound film, are there any alternative definitions of audiovisual meaning other than in parallel or counterpoint? To investigate this variation in the interpretation of meaning, this study defined a creative methodological framework that considered sound design choices and their relationship to meaning within animated film, and recognised the influences within animated film production on the sound design decisions made. These formed the hermeneutic categories of sound effect choice, and the physical and meta-influences that inform decisions regarding the chosen sound effects. This framework was developed and applied to case studies using an action research approach. The study concludes that a creative methodological framework for sound effect planning in animated film provides a useful understanding and application of the range of influences in animated film sound production. The research also illustrates that the framework's integral hermeneutic categories provide a valid expansion of the parallel- counterpoint position with regard to informing choice and meaning in sound effect planning. Finally, the study recognises that the framework presents a workable methodology to apply to the sound effect planning process in animated film.

This thesis describes a prototype virtual reality (VR) training system. E scSOPE-VR, designed and implemented for Hydro-Quebec by graduate students at McGill University and Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. The project was motivated by the necessity of providing a realistic training environment for substation operators, while ensuring their safety and the network's integrity at all times.
With the simulator, trainees can carry out all the switching operations necessary for their work in absolute safety, while staying in a realistic environment. A speech-recognition system controls the training session, while audio immersion adds a dimension of realism to the virtual world. An expert-system validates the trainee's operations at all times and a steady-state power-flow simulator recalculates network parameters. The automatic conversion of single-line diagrams enables the construction of three-dimensional models of substation equipment.
The present thesis focuses on the speech command, audio, video and network aspects of the system. A survey of current VR applications and an overview of VR technology are followed by a summary of the E scSOPE-VR project.

Entre le début des années 70 et la fin des années 80, New York va ainsi connaître une parenthèse enchantée (ou cauchemardesque) dans laquelle vont venir s'engouffrer les artistes attirés par les faibles loyers qu'une ville au bord du gouffre offre aux créateurs de tous horizons, et dont nous entendons ici la multiplicité des voix, dans lesquelles nous percevons la démesure d'une passion inconditionnelle. L'histoire et la géographie de New York nous amène donc à comprendre en quoi la même violence traverse aussi bien les compositions de Richard Hell, les peintures de Joe Coleman, les sculptures d'Alan Vega, les performances de Karen Finley, les concerts de G. G. Allin, les films de Nick Zedd et Richard Kern et les photographies de Lydia Lunch, en quoi les métamorphoses du corps sont au centre aussi bien de la musique flamboyante des New York Dolls que des monstrueuses poupées de Greer Lankton, des imprécations de Patti Smith que des installations de Kim Gordon, et en quoi une certaine forme d'ironie fut à la fin des années 70 une planche de salut face au chaos de la ville aussi bien pour les Ramones que pour George Condo, pour Arto Lindsay que pour les images du magazine Punk. .
Starting with the mid seventies, New York City is in ruin, facing bankruptcy, at the same time this situation allows many artists to move in the abandoned lofts and give birth to what we can describe as the downtown art scene : bringing together pop art and pop music, following in the footsteps of Andy Warhol and The Velvet Underground. Our aim is therefore to answer the following questions : to what extent can Lou Reed or Patti Smith's pictures be considered as part of a wider form of expression involving music, stage and poetry ; how does David Byrne transpose Art & Language into the music of his band Talking Heads, how does Arta Lindsay manage to continue the work of Fluxus, how does Joe Coleman or GG Allin give a new meaning to happenings, how can Kim Gordon invent a form of feminist expression by putting together video, painting and rock; how does the Cinema of Transgression devised by Nick Zedd and Richard Kern influence feminist artists as Karen Finley and Lydia Lunch ? In little more than a decade, the art world in New York therefore moved from rages to riches, from the CBGB and The Lower East Side to Wall Street, before moving nowadays to Brooklyn

This thesis studies increasing awareness of the connectedness of the body to architecture. The objective is to explore and investigate the levels of attention required by each sense to summon the corporeal nature of the observers, to call us to a quietness of mind, transcending our western pace and creating awareness that leads our bodies and mind toward a unified perception of place.
Master of Architecture

Historical and contemporary views such as those held within Buddhist and Hindu religion support the idea that sound, colour and form in motion have the ability to alter physiological and psychological aspects of human function. Within these, religions, distinctive singing and meditation techniques can be used to aid concentration, calm and balance the mind, and soothe the body. A meditative technique adopted by Hindu and Buddhist practitioners is to draw the mind into a centred point of focus, blocking out external distractions that inhibit concentration. The sound based meditation Om, for example, is a most powerful mantra, capable of healing and elevating consciousness (Beck, 1995). Vocal sounding and chant as well as gazing at or visualising images are techniques that have been utilised in ancient religious practice to aid people to develop their natural capabilities to shift energy within body and mind. Contemporary neuroscientists are interested in the states of mind that Buddhist monks claim to enter into while sounding. Equipped with technology for analysing brainwave activity, experiments have revealed that electromagnetic stimuli such as sound, light and colour can have physical affect upon the practitioner’s brain. Researchers have developed new therapeutic tools and techniques to benefit the health and well-being of individuals from these findings. This thesis traces the therapeutic use of sound, light, colour and form in motion from ancient Hindu and Buddhist religion into its use in complementary therapy. Sound Vision is the name of the film which fulfils the practical component of this research. Inspired by the visual form and motion of sound, this thesis contemplates: if we could see sound, what would it look like and could those images function as a healing art form? Sound Vision translates ancient and contemporary techniques of therapy into a digital audio/visual medium to function as visual therapy and aid for meditation. The themes of this research are foremost to visualise sound and secondly to deduce aspects of sound and vision that have therapeutic qualities. Chapter Three of this thesis thematically outlines qualities of sound that have been found to be capable of exciting or calming its listener. The same process has been applied for vision, specifically how light and colour affect the viewer as well as for form in motion. An interim presentation of the preliminary film, Dance of Light, was exhibited in November 2008 and here formative feedback was gained through unobtrusive observation and discussions with viewers toward the development of Sound Vision. Aspects of the film were found to provoke feelings of unease and tension while other aspects incited focus and calm. Sound Vision, serves as a prototype apply healing using light therapy to create positive physical and psychological outcomes. From the research presented within this thesis, Sound Vision employs various digital methods and techniques which are recognised with ability towards healing. Explorations to further this thesis’ research may include Neurological brainwave analysis and patient testing to determine which kinds of video footage produce particular desirable results.

Titel: Individuella skillnader i sensoriska behov: “Need for Scent”, “Need for Sound” och “Need for Vision” skalor. Ett bidrag till ämnets teoriutveckling.   Nivå: C-uppsats, examensarbete i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Emma Ekholm och Alexandra von Schreeb Handledare: Jonas Kågström Datum: 2017- maj                                                      Syfte: Avsikten med vår undersökning är att bidra till teoriutveckling inom ämnet sinnesmarknadsföring. Syftet med undersökningen är att analysera om och i så fall hur “Need for Touch” skalan går att omsättas till andra sinnen och användas inom multisensorisk marknadsföring.                                                                                                                        Metod: I denna studie har en kvantitativ studie utförts där 158 enkätsvar samlades in via en webbaserad undersökning där skalorna testades på respondenterna. Enkätsvaren analyserades i analysprogrammet SPSS där faktoranalys, klusteranalys och korrelationsanalys genomfördes. Resultat & Analys: Studien visade att sex faktorer kunde bildas varav faktor ett och två kunde bilda två stycken självständiga skalor, behov av doft (“Need for Scent”) och behov av ljud (“Need for Sound”), medan faktor tre, fyra och fem visar en tredimensionell skala, behov av syn (“Need for vision”). Fyra stycken kluster bildades även där vi fick fram ett kluster som uppvisar mycket högsensoriska beteenden och ett kluster som uppvisar mycket lågsensoriska beteenden.                                                                                             Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Då vi har konstaterat att sinnena doft, ljud och syn bildat självständiga skalor kan fortsatt forskning använda skalorna i konsumentforskning. Fortsatt forskning kan även studera varje kluster på ett djupare plan genom kvalitativa intervjuer. Vidare vore det även intressant att se om våra skalor går att omsätta till sinnet smak, någonting som inte har studerats tidigare. Uppsatsens bidrag: Undersökningen har bidragit till att utveckla den teoretiska grunden inom ämnet sinnesmarknadsföring och genom att vi har utökat Peck och Childers (2013) skala om behov av beröring till tre stycken nya fungerande skalor har vi belyst att det faktiskt är möjligt att använda sig av skalor för doft, ljud och syn för att mäta konsumenters individuella behov av doft, ljud och syn gällande produktutvärdering.
Title: Individual differences in sensory needs, “Need for Scent”, “Need for Sound” and “Need for Vision” scales: a contribution to theory development, in the subject of sensory marketing.  Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degrees in Business Administration Author: Emma Ekholm and Alexandra von Schreeb Supervisor: Jonas Kågström Date: 2017 - May Aim: The purpose of our study is to contribute to the field of theory development, in the subject of sensory marketing. The aim of the survey is to analyze how the Need for Touch scale can be converted into other senses, and to be used in multisensory marketing. Method: In this study, a quantitative study was performed and 158 questionnaires were collected from a web-based survey where the scales were tested on the respondents. We analyzed our collected data in the statistical program SPSS and a factor analysis, cluster analysis and a correlation analysis were conducted. Result & Analysis: This study present six different factors from the factor analysis, of which factor one and two made two independent scales, “Need for Scent” and “Need for Sound”. Factor three, four and five all includes vision, and developed a three-dimensional scale “Need for Vision”. This study also present four clusters, where we developed one cluster that exhibited very high-sensory behaviors and a second cluster that exhibited very low-sensory behaviors. Suggestions for future research: Since we found that the senses smell, sound and vision could be formed into three independent scales, future research could use the scales on consumer research. Future research could also study each cluster individually on a deeper level with qualitative interviews. Furthermore, it would be interesting to examine if our scales could be transformed into the sense of taste. Which has not yet been studied. Contribution of the thesis:  The study has contributed to develop the theoretical foundation in the subject of sensory marketing, and by expanding Peck and Childers (2013) “Need for Touch” scale to three new functional scales. We highlighted how it is possible to use scales for scent, sound and vision to measure consumers individual need for scent, sound and vision in regarding product evaluation.

The thesis aims at a critical reflexion on experimental ethnography with a special focus on the role of sound. A reassessment of its predominant discourse, as conceptualized by Cathrine Russell, is paired with a conceptual approach to film sound and audio-vision. By reactivating experimental filmmaker Peter Kubelka’s concept sync event and its aesthetic realisation in Unsere Afrikareise (Our Trip to Africa, Peter Kubelka, 1966) the thesis provide a themed reflection on the materiality of film as audiovisual relation. Sync event is a concept focused on the separation and meeting of image and sound to create new meanings, or metaphors. By reintroducing the concept and discussing its implication in relation to Michel Chion’s audio-vision, the thesis theorizes the audiovisual relation in ethnographic/documentary film more broadly. Through examples from the Russian avant-garde and Surrealism the sync event is connected to a historical genealogy of audiovisual experiments. With James Clifford’s notion ethnographic allegory Unsere Afrikareise becomes a case in point of experimental ethnography at work. The sync event is comprehended as an ethnographic allegory with the audience at its focal point; a colonial critique performed in the active process of audio-viewing film.

The problem of this experimental study is to determine to what extent visual information may dominate over audio information. Additionally, the experimental design addresses problems with previous research in this area and emphasizes simplified approaches to the study of channel condition effects. The study does not include investigations of learning theory or short-term memory, but processes of listening and long-term memory are incorporated into the design. A stimulus of sound effects and slides was utilized in one audio and two audio-visual channel conditions, and results showed a high recall among all subjects in all three conditions. The study concludes that channel condition has little effect at low levels of information.

La plupart des études menées sur la dimension scénique du théâtre français et européen pour la période couvrant la fin du XIXe siècle et le début du XXe siècle portent sur la scénographie (espace, décor, éclairage, liens avec la peinture et le nouveau média cinématographique). Si les éléments sonores sont souvent mentionnés et parfois analysés, c’est de façon compartimentée, selon des catégories (voix – déclamation et diction–, musique, bruitage) qui ne sont pas réinterrogées. La dimension acoustique en tant que telle n’est pas problématisée. Or, l’art du théâtre se fonde sur un dispositif où l’écoute importe autant que la vue, la première pouvant l’emportant sur la seconde, et la période étudiée constitue dans l’histoire du son un moment-charnière, avec l’apparition groupée du téléphone, du phonographe et du microphone (1875-1878), les progrès de l’acoustique scientifique et de l’otologie, la transformation des pratiques de l’écoute. Les raisons de l’oubli du sonore sont complexes : la prééminence accordée à la vision dans la pensée occidentale, l’invention de la « mise en scène », la résistance du théâtre aux nouvelles technologies sonores. Nourrie de l’apport des Sound Studies, la thèse remet le son dans le jeu : après avoir dressé un panorama de la pensée et du paysage sonore intermédial à la fin du XIXe siècle (théâtrophone, enregistrements d’acteurs, etc.), elle observe les effets plus profonds du « tournant acoustique » sur l’espace dramatique, sur la figure scénique, sur la vocalité, respectivement étudiés à travers les pratiques de trois poètes-hommes de théâtre : Maeterlinck, Jarry, Charles Cros. Ce sont les bases du théâtre qui ont été interrogées
The majority of studies on scenic dimensions of late 19th - early 20th century French and European theatre center on scenography (space, scenery, lights, relations to painting and new cinematographic media). If certain aspects of sound are mentioned, and sometimes analyzed, the approaches are often compartmentalized into categories including voice (declamation, music, sound effects, which are never themselves questioned). The acoustical dimension is never fully problematized. However, the art of theatre is founded on a schema where listening matters as much as seeing, if not more. In the history of sound, the period on which this study comports constitutes an important turning point, with the invention of the telephone, phonograph, and microphone (1875-1878), progress in the fields of acoustical science and otology, and the transformation of listening practices. The reasons for sound’s oversight are multiple, including the pre-eminence accorded to vision in Occidental thought, the invention of the “mise en scène”, theatre’s resistance to new sound technologies. Nourished by Sound Studies, this dissertation seeks to bring sound back into play. After presenting a panorama of the activities and thought emerging from the intermedial soundscape at the end of the 19th century (théâtrophone, actor’s recordings, etc), it observes the deeper effects of these acoustical phonomena on dramatic space, the scenic figure, and vocality through respective studies of three poets-theatre creators: Maurice Maeterlinck, Alfred Jarry and Charles Cros. The very bases of theatre are interrogated

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In a world of sensory overload, it is becoming increasingly important to provide environments that enable us to recover our sense of well being. Such restorative (`tranquil¿) environments need to comprise sufficient sensory stimulation to keep us engaged, whilst at the same time providing opportunity for reflection and relaxation. One essential aspect in safeguarding existing, or developing new `tranquil space¿, is understanding the optimum relationship between the soundscape and the visual composition of a location. This research represents a first step in understanding the effects of audio-visual interaction on the perception of tranquillity and identifies how the interpretation of acoustic information is an integral part of this process. By using uni and bi-modal auditory-visual stimuli in a two stage experimental strategy, it has been possible to measure the key components of the tranquillity construct. The findings of this work should be of particular interest to those charged with landscape management, such as National Park Authorities, Regional Councils, and other agencies concerned with providing and maintaining public amenity.
EPSRC, Wellcome Trust

Cette thèse présente un nouvel instrument de musique, appelé Embodied Musical Instrument (EMI), qui a été conçu pour répondre à deux problèmes : comment pouvons-nous “capturer” et modéliser des gestes musicaux et comment utiliser ce modèle afin de contrôler des paramètres de synthèse sonore de manière expressive. L'EMI est articulé autour d'une stratégie de “mapping explicite” qui s'inspire de techniques du jeu pianistique, mais aussi du potentiel gestuel de certains objets. Le système que nous proposons utilise des caméras 3D et des algorithmes de vision par ordinateur afin de libérer le geste de dispositifs intrusifs, tout en facilitant le processus de capture et de performance. Nous utilisons différentes caméras 3D pour le suivi de geste et exploitons pleinement leur potentiel en ajoutant une plaque transparente. Cette plaque créer un seuil de détection pour les doigtés, mais fournit aussi une rétroaction haptique, simple mais nécessaire. Nous avons examiné les gestes des doigts par rapport à la surface de l’EMI et nous avons décomposé leurs trajectoires en phases élémentaires, ce qui nous a permis de modéliser et d'analyser des gestes de type pianistique. Une étude préliminaire sur les gestes musicaux a porté notre intérêt non seulement sur les gestes “effectifs” opérés par les doigts - dans le cas des instruments à claviers - mais aussi sur les gestes “d’accompagnements” et “figuratifs”, caractérisés principalement par les mouvements des bras et de la tête. Par conséquent, nous distinguons deux niveaux d'interactions, délimités par deux volumes d’interaction: un volume englobant dit “micro” inclut les micro-gestes opérés par les doigts, tandis qu’un volume englobant dit “macro” comprend des mouvements plus importants du haut du corps. À partir de cela, nous étendons notre modèle de jeu pianistique à un paradigme d'interaction 3D, où les paramètres musicaux de haut niveau, tels que les effets sonores (filtres, réverbération, spatialisation), peuvent être contrôlés en continu par des mouvements du haut du corps. Nous avons exploré un ensemble de scénarios réels pour cet instrument, à savoir la pratique, la composition et la performance. L'EMI introduit un cadre pour la capture et l'analyse de gestes musicaux spécifiques. Une analyse hors ligne des fonctionnalités gestuelles peut révéler des tendances, des défauts et des spécificités d'une interprétation musicale. Plusieurs œuvres musicales ont été créées pour l’EMI, réalisées en solo, accompagnées d'un quatuor à cordes, et d’autres ensembles musicaux. Un retour d'expérience montre que l'instrument peut être facilement enseigné - sinon de manière autodidacte - grâce aux paradigmes gestuels intuitifs tirés de gestes pianistiques et d'autres gestes métaphoriques
This thesis presents a novel musical instrument, named the Embodied Musical Instrument (EMI), which has been designed to answer two problems : how can we capture and model musical gestures and how can we use this model to control sound synthesis parameters expressively. The EMI is articulated around an explicit mapping strategy, which draws inspiration from the piano-playing techniques and other objects’ affordances. The system we propose makes use of 3D cameras and computer vision algorithms in order to free the gesture from intrusive devices and ease the process of capture and performance, while enabling precise and reactive tracking of the fingertips and upper-body. Having recourse to different 3D cameras tracking solutions, we fully exploit their potential by adding a transparent sheet, which serves as a detection threshold for fingerings as well as bringing a simple but essential haptic feedback. We examined finger movements while tapping on the surface of the EMI and decomposed their trajectories into essential phases, which enabled us to model and analyse piano-like gestures. A preliminary study of generic musical gestures directed our interest not only on the effective gestures operated by the fingers - in the case of keyboard instruments - but also on the accompanying and figurative gestures, which are mostly characterised by the arms and head movements. Consequently, we distinguish two level of interactions, delimited by two bounding volumes. The micro bounding volume includes the micro-gestures operated with the fingers, while the macro bounding volume includes larger movements with the upper-body. Building from this, we extend our piano-like model to a 3D interaction paradigm, where higher-level musical parameters, such as sound effects, can be controlled continuously by upper-body free movements. We explored a set of real-world scenarios for this instrument, namely practice, composition and performance. The EMI introduces a framework for capture and analysis, of specific musical gestures. An off-line analysis of gesture features can reveal trends, faults and musical specificities of an interpret. Several musical works have been created and performed live; either solo or accompanied by a string quartet, revealing the body gesture specificities through the sounds it synthesises. User experience feedback shows that the instrument can be easily taught - if not self-taught - thanks to the intuitive gesture paradigms drawn from piano-like gestures and other metaphorical gestures

The thesis aims at a critical reflexion on experimental ethnography with a special focus on the role of sound. A reassessment of its predominant discourse, as conceptualized by Cathrine Russell, is paired with a conceptual approach to film sound and audiovision. By reactivating experimental filmmaker Peter Kubelka’s concept sync event and its aesthetic realisation in Unsere Afrikareise (Our Trip to Africa, Peter Kubelka, 1966) the thesis provide a themed reflection on the materiality of film as audiovisual relation. Sync event is a concept focused on the separation and meeting of image and sound to create new meanings, or metaphors. By reintroducing the concept and discussing its implication in relation to Michel Chion’s audio-vision, the thesis theorizes the audiovisual relation in ethnographic/documentary film more broadly.Through examples from the Russian avant-garde and Surrealism the sync event is connected to a historical genealogy of audiovisual experiments. With James Clifford’s notion ethnographic allegory Unsere Afrikareise becomes as a case in point of experimental ethnography at work. The sync event is comprehended as an ethnographic allegory with the audience at its focal point; a colonial critique performed in the active process of audio-viewing film.

This article investigates the possibilities of human-humanoid interaction with robots whose computational power is limited. The project has been carried during a year of work at the Computer and Robot Vision Laboratory (VisLab), part of the Institute for Systems and Robotics in Lisbon, Portugal. Communication, the basis of interaction, is simultaneously visual, verbal, and gestural. The robot's algorithm provides users a natural language communication, being able to catch and understand the person’s needs and feelings. The design of the system should, consequently, give it the capability to dialogue with people in a way that makes possible the understanding of their needs. The whole experience, to be natural, is independent from the GUI, used just as an auxiliary instrument. Furthermore, the humanoid can communicate with gestures, touch and visual perceptions and feedbacks. This creates a totally new type of interaction where the robot is not just a machine to use, but a figure to interact and talk with: a social robot.

This thesis explores how a displayed image and architecture interact together. This manifesto is analogically explored using parts of the human body such as the eyeballs as a structural analysis for the buildings with a projection of the cornea, the pupil, the retina, the optic nerves and the brain. This analysis follows a sequential order of capturing light, transcribing light into image, and displaying such image onto a screen. Both, the image and architecture are created parallel to each other respectively when conceiving an architectural idea in order to develop the idea into a building and then perceiving the architecture from such building. These steps are a cinematic approach using a video camera to record an experience of movement through the journey of a metro ride. This video is one of the tools used to edit an urban tissue of downtown Washington, D.C. The project becomes a Center for the Art of Moving Images exposing vectors of movements through its architecture. The building is manifested in a three-dimensional design where the site provides a sunken plaza 60 ft below street level perceived as a new floor in the city. The underground metro station transitions to the street surface through the use of this plaza in a very harmonious way. The result is a visual depth parallel to the perspectives perceived in movies where you see beyond the surface of the screen and in this case, beyond the surface of the city.
Master of Architecture

Over the period of candidature, write and direct a feature film to completion. Furthermore, undertake a thorough reflective phase which involves the analysis of each aspect relating to those key components, writing and directing. Through this form of creative practice and utilising state of the art digital filmmaking techniques it is hoped that an addition to knowledge will be achieved.

Ska is a Caribbean born musical genre that was originally created from oppressive conditions and from where Caribbean slaves had used music to preserve African culture during colonial times. Such a context gave way to the emergence of a Rastafarian culture that created Ska, and even though it is a music of past times, it is now adopted, transformed, and rearticulated by Latinxs in Los Angeles into new conditions and into new dialogues. By drawing on Antonio Gramsci’s theories of common sense and subalternity, I advance that through the musical realm the racially oppressed create spaces of solidarity where they identify collective antagonisms and articulate inherited social symptoms. The racially oppressed organize spaces that push away from the antagonisms of social life and dance to rhythms that have historically developed in relation to structures of power. While not all songs express a relation to structures of power, the dialogical process that takes place in the Latinx Ska space is articulated from a community that has a history of inequality, displacement, and a policed existence; it is the cultural perspective of the historically oppressed. This thesis explores Los Angeles Latinx Ska as a cultural formation that articulates contemporary contradictions through a rhythmic common sense that in turn creates the avenues to articulate and struggle for hegemony.

The present study intended to examine the neural basis of audiovisual integration, hypothetically achieved by synchronized gamma-band oscillations (30--80 Hz) that have been suggested to integrate stimulus features and top--down information. To that end, we studied the impact of visual symbolic information on early auditory sensory processing of upcoming sounds. In particular, we used a symbol-to-sound--matching paradigm in which simple score-like patterns predict corresponding sound patterns. Occasionally, a single sound is incongruent with the corresponding element of the visual pattern. In response to expected sounds congruent with the corresponding visual symbol, a power increase of phase-locked (evoked) activity in the 40-Hz band was observed peaking 42-ms poststimulus onset. Thus, for the first time, we demonstrated that the comparison process between a neural model, the expectation, and the current sensory input is implemented at very early levels of auditory processing. Subsequently, expected congruent sounds elicited a broadband power increase of non--phase-locked (induced)activity peaking 152-ms poststimulus onset, which might reflect the formation of a unitary event representation including both visual and auditory aspects of the stimulation. Gamma-band responses were not present for unexpected incongruent sounds. A model explaining the anticipatory activation of cortical auditory representations and the match of experience against expectation is presented

Cette these est consacree a l'etude des langues gestuelles creees independemment de toute influence linguistique exterieure par des sourds de naissance, analphabetes, vivant au sein d'une communaute entendante et sans contact avec des sourds autres que ceux de leurs propres familles. Au cours de plusieurs sejours dans des reserves amerindiennes du canada et en chine rurale entre 1977 et 1986, j'ai pu localiser et etudier une douzaine de sujets. L'analyse des contraintes cognitovisuelles dans leurs processus de creation gestuelle m'a permis de rapprocher les demarches lexico-syntaxiques de ces sourds de phenomenes paralleles dans les langues orales enfantines et dans l'ecriture picto-ideographique chinoise
The present dissertation is devoted to the study of the gestural languages created by native deaf signers who live in a hearing community and have had no contact with any other deaf persons apart from their own kin. Since they are illiterate and deaf by birth, their personal gesture languages can be considered as being created without any conventional linguistic models. During my several sojourns in the amerindian reservations of northern canada and in the rural areas of china from 1977 to 1986, i succeeded in localizing and studying a dozen subjects. The analysis of the cognito-visual constraints in their gestural creating process allowed me to compare the lexico-syntactic mechanisms involved with the parallel phenomena observed in oral child languages and chinese picto-ideographic writing

In binocular rivalry, paradigms have been proposed for unobtrusive moment-by-moment readout of observers' perceptual experience (“no-report paradigms”). Here, we take a first step to extend this concept to auditory multistability. Observers continuously reported which of two concurrent tone sequences they perceived in the foreground: high-pitch (1008 Hz) or low-pitch (400 Hz) tones. Interstimulus intervals were either fixed per sequence (Experiments 1 and 2) or random with tones alternating (Experiment 3). A horizontally drifting grating was presented to each eye; to induce binocular rivalry, gratings had distinct colors and motion directions. To associate each grating with one tone sequence, a pattern on the grating jumped vertically whenever the respective tone occurred. We found that the direction of the optokinetic nystagmus (OKN)—induced by the visually dominant grating—could be used to decode the tone (high/low) that was perceived in the foreground well above chance. This OKN-based readout improved after observers had gained experience with the auditory task (Experiments 1 and 2) and for simpler auditory tasks (Experiment 3). We found no evidence that the visual stimulus affected auditory multistability. Although decoding performance is still far from perfect, our paradigm may eventually provide a continuous estimate of the currently dominant percept in auditory multistability.

Negli ultimi anni, studi scientifici hanno evidenziato come il nostro sistema nervoso abbia la capacità di combinare e integrare informazioni di diversa natura sensoriale. Una interazione ampiamente studiata è quella audiovisiva. Oggetto principale di questa tesi è un esempio di interazione audiovisiva, ovvero un fenomeno illusorio visivo indotto dal suono che prende il nome “sound-induced flash illusion”: quando una coppia flash+beep è preceduta o seguita - ad una distanza temporale detta Stimulus Onset Asynchorny (SOA) - da un secondo beep, i soggetti spesso riportano la percezione di aver visto due flash. Il fenomeno illusorio tende a svanire al crescere dell’SOA, e si definisce “finestra temporale d’integrazione” l’intervallo di valori di SOA all’interno del quale si verifica l’illusione. Il fenomeno illusorio è presente anche nei soggetti autistici; questi, rispetto ai soggetti sani, presentano una maggiore propensione nel riportare l’illusione e una finestra temporale d’integrazione di durata maggiore. Obiettivo di questo lavoro è stato approfondire questi fenomeni di interazione mediante l’utilizzo di un modello di rete neurale precedentemente sviluppato dal gruppo di Bioingegneria dell’Università di Bologna. Tale modello era in grado di simulare il fenomeno illusorio, ma presentava il limite di non considerare l’intera finestra temporale in cui tale fenomeno si verifica. Un’analisi di sensitività del modello ha individuato quali variazioni dei parametri potessero spiegare l’illusione in un ampio intervallo temporale e interpretare le differenze tra soggetti sani e soggetti autistici. I risultati delle simulazioni hanno evidenziato un soddisfacente accordo con i dati di letteratura. Le analisi svolte possono contribuire a chiarire i meccanismi alla base del fenomeno illusorio e della finestra temporale in cui esso ha luogo e a fare luce sulle possibili alterazioni nelle singole aree cerebrali e nella interazione tra esse che possono interpretare le differenze osservate nei soggetti autistici rispetto ai sani.

Cette thèse consiste à explorer l’usage de la réalité augmenté sonore pour la visite de musées. Notre objectif est de proposer un audioguide permettant d’immerger le visiteur dans une scène sonore constituée de sons ambiants et de commentaires associés aux objets exposés, et de minimiser ses efforts pour découvrir ces objets et interagir avec cet environnement sonore. La première contribution de cette thèse concerne la mise en place d’une preuve de concept de SARIM (Sound Augmented Reality Interface for visiting Museum). Cette preuvede concept a été développée en utilisant des capteurs de position et d’orientation filaire et non filaire. La deuxième contribution concerne la modélisation de la visite augmentée par la dimension sonore. Après une étude des modèles existants, l’objectif est de concevoir un modèle comprenant une représentation du visiteur,du paysage sonore et de la navigation et offrant une grande flexibilité pour créer l’environnement sonore. Ce modèle a comme finalité de faciliter la conception de différents types de scénarios de visite sur la base de la notion de zone d’audibilité. La troisième contribution de cette thèse est le travail d’évaluation mené dans un environnement réel qu’est le musée des arts et métiers de Paris, et qui a permis de confirmer l’utilisabilité, ainsi que l’apport didactique et ludique que procure la réalité augmentée sonore en général et le système SARIM en particulier pour prolonger et enrichir la visite de musées
The goal of this thesis is to explore the use of sound to enhance the museum visit. We aim to provide anaudioguide to immerse the visitor in a soundstage consisting of ambient sounds and comments associated withthe exhibits, and minimize its efforts to discover these objects and interact with the sound environment. Thefirst contribution of this thesis is the implementation of a proof of concept of SARIM (Sound AugmentedReality Interface for visiting Museum). This proof of concept was developed using position sensors andguidance wired and wirelessly. The second contribution concerns the modeling of the augmented visit by thesound dimension. After a review of existing models, the objective is to design a model that includes arepresentation of the visitor, the soundscape and navigation, offering the flexibility to create the soundenvironment. This model has the purpose of facilitating the design of different types of scenarios based on theconcept of audibility area. The Third contribution of this thesis is the evaluation conducted in a realenvironment what the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Paris, which confirmed the usability, as well as providingeducational and ludic impact of the audio augmented reality in general and the SARIM in particular to extendand enrich the museum visits

The acoustics of small cavities raises interest of the scientific community since it involves particular damping mechanisms. In fluid dynamics, when a small perturbation is propagating within a Newtonian and heat-conducting fluid bounded by a rigid and isothermal surface, viscous and thermal dissipative mechanisms are generated near the walls. Such effects can have significant impact on the acoustic behaviour of the system.

Several types of practical applications can be cited, among which: hearing aids, micro-electro-mechanical systems (transducers, microphones and loud-speakers), absorbing materials made of thin capillary nets or small pores, dissipative silencers, thermo-acoustic heat exchangers, or any kind of device bringing into play small resonant cavities filled with a dissipative fluid (micro-acoustics).

This study focuses on appropriated reductions of the physical equations, in order to enhance the efficiency of the numerical resolution without adversely affecting the accuracy. Moreover, the proposed strategies lead to numerically stable systems as they involve only one scalar partial order differential equation (or equivalent fluid equation). The emphasis is put on the physical aspect of those reductions, their range of applicability, benefits and drawbacks.

Two new reduced models are proposed to estimate the visco-thermal acoustic wave propagation. A first extension deals with waveguide geometries and relax the hypothesis of the fluid at rest. The second original formulation addresses visco-thermal acoustics in 3D arbitrary geometries. This model is based on different considerations coming from existing techniques as well as the estimation of a wall-distance field.

A second part aims at studying the acoustic behaviour of biphasic materials and more specifically poro-elastic materials. This type of acoustic component is widely used in industry because of their good absorbing properties in the medium- and high-frequency

ranges.

A preliminary bibliographic research deals with the derivation of the set of partial order differential equations that account for both fluid/structure interactions and the anisotropy of a given poro-elastic material. It has been shown that transversely orientated capillary materials (for instance catalyst substrates) can be simulated using the proposed reduction technique.

At last, the modelling of the acoustic transmission between two domains separated by perforated or micro-perforated plates or thin plates of poro-elastic materials is discussed. The analogy between the rigid perforated plate models with an equivalent fluid formulation has been presented. As a result, this model has been extended in order to account for flexural effects of the solid part.

Ce travail porte sur l'étude de certains phénomènes d'amortissements intervenant dans l'acoustique des petites cavités. En méchanique des fluides, lorsqu'une petite perturbation se propage au sein d'un fluide newtonien et caloporteur borné par un mur rigide et isotherme, ces mécanismes dissipatifs particuliers se localisent aux abords des parois et jouent un rôle significatif dans certaines situations.

Parmi les exemples d'applications pratiques, il est possible de citer les appareils d'aide auditive, les systèmes microélectromécaniques (transducteurs, microphones et haut-parleurs), les matériaux absorbants constitués de fins réseaux capillaires ou de pores aux dimensions réduites, les systèmes de silencieux, d'échangeurs de chaleur thermo-acoustiques ou tout autre appareil mettant en jeu des cavités résonantes aux dimensions réduites (micro-acoustique).

L'étude proposée ici se focalise sur des stratégies de réduction appropriées des équations physiques, ceci afin d'améliorer l'efficacité du modèle tout en conservant une précision acceptable. Les techniques présentées aboutissent à des systèmes numériquement stables mettant en jeu une seule équation scalaire (ou équation fluide équivalent). Ainsi, l'accent est porté sur l'aspect physique des réductions, leurs domaines d'application, avantages et inconvénients.

Deux modèles originaux sont proposés afin de prédire la propagation acoustique visco-thermique. Une première extension permet d'évaluer la pression acoustique au sein de géométries particulières de type guides d'onde en présence d'un écoulement hydrodynamique. La seconde formulation présentée s'intéresse à l'acoustique dans des domaines 3D arbitraires. Cette méthode se base sur des considérations conjointes de modèles réduits existants ainsi que sur l'estimation d'un champ de distance à la plus proche paroi.

Dans une seconde partie, nous nous proposons d'étudier le comportement acoustique de matériaux biphasique et plus précisément les matériaux poro-élastiques (très utilisés dans l'industrie en raison de leurs caractéristiques absorbantes dans les domaines des moyennes et hautes fréquences).

Une étude bibliographique préliminaire nous a permis d'exprimer l'ensemble des équations aux dérivées

partielles modélisant à la fois les interactions fluide/structure et l'anisotropie générale des matériaux.

Cette réflexion nous a permis d'aboutir à un modèle de matériau isotrope transverse intéressant, combinant le modèle fluide proposé et la formulation acousto-élastique équivalente. Ainsi la modélisation de structures capillaires orientées (comme les matériaux utilisés dans les catalyseurs automobiles) s'en trouve grandement simplifiée.

Enfin, la transmission acoustique intervenant entre deux domaines fluides séparés par une plaque perforée ou micro-perforée ou bien une couche de matériau poreux a été étudiée. L'analogie entre les modèlisations existantes et un modèle générique de fluide équivalent a été mise en évidence. Pour finir, cette formulation a été étendue afin de prendre en compte les effets de flexion de la partie solide.
Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

碩士
國立中正大學
電機工程所
97
We have developed speech recognition system which allows user able to command robot through voice, and the localization system can provide the position information of the user to robot for more services. The two main topics of this thesis are to develop a function through dialogue to control robot by speech recognition system and the Human-Robot Interaction to use 3D information of sound and image. In the conversation mode, we use the Hidden Markov Model for speech recognition, and then based on forward-backward algorithm to solve the evaluation problem and decoding problem for speech recognition in Hidden Markov Model. Thus people can command robot through voice, to make robots seem more intimacy. In addition, if service robot doesn’t know user’s position, the service robot able to provide services is limited. Usually sound and image can provide good information for localizing user. The robot can obtain information of direction by sound time delay between two microphones, robot can calculate the azimuth angle and elevation angle between robot and user through two microphone pair. As soon as robot gets direction information, and the robot requires will then the distance information to obtain the position of user. Robot is able to estimate the distance from user to robot through the disparity of user face center in left and right image.

No
A controversial hypothesis within the domain of sensory research is that observers are able to use visual and auditory distance cues to maintain perceptual synchrony - despite the differential velocities of light and sound. Here we show that observers are categorically unable to utilize such distance cues. Nevertheless, given a period of adaptation to the naturally occurring audiovisual asynchrony associated with each viewing distance, a temporal recalibration mechanism helps to perceptually compensate for the effects of distance-induced auditory delays. These effects demonstrate a novel functionality of temporal recalibration with clear ecological benefits.

碩士
國立雲林科技大學
視覺傳達設計學研究所
87
The research of the application of the comic on the vision － taken the sound words and the reading order as the key Student：Cheng Chun-huang Advisor：Thzeng Chi-Shiung Department of Visual Communication Design Nathion Yunlin University of Science & Technology Abstract The way to present the comic is the same as the fine arts of printing. Therefore, each comicer has his or her specialty on the touch of drawing and vision style. However, to dealing with the creativity of comic, each combination of the single segment of drawing and/or picture with the sound word(s) creates a special function on the vision. That also affects the way of reading on the comic (book). This research starts with the discussion of the creativity of comic. Then the segment of drawing and the sound words will be taken as the key to study and discuss the relationship between the reading and the drawing/printing skill of comic. The purpose of this research is to try to understand and recognize the language of vision developed from/presented through the comic to offer the creator of comic and the vision worker to have a guide-line to practice their creativity. According to this study, the following facts and phenomenon are found and discovered. To dealing with the drawing/picture of comic, the sound words play an important role especially on the description of content of drawing/picture and improve the message of the comic. Sometime, people may have a different understanding to the description of sound words. Or people may use different words to describe the same things/sound. However, by linking with the drawing/picture, the reader and the comicer will have a close opinion to the sound words to understand the whole message from each segment. In addition, to the comic, the usage of sound words is not only to describe the sound. That also includes the exposure of the sense of timing, space, sensation, and emotion. The sound words present the both characters of "word/meaning" and "picture". The sound words own the character of picture but, anyway, the nature of sound words is based on their meaning. Meanwhile, to analysis the system of language, there are two basic structures found. One is based on the pronunciation like most language used by Western countries. Another system is based on the recognition of vision like Chinese. Therefore, based on the nature of Chinese, it is more difficult to describe and explain the sound in detail when the sound words used in comic. Based on organizing and linking the segments together, the psychic effect of vision will be created by the space between the two segments and also created by the message/story transferred through the two segments. The structure and function of segments will lead the reader to follow its direction of vision, sense of timing, and strength of story. According to the statistic data, most Chinese and Japanese comic is developed as five segments. And then it concerns as six, four, and seven segments. In the meantime, the printing direction of dialogue, the motion of object, and the space between the segments will affect the reader''s reading direction directly. The printing direction of sound words and the size of segment do not have such effect directly to the reader.

Cette thèse en recherche-création est une réflexion sur l’espace du geste-son. La dé- marche artistique de l’auteure, reposant sur six éléments : le corps, le son, le geste, l’image vidéo, l’espace physique et l’espace technologique, a été intégrée dans la conception d’un système de captation de mouvement en vision par ordinateur, le SICMAP (Système In- teractif de Captation du Mouvement en Art Performatif). Cette approche propose une nouvelle pratique performative hybride. Dans un premier temps, l’auteure situe sa démarche artistique en s’appuyant sur les trois piliers de la méthodologie transdisciplinaire : les niveaux de Réalité et de perception (le corps et l’espace-matière), la logique du tiers inclus (l’espace du geste-son) et la com- plexité (éléments du processus de création). Ces concepts transdisciplinaires sont ensuite mis en relation à travers l’analyse d’œuvres arborant un élément commun à la démarche de l’auteure, soit le corps au centre d’un univers sensoriel. L’auteure met ensuite en lumière des éléments relatifs à la pratique scénique susci- tée par cette démarche artistique innovante à travers le corps expressif. Le parcours du performeur-créateur, menant à la conception du SICMAP, est ensuite exposé en passant par une réflexion sur l’« instrument rêvé » et la réalisation de deux interfaces gestuelles pré- paratoires. Sous-entendant une nouvelle gestuelle dans un contexte d’interface sans retour haptique, la typologie du geste instrumental est revisitée dans une approche correspondant au nouveau paradigme de l’espace du geste-son. En réponse à ces recherches, les détails de la mise en œuvre du SICMAP sont ensuite présentés sous l’angle de l’espace technologique et de l’application de l’espace du geste- son. Puis, les compositions réalisées lors du développement du SICMAP sont décrites d’un point de vue artistique et poïétique à travers les éléments fondateurs du processus de création de l’auteure. La conclusion résume les objectifs de cette recherche-création ainsi que les contributions de cette nouvelle pratique performative hybride.
This research-creation thesis is a reflection on the gesture-sound space. The author’s artistic research, based on six elements: body, sound, gesture, video, physical space, and technological space, was integrated in the conception of a motion capture system based on computer vision, the SICMAP (Système Interactif de Captation du Mouvement en Art Performatif – Interactive Motion Capture System For Performative Arts). This approach proposes a new performative hybrid practice. In the first part, the author situates her artistic practice supported by the three pillars of transdisciplinary research methodology: the levels of Reality and perception (the body and space as matter), the logic of the included middle (gesture-sound space) and the com- plexity (elements of the creative process). These transdisciplinary concepts are juxtaposed through the analysis of works bearing a common element to the author’s artistic practice, the body at the center of a sensorial universe. The author then puts forth elements relative to scenic practice arisen by this innovative artistic practice through the expressive body. The path taken by the performer-creator, leading to the conception of the SICMAP, is then explained through a reflection on the “dream instrument” and the realization of two preparatory gestural interfaces. Implying a new gestural in the context of a non-haptic interface that of the free-body gesture, the topology of the instrumental gesture is revisited in response to a new paradigm of the gesture-sound space. In reply to this research, the details of the SICMAP are then presented from the angle of the technological space and then applied to the gesture-sound space. The compositions realized during the development of SICMAP are then presented. These works are discussed from an artistic and poietic point of view through the founding elements of the author’s creative process. The conclusion summarises the objectives of this research-creation as well as the contributions of this new performative hybrid practice.

Student Number : 0318613G - MSc research report - School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Studies - Faculty of Science
This report presents an analysis of health-care waste management in selected hospitals in the Central District Municipality of the North West Province, with a view of making recommendations that will ensure environmentally sound and sustainable health-care waste management in the study area. In contributing to the promotion of sustainable management of health-care waste (HCW), the study aimed to minimize waste generation and environmental impact of waste treatment and disposal, to enhance public health and safety, and to provide a safer working environment around hospitals. An assessment was carried out which involved a review of relevant literature, site visits, and interviews with key stakeholders in health-care waste management in the study area, to generate data and information on health-care waste management trends and issues. The major findings of the study include identified gaps in terms of the policy and legislative framework for the actual management of HCW, and issues relating to the mishandling of health-care waste, poor segregation, inappropriate storage rooms, and insufficient training on health-care waste management. Sustainable health-care waste management measures are proposed to improve the current situation at the health-care facilities in the Central District Municipality of the North West Province.

This practicum focuses on developing a deeper knowledge about stress and our external environments. It is directed towards the profession of Landscape Architecture, and healthcare facilities including professionals. It outlines critical information about stress: how stress affects people’s physical, emotional, mental health and well-being, and how landscape architects are able to mitigate different types of stress through the design and use of our exterior environments, offering respite and healing in times of great need. Stress reveals and manifests itself in numerous ways. It has become a major problem within our society, much bigger than people care to acknowledge or believe. Landscape Architects have the ability to help people reflect upon the stress that they are under by creating spaces that inevitably sooth their ‘selves’. Through the profession and subsequent work of Landscape Architects the awareness of stress can be addressed, helping bring respite and relieve tension and stress, whether large or small, which is extremely critical in today’s society. Through the use of gardens and exterior spaces designed with stress-relief in mind, we will be able to decrease hospital stays, drug use and the overall amount of money used by medical institutions and governments, while decreasing the progression and succession of illness and diseases related to and accentuated or propagated by, or due to stress. Through this document I will discuss ideas and theories that influence and/or are pertinent to Landscape Architecture and stress, as well as natural elements that should be taken into consideration when starting to design or when planning a design that will be situated within medical institutions and healthcare facilities, but not limited to, and including any other exterior environment (such as a backyard). It will also outline design elements which emphasize appropriate ways to design these spaces and places responsibly and sensitively. By understanding how people respond to stress, Landscape Architects may be able to design appropriate, beautiful spaces. Initially this practicum was directed towards designing beautiful, meaningful gardens for the sick and/or dying, as well as for the families, visitors, and employees within healthcare settings. It has evolved, to include how our brains and bodies are physiologically affected by spaces and places that we encounter, and how these spaces either reduce or increase stress responses within us, therefore, increasing or decreasing our ability to heal, be healthy, and feel well. Stress is a major condition that is often “down-played”, ignored, or not understood within society. It is in fact a very serious condition / illness that has the ability to dictate the outcome of our physical and mental performances, and especially our health and well-being. Landscape Architects have the ability and responsibility to contribute positively to people’s bodily reactions to spaces: exterior and interior.

Women composers have not traditionally been at the forefront of genre development. Western classical musical genres and formal structures tend to operate by conventions codified by male composers of European and North American descent, and, accordingly, reflect patriarchal aesthetics and viewpoints. The nascent genre of vocal theatre, however, has been primarily defined by the works of women composer/performers. Artists Meredith Monk, Diamanda Galas, and Pauline Oliveros have created new modes of theatre for the voice; in their personal explorations of extended vocal technique, the female voice is used as a tool for discovering, activating, remembering, and uncovering a consciousness that is primordial, pre/anti-logical, and oracular. My thesis proposes that the vocal theatre of these women functions as musical ecriture feminine, a term first introduced by French feminist theorist Helene Cixous. As a theoretical framework, ecriture feminine provides a particularly useful tool for interpreting these works, which, in the importance they place on openness, transcending language, embodied performances, and personal visions of womanhood, reveal aesthetic concerns that in many ways have more in common with the literary genre of ecriture feminine than those of canonical Western art music. I argue that these works are important not only as musical ecriture feminine, but as examples of an alternative, "feminine" compositional practice that prioritizes collaboration, improvisation, and intuitive modes of creativity. In doing so, they destabilize the traditional "maleness" of genre creation.

This research project explores ways in which place-based Indigenous perspectives can inform national park ‘visitor experience’ planning, management, and information delivery. Engaged in collaborative processes with Tseshaht First Nation, this project explores knowledge of Tseshaht-identified places of cultural significance in Tseshaht traditional territory, discussed in the context of creating a web-based digital map. In attempting to explore Nuu-chah-nulth-informed ways in which to more widely share cultural history and knowledge in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, I learned of the many dynamics that are revealed when the depth of Nuu-chah-nulth connections to place are made visible. This research project examines knowledge, power, and place in the context of Indigenous self-representation. Informed by Indigenous ways of knowing and Indigenous principles of knowledge-sharing, this thesis is an ethnography of knowledge-sharing in modern contexts fraught with issues of state power, commodification, and colonialism.
Graduate

En raison de l’utilisation d’un mode de communication totalement différent de celui des entendants, le langage des signes, et de l’absence quasi-totale d’afférences en provenance du système auditif, il y a de fortes chances que d’importantes modifications fonctionnelles et structurales s’effectuent dans le cerveau des individus sourds profonds. Les études antérieures suggèrent que cette réorganisation risque d’avoir des répercussions plus importantes sur les structures corticales situées le long de la voie visuelle dorsale qu’à l’intérieur de celles situées à l’intérieur de la voie ventrale. L’hypothèse proposée par Ungerleider et Mishkin (1982) quant à la présence de deux voies visuelles dans les régions occipitales, même si elle demeure largement acceptée dans la communauté scientifique, s’en trouve aussi relativement contestée. Une voie se projetant du cortex strié vers les régions pariétales postérieures, est impliquée dans la vision spatiale, et l’autre se projetant vers les régions du cortex temporal inférieur, est responsable de la reconnaissance de la forme. Goodale et Milner (1992) ont par la suite proposé que la voie dorsale, en plus de son implication dans le traitement de l’information visuo-spatiale, joue un rôle dans les ajustements sensori-moteurs nécessaires afin de guider les actions. Dans ce contexte, il est tout à fait plausible de considérer qu’un groupe de personne utilisant un langage sensori-moteur comme le langage des signes dans la vie de tous les jours, s’expose à une réorganisation cérébrale ciblant effectivement la voie dorsale. L’objectif de la première étude est d’explorer ces deux voies visuelles et plus particulièrement, la voie dorsale, chez des individus entendants par l’utilisation de deux stimuli de mouvement dont les caractéristiques physiques sont très similaires, mais qui évoquent un traitement relativement différent dans les régions corticales visuelles. Pour ce faire, un stimulus de forme définie par le mouvement et un stimulus de mouvement global ont été utilisés. Nos résultats indiquent que les voies dorsale et ventrale procèdent au traitement d’une forme définie par le mouvement, tandis que seule la voie dorsale est activée lors d’une tâche de mouvement global dont les caractéristiques psychophysiques sont relativement semblables. Nous avons utilisé, subséquemment, ces mêmes stimulations activant les voies dorsales et ventrales afin de vérifier quels pourraient être les différences fonctionnelles dans les régions visuelles et auditives chez des individus sourds profonds. Plusieurs études présentent la réorganisation corticale dans les régions visuelles et auditives en réponse à l’absence d’une modalité sensorielle. Cependant, l’implication spécifique des voies visuelles dorsale et ventrale demeure peu étudiée à ce jour, malgré plusieurs résultats proposant une implication plus importante de la voie dorsale dans la réorganisation visuelle chez les sourds. Suite à l’utilisation de l’imagerie cérébrale fonctionnelle pour investiguer ces questions, nos résultats ont été à l’encontre de cette hypothèse suggérant une réorganisation ciblant particulièrement la voie dorsale. Nos résultats indiquent plutôt une réorganisation non-spécifique au type de stimulation utilisé. En effet, le gyrus temporal supérieur est activé chez les sourds suite à la présentation de toutes nos stimulations visuelles, peu importe leur degré de complexité. Le groupe de participants sourds montre aussi une activation du cortex associatif postérieur, possiblement recruté pour traiter l’information visuelle en raison de l’absence de compétition en provenance des régions temporales auditives. Ces résultats ajoutent aux données déjà recueillies sur les modifications fonctionnelles qui peuvent survenir dans tout le cerveau des personnes sourdes, cependant les corrélats anatomiques de la surdité demeurent méconnus chez cette population. Une troisième étude se propose donc d’examiner les modifications structurales pouvant survenir dans le cerveau des personnes sourdes profondes congénitales ou prélinguales. Nos résultats montrent que plusieurs régions cérébrales semblent être différentes entre le groupe de participants sourds et celui des entendants. Nos analyses ont montré des augmentations de volume, allant jusqu’à 20%, dans les lobes frontaux, incluant l’aire de Broca et d’autres régions adjacentes impliqués dans le contrôle moteur et la production du langage. Les lobes temporaux semblent aussi présenter des différences morphométriques même si ces dernières ne sont pas significatives. Enfin, des différences de volume sont également recensées dans les parties du corps calleux contenant les axones permettant la communication entre les régions temporales et occipitales des deux hémisphères.
Due to the use of a mode of communication completely different from hearing people, Due to [the use of] a communication mode completely different from hearing people, the sign language and the absence of afferences from the auditory system, it is likely that significant functional and structural changes take place in the brains of profoundly deaf individuals. Previous studies suggest this reorganization may have greater impact on cortical structures located along the dorsal visual pathway than within the regions located inside the ventral pathway. The hypothesis, widely accepted by the scientific community, proposed by Ungerleider and Mishkin (1982) for the presence of two visual pathways in the occipital regions is also fairly contested. According to this hypothesis, one stream projecting from the striate cortex to the posterior parietal regions is involved in spatial vision and a second stream projecting to regions of the inferior temporal cortex underlying form recognition. Goodale and Milner (1992) subsequently proposed that the dorsal pathway, in addition to its involvement in the processing of visuospatial information, takes part in the necessary sensorymotor adjustments to guide actions. In this context, it is plausible to consider that a group of people using sensorimotor language (e.g., sign language) in their everyday life, the cerebral reorganization is more suited to target the dorsal pathway. The first objective of the study is to explore both visual pathways, especially the dorsal pathway, in hearing subjects by the use of two similar motion stimuli that evoke different types of processing. This was done with a form-from-motion stimuli and a global motion stimuli. Our results indicate that both dorsal and ventral pathways process forms defined by motion, while only the dorsal pathway is activated during a task of global motion whose psychophysical characteristics are relatively similar. Subsequently, we used these stimuli to activate the dorsal and ventral stream to investigate functional differences in the visual and auditory brain regions in profoundly deaf individuals. Several studies show cortical reorganization in the visual and auditory areas in response to the absence of a sensory modality. However, few studies have explored the specific involvement of dorsal and ventral visual streams, despite several results suggesting greater involvement of the dorsal pathway in visual reorganization with the deaf population. Following the use of functional brain imaging to investigate these issues, our results differed from the hypothesis suggesting a reorganization specifically targeting the dorsal pathway. Rather, our results indicate a non-specific reorganization to the different types of stimulations used. Indeed, the superior temporal gyrus was activated with the deaf following the presentation of our visual stimuli, regardless of their complexity. The group of deaf participants also showed activation of the posterior association cortex, possibly recruited to process visual information in the absence of competition from the temporal auditory regions. These results add to data already collected on the functional changes that may occur throughout the brains of deaf people, however, the anatomical correlates of deafness remains unknown in this population. A third study aimed to explore the structural changes occurring in the brains of prelingual and congenital profoundly deaf. Our results show that several brain regions appear to be different between the groups of participants composed of the deaf and hearing. Our analysis showed volume increases of up to 20% in the frontal lobe, including Broca's area and adjacent regions involved in motor control and language production. The temporal lobes also presented some morphometric differences even if they are not significant. Though not significant, the temporal lobes also presented some morphometric differences. Finally, differences in volume were also found in parts of the corpus callosum considered to carry fibers connecting the temporal and occipital lobes of both hemispheres.

Reality isn’t what it appears to be. Contexts are not always clear and visible. People don’t always say what they really mean. And they don’t always mean what they say. When life is your stage manager, anything can happen. I often say, life is hard, my head is harder. Making documentaries is not for the faint-hearted.This PhD project explores creative processes and parallel realities in documentary film, and discusses and conceptualizes the artistic practice of documentary filmmaking. The project consists in part of artistic works and essays that are critical reflections on the creative process and how that process can be conceptualized. The cinematic centerpiece of the thesis is entitled Images and the Worlds of Being (2011–2016). Previous subprojects are A Shift Between Worlds (2013–2015) and an essay book entitled In Real Life (or Elsewhere) (2013). Between 2013 and 2017, more essays were written, some of them translated to English. All the Swedish essays are available in PDF format. All of the works in the PhD project explore creative processes and parallel realities in two different ways: A Shift Between Worlds (2013–2015) explores identity and parallel realities in the gendered world. These works are based on two workshops led by Diane Torr, “Man for a Day” and “Woman for a Day.” They resulted in several component works, including two video essays, two audio works and two large-format photographic works, the latter in collaboration with photographer Johan Bergmark, as well as a short commentary film entitled Diane Speaks Out (2016). Images and the Worlds of Being (2011–2016) – a VR Classic Style film – explores what happens when documentary images are shown on four screens forming the walls of a room. This work also focuses on the view through the camera lens through which the filmmaker meets the world, in a hypnotic tapestry of parallel realities in a tenderly portrayed, runaway present. A sort of logical reasoning about the illogic of our era, in search of elusive reality (to paraphrase Jean Baudrillard) – the presence in the act of seeing. An experiment in the forms of visual knowledge, outside the traditional display windows. Shooting location: The World.