Robots, Sex, and Love

2013

Reading reuse. Image recycling in Egypt and beyond

Cappadocia in central Anatolia is well-known in Byzantine studies; it was notably the birthplace of important Church Fathers such as Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzen in the 4th century, and it was the home to many eminent military leaders in the Middle-Byzantine period, including the emperor Nikephoras II Phokas. In material studies, the Middle-Byzantine period is particularly well-known for its numerous fresco-covered churches and other rock-cut edifices. However, the time period between these two eras is typically less studied and certainly less understood. Between the 5th-8th centuries, references to Cappadocia in historical sources are limited, and the churches decorated during this period are far outnumbered by those from the later periods. If we look underneath the painted decorations of the Middle-Byzantine churches, though, we often find evidence of earlier usage. The rocky nature of the region made the structures perfect for re-use. Whereas built structures can be taken apart brick-by-brick in order to erect new buildings, rock-cut structures are typically not destroyed for re-use. Instead, they are more easily used in the forms in which they are found or slightly altered by cutting deeper into the rock. In this way, Cappadocia is an interesting case for the study of the re-use of monuments and particularly in the re-decoration of these monuments. In this talk, we will highlight one church in particular, El Nazar Kilise in Göreme, which was possibly sometime before the 9th century as a monastic church, and then recycled in the later 9th-10th centuries for a small community. The church itself was redecorated, though traces of the original decoration are still visible, and new elements were carved into the church for its new function, including a new side chapel and arcosolium. This study will examine the changes to the church's architectural planning and iconographic program, and it will compare the structure to other early monastic complexes in Egypt, Syria, and the Holy Land. By understanding the changes in the church's use and decoration over time, we will gain insight into the region's inhabitants throughout the centuries, particularly during moments in time when textual sources are limited.

Zone, 2024

Wat onderwijs lastig maakt, principieel en praktisch lastig maakt, is zijn antinomische aard, de onvermijdelijke tegensprakigheid ervan. Onderwijs kan de zelfstandigheid en de vrijheid van leerlingen enkel en alleen bevorderen door hun zelfstandigheid en vrijheid te begrenzen. Deze tegensprakigheid geldt dubbel voor burgerschapsonderwijs, omdat hierbij vrijheid en zelfstandigheid ZELF ook nog eens leerstof zijn. Enige manier om de antinomie te "verzachten" is een ontvormende benadering van burgerschapsvorming. En dat is precies wat de overheid niet toestaat.

2012

DESAIN RUMAH, 2020

PEMBANGUNAN RUMAH MODERN 2 LANTAI TAHUN 2020

Arab royalties have never seen themselves below Islam and God’s authority but rather always saw It as a tool. Since the first monarchy in Islam, as established by Muwaiyah and Yazid by usurpation and massacre, Islam came to be under the firm grip of tyrannical royalties. Over a long period, the Muslim Arab monarchies resulted in the reemergence of the tribalistic leadership in Prophetic Arabia known as Sheikhdom which has also maintained the core features of royalty. Colonial European powers supported the royalties and their respective Arab jurisdictions creating modern gulf states. So modern Arab states of Gulf thus in no way represent an Islamic creation neither in maps nor in political structure but Islam remains as a symbol. Arab royalties being a product of European colonialism and current American neocolonialism have acquired an unIslamic western psychology more than an Islamic one. Of course, no western political academic will study these royalties in this perspective because it does not suit their interests, but it is paramount for Muslims to understand the misguidance of their rulers. This psychological unfiltered unchecked western inclination can be seen in their personal lives, in their spending, economic, foreign and cultural policies. The following discussions will focus on their westernized psychology and how this has been destroying Islam and Muslim Islamic development.

Diversidade cultural: inovação e ruptura nas experiências de arte e cultura, 2023

Este texto foi publicado na página do III Seminário Iberoamericano de Economia da Cultura na UFMG, quando os autores proferiram a comunicação sobre a pesquisa durante o referido evento.