Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Weavers in art'

This thesis explores the Churchill Weavers stereocards housed at the Kentucky Historical Society and Berea College based on visual analysis. By examining the stereocards as advertisements and comparing them to a series of short films created by the company, I will discuss how the Churchill Weavers created a brand that emphasized both an image of traditional American rural production and modern urban consumption. I will further discuss how the marketing strategies used by the Churchill Weavers exemplify a larger trend in American advertising in the years following World War Two.

Mémoire (M.A.)--Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 1989.
Programme de maîtrise en arts plastiques extensionné de l'UQAM à l'UQAC. CaQCU Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU

Este trabajo de investigación tiene como objetivo principal analizar la participación de la mujer tejedora en el proceso de producción de arte textil en el Perú. Asimismo, busca analizar el contexto en el que se desarrolla esta labor, y por último comparar la contribución de los centros de emprendimiento y difusión entre Bolivia y el Perú, países con mayor actividad textil y contextos similares, y posteriormente, entre los principales departamentos del Perú con mayor cantidad de artesanos textiles. Para ello, se utilizaron métodos de investigación cuantitativos y cualitativos. En el primero, se recopiló información de tesis, diarios, e informes de instituciones públicas. Y, en el segundo, se realizó un análisis de manera descriptiva y evaluativa, a un grupo de tejedoras perteneciente a una ONG “Ayllu Ruwasunchis”, ubicada en Pachacámac, a través de una investigación de campo. Por último, se encontró que, en el Perú, las tejedoras se muestran como una incógnita para el consumidor final debido a la presencia de intermediarios. Estos se aprovechan de sus carencias y les proponen precios bajos para luego difundirlos en espacios lujosos, a un consumidor de nivel socioeconómico “A” a precios elevados. Por otro lado, los espacios para promover su emprendimiento y venta están centralizados en las regiones de Cusco y Puno, debido al su gran alcance de materia prima, artesanos textiles, y alto flujo turístico. Sin embargo, Huancavelica, el tercer departamento con mayor cantidad de artesanos, no cuenta con espacios emprendimiento permanentes para la promoción y desarrollo de sus capacidades, y tiene casi en su totalidad espacios de venta informales, y los que son formales se alejan del trato directo entre tejedora y consumidor final.
The main focus of this research is to analyze the participation of women weavers in the textile art production process in Peru. It also seeks to analyze the context in which this work is developed, and finally to compare the contribution of the centers of entrepreneurship and diffusion between Bolivia and Peru, countries with greater textile activity and similar contexts,and later, between the main departments of Peru with the greatest number of textile artisans. As well, quantitative, and qualitative research methods were used. At first, information was gathered from theses, newspapers, and reports from public institutions. And then, a descriptive and evaluative analysis was made of a group of weavers belonging to an NGO "Ayllu Ruwasunchis", located in Pachacámac, through field research. Finally, it was found that, in Peru, weavers are an unknown quantity for the final consumer due to the presence of intermediaries. These people take advantage of their shortcomings and propose low prices and then sell them in luxurious spaces to a consumer of socioeconomic level "A" at high prices. On the other hand, the spaces to promote their entrepreneurship and sale are centralized in Cusco and Puno, due to their large supply of raw materials, textile artisans, and high tourist flow. However, Huancavelica is the third department with the largest number of artisans and doesn’t have permanent spaces for the promotion and development of their skills, and only has informal sales spaces.
Trabajo de investigación

The Tide Weavers Project examines the representation of landscape in motion picture films and explores the ways in which certain filmmakers closely reference the desert landscape to mirror and represent notions of self and consequently, to shape film character portrayal. I argue that these filmmakers use this setting to describe a particular relationship for themselves and their characters. In this relationship the desert becomes a space in which to project and examine aspects of self and it can initiate a transaction or relationship so intimate that at many points, (human) being becomes landscape, and landscape becomes being. I will draw on the work of a range of Philosophers and Postcolonial theorists to inform my reading of this relationship and to frame my engagement with specific Australian and international films. The inclusion and analysis of my own desert-based motion picture script Tide Weavers will add to my understanding of the possibilities of film (as a medium) provides for altering an audiences' reading of landscape. I challenge the notion of estrangement from the land, either though ignorance or where colonialist landscape theory detracts from a sense of connectedness, such as through the superficial or subjective application of cartography, fear arising from monotonous and unfamiliar geography, and the eroticising of land as woman. I engage with current theory surrounding the idea of fusion with landscape to open new opportunities for exploring landscape/character interaction. I also propose that collaborative working processes between indigenous and non-indigenous filmmakers have the potential to alter the ways in which landscape is both represented and interpreted. I then look at how these ideas are translatable to the themes of the Tide Weavers script. Grief and gender are primary themes, with an emphasis on how respite, sacred space and surrender to landscape can lead to healing. I believe this work will contribute to exciting new filmic interpretations of landscape theory.

Bakalauro darbas ,,Mados pinklės“ – tai daugiafunkcinių krepšių grupė, kurią sudaro du krepšiai: kelioninė rankinė bei kuprinė, kurie užtrauktukų pagalba transformuojasi į atskiras krepšių-rankinių grupes. Iš viso komplektą sudaro 5 rankinės, krepšys išsiskaido į tris arba dvi rankines, o kuprinė į dvi. Toks išskirtinis komplektas gali būti demonstruojamas įvairiuose mados renginiuose, eksponuojamas galerijose ar pavyzdžiui individualios aksesuarų parduotuvės vitrinoje. Taip pat tokie gaminiai gali būti pateikiami verslo asociacijų pristatymuose. Juos pakoregavus ir supaprastinus konstrukciją, būtų galima pritaikyti tiražinei gamybai.
Bachelor‘s work „Fashion trap“- group of multifunctional haversacks, which are made of two haversacks: travel handbag and bag, which can be transformed into separate groups of haversacks-handbags with the help of zips. The set is made of 5 handbags, the haversack can be divided into three or two handbags and the bag can be divided into two.Such exclusive set can be shown in various fashion events, exhibited in galleries or, for example, in shop windows of individual shop of accessories. Also such kind of products can be presented in presentations of bussiness associations. Adjusting and simplifying construction, it would be possible to apply them to circulating production.

O trabalho investiga o tema da criação artística em contos brasileiros do século XX por meio da retomada da figura mítica da fiandeira e também indaga de que maneira tal diálogo intertextual com o mito pode ampliar as possibilidades de leitura dos textos em análise. Para tratar tal questão, o recorte apoia-se em narrativas em que a imagem mítica da tecelã é reelaborada como criadora de textos, de receitas culinárias, de tecidos artísticos urdidos em teares modernos, ainda que em constante diálogo com o mito. A pesquisa busca revelar, em um primeiro momento, uma reatualização do mito das tecedeiras em narrativas específicas da literatura brasileira, a saber: A Moça Tecelã (2009), de Marina Colasanti, Desenredo e A vela ao diabo (2001), de Guimarães Rosa, Colheita (1997), de Nélida Pinõn, Penélope (1998) e Ponto de Crochê (2009), de Dalton Trevisan. Por meio da análise comparativa, pretendemos mapear os ecos míticos e intertextuais que dispõem esses textos numa expressiva teia (temático-formal), pois todas as narrativas selecionadas discutem o ato criativo e as referências à tecelagem, embora respondam de maneiras diferentes a essas questões.
This work analyzes the theme of artistic creation in Brazilian short novel in the 20th century through the resumption of the weaver mythical figure and also inquires how this intertextual dialogue with the myth can increase the reading possibilities of the text analyzed. The research seeks to reveal, in the first moment, a revision of the myth of the weavers in specific narratives of Brazilian literature: A Moça Tecelã (2009), of Marina Colasanti, Desenredo and A vela ao diabo (2001), of Guimarães Rosa, Colheita (1997), of Nélida Pinõn, Penélope (1998) and Ponto de Crochê (2009), of Dalton Trevisan. In order to develop this question, the corpus chosen discusses the mythical image of the weaver as breeder of texts, recipes and artistic tissues weaved in modern looms, even if still keeps constant dialogue with the mythical sources. Through de comparative analyses, we intend to map the mythical and intertextual echoes that order these texts in an expressive web (thematic and formal), because all the selected narratives discuss the creative act and the weaving process, although reply in different ways to those questions.

The weaver ant is a promising biological control agent of a shoot borer, Hypsipyla robusta Moore, on mahogany, but techniques to conserve ant colonies redistributed to mahogany plantations have not yet been developed. The effect of food supplementation and host plant species preference of the weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina F., was evaluated in a series of field studies. A simple model was developed to estimate the number of ants within nests on Khaya ivorensis A. Chev. (Meliaceae): log₁₀ (Number of ants) = - 1.16 + 1.09 log₁₀ (Nest size). Nest size is calculated from estimated nest height (ĥ) and length (à ) using the formula = π;r²⁺; à , where r = ½ ĥ. This model was useful for repeated assessments of ant population levels to evaluate treatment effects. It provides better estimates than previous indirect methods based on nest counts and ant trail counts on plant parts. Colonies that were relocated without their queens and very small colonies (< 10,000 ants) failed to establish on new host trees, indicating that a minimum ant population and queen needs to be transferred for colony survival. Established colonies consumed more high-protein foods (live mealworms and fish) than high-carbohydrate liquid foods (honey and –weaver ant formula–, which contained sucrose and human muscle-training powder (Enerpro™)). Relocated colonies consumed more weaver ant formula and as many mealworms as established colonies, indicating that existing and relocated colonies require different food supplementation strategies. Decreasing consumption over time and preferential consumption among high-protein food choices (i.e., of mealworms over fish) indicated that ants select and regulate food consumption based on colony needs. Therefore, food supplementation should be as needed. Preliminary indications were that self-sufficiency in trophobiont (honeydew) levels may be achieved in two months after colony relocation. The optimal colony density that would protect K. ivorensis was estimated to be within the range of 6 – 48 colonies per ha based on previous reports for cocoa and cashew, and a consideration of the low damage threshold for mahogany. Substituting chemical control with weaver ants at those application rates gave similar IRRs (Internal rate of return; 11.6 – 12.2 vs. 12.0%) in preliminary financial analyses, and was preferable from an ecological standpoint. Twenty-nine host plant species were found for Malaysian O. smaragdina, of which 11 were new species records for Oecophylla spp. Also, there were two new genera and eight new species records for Malaysian O. smaragdina. Of eight trophobiont families collected, six species were identified, yielding new trophobiont-host plant species records for four coccoid species and two membracid genera. Screening of several ant-abundant plant species that included preliminary pest risk analyses for trophobionts on K. ivorensis, identified M. citrifolia as a promising candidate for mixed-planting with this mahogany species.
Ph. D.

Asking the question: How can the waffle weave be reinterpreted through material, technical and colour research, the investigation of this MA thesis revolves around the weaving technique with the aim of presenting a collection of various woven textiles, where the waffle has been used in different ways. The weave, with its three- dimensional structure creates an interesting canvas to experiment upon as its structure creates both texture as well as depth to the textile. Furthermore, the research is conducted through a systematic exploration of the different aspects mentioned above, where theory and practise go hand in hand. Moreover, the practical experiments start as sketches on the computerised ARM looms and then are scaled up and revised on the industrial jacquard looms. The results showcase a variety of waffle weaves; from flat to three- dimensional, with various colour and surface effects as well as different compositions and overall forms. So, through this research, the degree project aims to explore and experiment the potential and possibilities of the waffle weave

Cashew, Anacardium occidentale Linnaeus, is an economically important cash crop for more than 300,000 rural households in Tanzania. Its production is, however, severely constrained by infestation by sap-sucking insects such as Helopeltis anacardii Miller, H. Schoutedeni Reuter and Pseudotheraptus wayi Brown. The African weaver ant (AWA), Oecophylla longinoda Latreille, is an effective biocontrol agent of hemipteran pests in coconuts in Tanzania; but its efficacy for the control of sap-sucking insects, especially Helopeltis spp. and P. wayi, has not been investigated so far in cashew crops in Tanzania. Field trials were carried out at the Coast region of Tanzania to evaluate the effect of seasonality and abundance of AWA on Helopeltis spp. and P. wayi. Results showed that AWA abundance expressed, as number of leaf nests per tree, and colonization of trails on main branches varied significantly between cashew-seasons and off-seasons. There was a negative correlation between numbers of nests and pest damage. AWA-colonized cashew trees had the lowest shoot damaged by Helopeltis spp., 4.8 and 7.5% in 2010 and 2011, respectively, compared to 36 and 30% in 2010 and 2011, respectively, in uncolonized cashew trees. Similarly, nut damage by P.wayi was lowest in AWA-colonized trees with 2.4 and 6.2% in 2010 and 2011, respectively, as compared to 26 and 21% in 2010 and 2011, respectively, in uncolonized trees. Interaction between AWA and dominant ant species, namely big-headed ant (BHA), Pheidole megacephala Fabricius, and common pugnacious ant (CPA), Anoplolepis custodiens Smith, was examined because of the implication that the dominant ant species may have on the efficacy of AWA in its control of sap-sucking pests of cashew. Abundance of AWA was significantly negatively correlated to BHA (r(39) = -0.30; P < 0.0001) and CPA (r(39) = -0.18; P = 0.01) at Bagamoyo in 2010. A similar trend was also observed at Mkuranga. The presence of these ant species may therefore hinder effectiveness of AWA to control sap-sucking pests in cashew in Tanzania. Therefore, suppression of these two inimical ant species should be emphasized for effective control of the sap-sucking pests in cashew fields. It was therefore also important to establish the abundance and diversity of ant species occurring in cashew agro-ecosystems. Results from pitfall traps revealed the diversity and abundance of ants in cashew agro-ecosystems: a total of 14001 ants were trapped belonging to six subfamilies, 18 genera and 32 species. The ant species diversity was high in the cashew fields at two of the four sites, namely Mkuranga A and Kibaha during both seasons. CPA was the most abundant ants in the pitfall traps. It is an important aspect that should be addressed for effective control of sap-sucking pests in cashew fields with AWA, since the correlation between AWA and CPA abundance was found to be negative. The effect of alternative fungicides to sulphur dust used for powdery mildew disease (PMD) on AWA was also investigated. No significant difference could be found in the effect ofthe different fungicides on the number of leaf nests and colonization of trails. In order to develop AWA as a component of cashew integrated sap-sucking insect management, strategies for their conservation during cashew off-seasonswas evaluated. The use of fish and hydramethylon (Amdro®) as baits increased the number of leaf nests and colonization trails of AWA over the control during off-season; however, the increase was significantly high when both fish and hydramethylon were used together. Fish and hydramethylon can therefore be used for conservation of AWA during off-season. It can therefore be concluded that AWA effectively controls sap-sucking pests on cashew and can be conserved during off-season using disposal waste such as fish intestines. Fungicides used for the control of PMD did not have detrimental effects on AWA abundance and can therefore be integrated as a component of cashew IPM.
PhD (Environmental Sciences), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Understanding recognition systems is at the heart of a range of evolutionary, biological and social processes, including the immune response, reproductive barriers, mate choice, kin selection and the evolution of parasitism. Among social insects, nestmate or colony-mate recognition may evolve as a proxy for kin recognition, as social insect colonies usually consist of a family group. I sought to advance our understanding of recognition systems by studying colony-mate recognition in the arboreal weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina. In particular, I explored the effects of spatial and temporal variation in recognition cues, and variability in the capacity of individual ants to recognise non-colonial conspecifics, on the effectiveness of recognition systems. I used a novel technique for studying colony odour: near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). I found that colonies of weaver ants had distinctive spectral profiles, but that there were also significant differences in the profiles of nests within colonies. Significantly, the spectral characteristics differentiating colonies from each other and nests from each other were different. The level of aggression between colonies was positively correlated with the spectral distance between colonies, especially when only those spectral characteristics that differentiated between colonies were used to calculate spectral distance. I also found that the spectral characteristics of colonies changed over time. However, the spectra of a colony and an isolated nest from that colony did not diverge significantly over time, suggesting that these spectral changes may reflect genetically programmed seasonal changes. I detected no increase in aggression over time between colonies and their corresponding isolated fragment; however, the level of trophallaxis did increase. Neither spatial nor temporal variation in colony odour appears to impair the effectiveness of colony-mate recognition in weaver ants. I also explored the effect of spatial relationships on the levels of aggression expressed by weaver ant colonies. Specifically, I tested whether weaver ants were more aggressive towards intruders from distant colonies or from neighbouring colonies. I found that weaver ants were better at identifying intruders from neighbouring colonies as non-colony-mates than intruders from distant, unfamiliar colonies. They were also significantly more aggressive towards neighbours. Thus weaver ants conform to the “nasty neighbour” model rather than the “dear enemy” model. Finally, I sought to determine whether the variability in the response of individual workers towards intruders could be attributed to the recipients or the intruders. I found that most of the variability could be attributed to differences between recipients. I further demonstrated that this variability was sometimes due to differences in the response of workers but also, in some case, due to differences in the perception of workers. I hypothesise that workers do not use the colony odour as the template against which intruders are assessed, but, rather, their individual odour prior to any mixing. This is the first study to explore colony odour using NIRS, and the first to demonstrate a behavioural response by any insect to the information contained in NIRS. This has the potential to significantly advance social insect studies, and the study of insect behaviour in general. This is the first study to demonstrate parallel changes in odour in nests isolated from their colony of origin, contributing significantly to our understanding of how very large colonies, spread over a wide geographic area, can maintain a single colony identity. The identification of different spectral elements that differentiate between nests and colonies also contributes to this understanding, and indicates that NIR spectra carry multiple signals. Also important in this regard is the finding that differences in some aspects of spectra provoke a stronger response than others. This is also the first study to demonstrate that different individuals within a colony vary in their perceptions, and not just their response, when encountering an unknown individual. Further work remains to be done in determining how weaver ants learn to identify neighbours as a serious threat and how the behaviour of the colony is modified accordingly. Research also needs to be undertaken into the genetic basis of colony spectra, and the relationship between spectra and cuticular hydrocarbons.

The social brain hypothesis predicts that larger group size and greater social complexity select for increased brain size. In ants, social complexity is associated with large colony size, emergent collective action, and division of labor among workers. The great diversity of social organization in ants offers numerous systems to test social brain theory and examine the neurobiology of social behavior. My studies focused on the Australasian weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, a polymorphic species, as a model of advanced social organization. I critically analyzed how biogenic amines modulate social behavior in ants and examined their role in worker subcaste-related territorial aggression. Major workers that naturally engage in territorial defense showed higher levels of brain octopamine in comparison to more docile, smaller minor workers, whose social role is nursing. Through pharmacological manipulations of octopaminergic action in both subcastes, octopamine was found to be both necessary and sufficient for aggression, suggesting subcaste-related task specialization results from neuromodulation. Additionally, I tested social brain theory by contrasting the neurobiological correlates of social organization in a phylogenetically closely related ant species, Formica subsericea, which is more basic in social structure. Specifically, I compared brain neuroanatomy and neurometabolism in respect to the neuroecology and degree of social complexity of O. smaragdina major and minor workers and F. subsericea monomorphic workers. Increased brain production costs were found in both O. smaragdina subcastes, and the collective action of O. smaragdina majors appeared to compensate for these elevated costs through decreased ATP usage, measured from cytochrome oxidase activity, an endogenous marker of neurometabolism. Macroscopic and cellular neuroanatomical analyses of brain development showed that higher-order sensory processing regions in workers of O. smaragdina, but not F. subsericea, had age-related synaptic reorganization and increased volume. Supporting the social brain hypothesis, ecological and social challenges associated with large colony size were found to contribute to increased brain size. I conclude that division of labor and collective action, among other components of social complexity, may drive the evolution of brain structure and function in compensatory ways by generating anatomically and metabolically plastic mosaic brains that adaptively reflect cognitive demands of worker task specialization and colony-level social organization.