Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Structures of cultural memory: the photography of Tom Wright(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Zignego, Jordan Robert; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigThe photography of Tom Wright, archived at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin, is both art and history. Wright captured many musicians on stage and off at some of the most pivotal moments in both their own careers and in the history of rock music. Although Wright played an integral part with various bands, and produced an amazing body of photographical work in a career that spanned from the 1960s to the 1980s, he has remained unknown. This dissertation argues that Wright belongs in the pantheon of rock photographers as a chronicler and artist; that Wright's photography, and the manner in which it was created, represent the turmoil and conflicts of his era (1960s-1980s) on which he had a specific Anglo-American take as a photographer born in America, but educated in England; that the so-called rock 'n roll life is embodied in Wright's life, including the concept of auto-destruction, that is a primary reason for Wright's lack of recognition; and Wright's relative obscurity is due in large part to his own refusal to work for any publications but to take photographs for their own sake. Wright's photography tells a more nuanced story of rock music. By altering the collectively accepted narrative, his photographs provide a sense of awakening for all and touch on shared memories and how society remembers. Wright's work ultimately offers a more inclusive perspective on how photographs affect both memory and accepted history.Item Steady hammer: origins of American counterterrorism in the dime novel world of William J. Flynn(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Roberts, Brent Sidney; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert RydellThis dissertation traces the life and times of William J. Flynn (1867-1928) as a means of understanding popular attitudes toward anarchism and terrorism, as well as expectations for protection from these forces, at the dawn of the twentieth century. Flynn was constantly at the nexus of law enforcement, serving as jailkeeper in the New York County correctional system; as agent, regional director, and national director of the U.S. Secret Service; and as director of the Bureau of Investigation. He also led a creative literary life, penning memoirs of his cases as novels and newspaper serials, and writing stories and editing a detective fiction magazine after his retirement from government service. Drawing on theories of popular culture of Russel Nye, as well as concepts of power and discourse of Michel Foucault, this study examined Flynn's literary works, historical documents from the Secret Service, Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Railroad Administration, and popular dime novels to capture public perception of anarchists and expectations for protection from the terrorist threat. Anarchists were portrayed generally as unclean and often of foreign origin, while counter-anarchists appeared as capable, sharp-witted, affluent men and women. Temporality forms an important aspect of the study, demonstrating that Flynn's counterterrorist approach, as well as expectations for protection from terrorist violence, were rooted in elements of time. In a period when most detective work was financed by private individuals, Flynn built an identity for himself as a competent public official, and more importantly through his work and writings established the federal government as the primary entity capable of meeting the demands of protecting American citizens in the early twentieth century. Following retirement, Flynn continued his literary endeavors, always blurring the line between fact and fiction, generally cloaking his own adventures, all worthy of dime novels themselves, with a veneer of fiction.Item The fences of the National Reactor Testing Station : intersections of popular culture and nuclear waste in eastern Idaho(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2016) Collier, Patrick Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Brett WalkerIn the spring of 1949, Idahoans made a decision that forever altered the character of Eastern Idaho. The decision to embrace the US Atomic Energy Commission's (AEC) latest project, the National Reactor Testing Station, was a momentous one. Idahoans living near the proposed site counted on this decision to bring a treasure trove of economic benefits to the surrounding rural communities. By the 1970s as increasing information about the costs of the AEC's nuclear waste disposal programs became public many in Idaho found themselves shifting from overwhelming support of the AEC to a sort of middle ground. These Idahoans were careful to make clear that they supported the broad nuclear project within the state what they opposed was the AEC's nuclear waste disposal in the state of Idaho. This meant that in Idaho a total opposition to nuclear research never materialized at a time when anti-nuclear sentiment rose sharply throughout the broader US. The overwhelming opposition to Yucca Mountain Waste repository by the people of Nevada is the contrast to Idahoan's unique position of opposition balanced with accommodation. By tracing the history of these two projects and showing how Idahoans reacted in complex ways to the mounting information about the problems surrounding the AEC's nuclear waste disposal programs, important lessons are revealed about the ways local knowledge, scientific knowledge, and mass media interacted in the American West to create different environmental ethics.Item American Paintings(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2004) Covert, Jeremy; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert SmithOnce I have decided on an image I take a photograph. The color and surface of the photographs are manipulated when I change them into paintings. For each painting, this manipulation is slightly different. For example, in some works I like to paint with a dark blue palette with bright oranges for high lights. This is a dramatic change of the colors from what was recorded in the actual photo. At other times, I paint by following the color structure of the photo. Sometimes I simplify information from the photo. The brushstroke is left, to be seen. Additionally, I choose the color for each of the objects, and how thick and how crude the brush stroke is. It is my feeling that this mark of my hand is what elevates this object from a reproduction of a photo to an emotionally charged and special object. I paint this way intuitively. I keep the same value and form as the photo and synthesize a new color scheme and surface to make it a unique image. I paint the scenes of every day life because I can relate ideas, and emotions regarding what it means to be a person. The paintings show human activities and interactions in our culture. The average day in our life defines us as people. I want to paint images that make others think and feel. I want them to relate my work to who they are and what they do.Item Blaspheming the Bard: the tension between 'highbrow' Shakespeare and 'popular' gentle will(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2002) Schuma, Lisa Maria CarparelliItem Spatial incubation of intuitive mitigation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2007) Robertson, Christopher Cole; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Michael Everts; Steven Juroszek (co-chair)THESIS: Current engagement in public parks are “Open vague”, or “Specific” questioning how we are to use the space. In contract, “Open Specific” public spaces provide a more explicit opportunity providing users a choice of multiple intuitive responses. GOAL: Achieve Spatial Incubation by engaging in the intuitions for defined users. CONTEXT: Our culture is operating under the influence of a progressively growing technological developments such as ipods, cell phones, pda’s, and laptop computers. Within this pace superficial overlays of context form like a blanket causing a vagueness in our articulation of the external environment. Futhermore, when we rely on others to perform in favor of our best interest vagueness can persuade us individuals to believe responsible actions are taking place on issues that concern us, and in actuality these steps are not taking place. STRATEGY: ARCHITECTUALLY THREADING AN “OPEN SPECIFIC” PUBLIC SPACE. PROJECT SITE: Why the United Nations? Politically charged with a history of agenda, diversity, failing collaboration, status, and iconography: the site is currently exclusive in relationship to the public. This exclusivity includes a history of problems with diplomatic immunity, closed physical access to the archives library denying information context, security tight entrances, and inaccessible members. This backdrop intensifies a relationship between an archaic closed source operating model with the public and current open source model found in successful collaborative entities such as wikipedia, linux, and youtube. ARCHITECTURAL CONCLUSIONS: Incubating Intuition. Creating engagement of our intuitive interactions among the environment requires an intense study and sensitivity of both general, and specific user groups. The weaving that takes place among such groups of people in a political charged park atmosphere requires a sense of anticipatory response. In this case, the goal of architecture is not always to provide space, but to suggest interaction with calculated moves. This takes a humbled approach that may require the absolute understanding that our constructed architectural space may not be fullfilled until it is inhabited.Item Atlantis Unbound(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2009) Hiris, Lori E.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Sara Mast; Laura S. Larsson (co-chair)The data derived from the study of the hereditary traits in Drosophila-Melanogaster remind the viewer of the tremendous potential in technology and genetic engineering. My Installation is witness to this ever-changing technology and how it shapes our culture, history, and politics. Dreams and nightmares coexist in this installation and my intent is merely to invite the viewer to consider the consequences. Inheritance in the age of database culture and the sovereignty of the Algorithm conspires to envision utopia - a New Atlantis: Bound and Unbound.