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Artistic alumni to host vacation-themed exhibition downtown
Tuesday, January 29, 2019 | By Brock University
Brock grads Katie Mazi (BA '16), Jenn Judson (BA '16), Matt Caldwell (BA '16), Ben Mosher (BA '15) and Alex Muresan (BA '16) make up the art collective Permanent Vacation. The artists will be exhibiting new work in All Expenses Paid, opening on Thursday, Jan. 31.
(From The Brock News, January 29, 2019 | By: Sarah Ackles)
The Permanent Vacation art collective is inviting the public to experience the sights and sounds of a tropical getaway – without spending a cent.
The group, made up of Brock alumni, is presenting its second exhibition, All Expenses Paid, at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) beginning Thursday, Jan. 31. An opening reception for the showcase will be held Thursday, Feb. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m.
All Expenses Paid is a multimedia exhibition featuring photographs, videos, an installation and a zine. The artists will also create a studio space inside the exhibition, where emerging local artists can work if they cannot access their own studio space due to economic barriers.
The collective, which includes artists Katie Mazi (BA '16), Jenn Judson (BA '16), Matt Caldwell (BA '16), Ben Mosher (BA '15) and Alex Muresan (BA '16), were all Studio Art majors at Brock who first worked together to restructure the Brock Art Club into the current Brock Art Collective.
The name Permanent Vacation stems from the idea that you don't need to 'vacate' an area to find work and fulfilment. The collective's goal is to create working space for emerging Niagara-based makers in a way that promotes seeing home anew.
"The exciting part about this exhibition is that it is fully collaborative within our collective and interactive with local artists and community members," said Mazi.
The artists encourage visitors to embrace the theme and wear their best vacation attire to the opening, where they can expect to find themselves surrounded by inner tubes and piña coladas.
"It's practically a vacation," said Judson.
Permanent Vacation's All Expenses Paid is on from Jan. 31 to Feb. 28 at the VISA Gallery and Student Exhibition Space within the MIWSFPA. The opening reception, also at the gallery, takes place Feb. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.
If you would like to book studio time during the exhibition, please email the artists to make advance arrangements at permanentvacationcanada@gmail.com
Tags: All Expenses Paid, Department of Visual Arts, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, Permanent Vacation, visa
Categories: Alumni, Events, Exhibitions, News
Join us for an Artist Talk with Phil Irish Jan. 30
Friday, January 25, 2019 | By Brock University
Artist Phil Irish
The Department of Visual Arts is pleased to welcome Phil Irish to the MIWSFPA for an artist talk on Jan. 30.
Phil Irish, from Elora, Ontario, makes paintings that are both fierce and beautiful. He is known for cutting paintings into fragments, and installing those pieces to make architecturally scaled collages that engage your senses and your mind. His new work is influenced by his time on an icebreaker in the Canadian arctic, with Canada C3, a 150-day expedition from Toronto to Victoria via the Northwest Passage that took place from June 1 to Oct. 28, 2017.
He has shown in commercial galleries, artist-run centres, and public galleries, including the National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Guelph, Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery, Whyte Museum, Lonsdale Gallery and Angell Gallery, and was twice shortlisted for the Kingston Portrait Prize.
He holds degrees from Guelph (BA) and York (MFA) and teaches studio at Redeemer University College.
Irish will present at 1 p.m. on Jan. 30 in room 416 of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.
The talk is free and open to the public.
Registration is not required, but space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tags: artist talk, Department of Visual Arts, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, Phil Irish, visa
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
New research shows empathy can shape drug policy
Monday, January 07, 2019 | By Brock University
Brock Visual Arts Professor Linda Steer's research on drug photography has been published in the March edition of the International Journal of Drug Policy.
(From The Brock News, Monday, January 7, 2019 | By: Sarah Ackles)
In 2016, Ohio police released a photo of an American couple overdosing in their vehicle while a young child sat in the back. The image quickly went viral and attracted international attention.
The predominantly negative conversation surrounding the image, and others like it, left Brock Visual Arts Professor Linda Steer wondering if viewing these photographs with more empathy could be key to changing discourse on drug users and altering drug policy in North America.
Chosen for publication in the International Journal of Drug Policy, Steer's article "Entangled empathy, drug use, and photographs of suffering" examines contemporary drug photography in the hopes of encouraging people to think outside of the box about drug use and users.
"This research is very timely because every day we're seeing a news story about the dangers of fentanyl or some other opiate," said Steer, who teaches art history at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA). "There is a lack of understanding about what people that use drugs go through, and about drugs in general. It's a kind of hysteria."
In the article, Steer examines the work of two contemporary photographers: Chris Arnade and Tony Fouhse. Both are middle-aged, white men, who photographed female drug users they met on the street.
Steer looked at the artists' work through the lens of 'entangled empathy,' a concept developed by American Philosophy Professor Lori Gruen. To Gruen, empathy is about more than simply being understanding and compassionate about another's situation. Rather, it entails being responsive and responsible to that person in a way that promotes agency and positive change.
Drawing from that idea, Steer studied how Arnade's and Fouhse's photographs were created, circulated and received by viewers and compared how different settings, locations or mediums impacted the viewer's engagement with empathy.
"I found photographs with captions or text that worked to create a narrative had a better chance of creating empathy," she said. "I also found that we can still have empathy when the power dynamics are quite uneven and that photographs shared on Facebook can sometimes provoke people to engage with their own experience of addiction in relation to the photograph."
Steer hopes the article will create dialogue about the role photographs of drug use play in shaping public opinion, and the opinion of policy-makers and government agencies.
"Overall, photographic projects that show drug use have the potential to engage viewers with empathy and can be very useful in creating drug policy," she said. "Policy-makers might see these kinds of photographs and notice how they can elicit empathy for people who are misunderstood or maligned. That can have a positive impact on policy."
Steer said having her work published in the journal is especially meaningful as this marks her first peer-reviewed article in a new field of research. The interdisciplinarity of her work is also important, she noted, as the journal typically publishes research from science-based disciplines.
"I was really honoured for this work to be chosen as I think it speaks to how important photographs are and that we need to look more closely at the relationship between science and culture," she explained. "Even scientific research is culture – so we're bridging the gap between humanities and the sciences with this type of work."
She added that this research also showed her that "a lot more work has to be done" in this field of study.
"Not just on empathy," she added, "but on how it is related to politics, policy and how images create ideas about how we see others."
"Entangled empathy, drug use and photographs of suffering" is currently available for free download on the International Journal of Drug Policy website.
Tags: Department of Visual Arts, International Journal of Drug Policy website, Linda Steer, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, visa
Categories: Faculty & Instructors, News
Brock grad returns to MIWSFPA for first solo exhibition
Thursday, January 03, 2019 | By Brock University
Brock alumna Kylie Haveron (BA '18) is hosting her first solo exhibition, Not Dark Yet, at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) beginning Wednesday, Jan. 9.
(From The Brock News, Thursday, January 3, 2019 | By: Sarah Ackles)
As Martin Luther King Jr. once famously said: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that."
His message encapsulates the inspiration behind the first solo exhibition of Brock alumna Kylie Haveron (BA '18), opening at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) this month.
Running from Jan. 9 to 26, Not Dark Yet reflects on the dichotomy between lightness and darkness and the struggles we face in our daily lives.
The exhibition is on at the VISA Gallery and Student Exhibition Space at the MIWSFPA, with an opening reception on Thursday, Jan. 10.
"I look at how we believe day can bring a purpose, a connection and sense of certainty, while nightfall can bring anxiety as it signals the end of the opportunity for the day and a sense of waiting for the light of the next day to bring us answers," Haveron explained.
Haveron's exhibition consists of a combination of drawings, sculpture and installations that explore the way that physical lightness and darkness can impact the lightness and darkness we experience within ourselves.
She said the timing of the show is ideal, as the lack of sunlight during the winter months can trigger symptoms of depression in some individuals, often known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
While many of her pieces are gritty and gloomy, the Brock grad hopes her work will inspire viewers to "let the light into their lives."
"Although I look at how extended periods of darkness can make us feel the darkness inside of us, I do have some pieces that give us ways to find the light," she said. "We must not let the darkness determine our fate and our life, because the light can bring opportunity to have better outcomes."
Haveron is also looking forward to returning to her alma mater to showcase her first professional exhibition.
"Hosting a solo show is a good learning experience and I'm happy I get to do it at Brock, where I have a lot of friends and am part of a supportive community," she said.
Not Dark Yet runs from Jan. 9 to 26 in the VISA Art Gallery and Student Exhibition Space at the MIWSFPA. The gallery is open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m.
An opening reception, also in the gallery, will be held Thursday, Jan. 10, from 5 to 8 p.m.
This event is free and open to the community.
Tags: Alumna, alumni, Department of Visual Arts, development and alumni relations, Kylie Haveron, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, visa
Hamilton Now series highlights Brock art instructor
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 | By Brock University
Brock instructor Donna Akrey is part of the exhibition Hamilton Now: Object at the Art Gallery of Hamilton until May 20. (Photo by Taien Ng-Chan.)
(From The Brock News, Wednesday, December 19, 2018 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)
As Donna Akrey knows all too well, art is woven into the fabric of any strong community.
The textile work of the Brock University Visual Arts instructor is part of a new exhibition at the Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH) that celebrates an influx of new artistic talent in the city.
Akrey's work Hamilton Yards will be on display at the Art Gallery of Hamilton until May 20.
The Hamilton Now series, curated by Melissa Bennett, began in June with Hamilton Now: Subject, which focused on the culture and creativity in the city and spoke to who the artists are as individuals. The exhibit ran until Nov. 18, with artists using different mediums to explore aspects of their own identity.
The series' second exhibition, Hamilton Now: Object focuses mainly on sculptors.
Hamilton Now: Object, which is now on display at the AGH and features Akrey's work, emphasizes material exploration and awareness of the physical environment. The exhibit, which includes pieces by the collective art group band Persons, also features an interactive digital project that incorporates a sculptural map of Hamilton.
Akrey recently moved from Montreal, where she found herself a part of a very strong arts community. Once she arrived to Hamilton, she was pleasantly surprised by the welcome she received.
"The community is very strong, supportive and positive," she said. "I'm honoured to be showing work alongside other amazing Hamilton artists."
Akrey's piece, Hamilton Yards, is a series of fabrics digitally-printed with a custom-made repeating pattern of photo images. Akrey spent time wandering the neighbourhoods of east end Hamilton and documenting the spots that interested her.
"I have wanted to make textile work for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity," she said. "Through these works, I continue to address mapping, place and location in Hamilton specifically."
Alongside Akrey, the exhibition includes pieces by Christopher Reid Flock, Destiny Grimm, Hamilton Perambulatory Unit, Svava Thordis Juliusson, Carmela Laganse, Laura Marotte and Taien Ng-Chan.
On Thursday, Jan. 17, Akrey will be joined by Thordis Juliusson and Ng-Chan in the first of two panel events. The artists will lead guests through a series of sculptural activities, "object-oriented storytelling" and mapping exercises.
Hamilton Now: Object runs until May 20 at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. The official opening is Sunday, Feb. 3. The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday.
For more information, visit the Art Gallery of Hamilton website.
Tags: Art Gallery of Hamilton, Department of Visual Arts, donna akrey, Faculty of Humanities, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, visa
Brock prof unveils Invisible Histories at Toronto exhibition
Wednesday, November 07, 2018 | By Brock University
Invisible Histories, by Brock researcher and Visual Arts Chair, Professor Donna Szoke, is installed at the John B. Aird Gallery and CONTACT Gallery in Toronto until Nov. 23. Her work is pictured above: Donna Szoke, Invisible Histories. Geo-loactive smart phone/tablet app, 2015
(From The Brock News, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018 | By: Sarah Moore)
The work of Brock Professor Donna Szoke on the hidden history of nuclear waste is being featured in a Toronto group exhibition that opened last week.
Szoke, a researcher and Visual Arts Chair, has her work on display as part of Digital Animalities — a two-venue exhibition of artworks that examines how human-animal understandings and relationships are changing through the use of ubiquitous media and new technologies.
The exhibition is part of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada(SSHRC)-funded research project titled "Digital Animalities: Media Representations of Nonhuman Life in the Age of Risk," led by Jody Berland of York University.It brings the work of artists and researchers together to highlight the challenges and opportunities for new understandings of animals in contemporary digital culture.
Co-curated by Giovanni Aloi, Matthew Brower and Curatorial Assistant Seb Roberts, Digital Animalities divided the works into two exhibitions: Mapping (at the James B. Aird gallery) and Rendering (at CONTACT Gallery).
Szoke's Invisible Histories (a geolocative smartphone/tablet app she developed in 2015) is featured in the Mapping exhibition.
The free app maps nuclear waste at a Niagara Falls, N.Y., storage site, where more than 270,000 mice used in radioactive experiments have been buried.The app brings public awareness to the fact that there is radioactive evidence of secret atomic testing that took place during the infamous Manhattan Project in Niagara.
Users are guided through the app to the rodent burial site through the leadership of green, glowing 3D mice that become more prevalent on-screen as the site grows near.Szoke said it's ironic, because no one actually wants to go towards nuclear waste, but the mice guide users to their graves to reveal their tragic end.
Szoke was awarded the 2017 Faculty of Humanities Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity.
Her artistic work includes media art, interactive animation, installation, drawing, experimentation and printmaking.
Digital Animalities runs at the John B. Aird Gallery and CONTACT Gallery in Toronto until Nov. 23. The Invisible Histories app is available for free download at the iTunes store (OsX) and Google Play (Android).
Tags: Department of Visual Arts, Digital Animalities, Donna Szőke, Faculty of Humanities, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, sshrc, visa
Categories: Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, News
VISA drawing instructor has works published in Concrete & Constraint
Friday, November 02, 2018 | By Brock University
Arnold McBay, drawing instructor in Brock's Visual Arts Department, was recently published in the Penteract Press anthology 'Concrete & Constraint.' Pictured above is his work: For Alberto #1. 2018. Fixative transfer on wood panel.
Three recent works by Visual Arts Department drawing instructor Arnold McBay have been published in the upcoming Penteract Press anthology 'Concrete & Constraint.'
The Press, which publishes experimental poetry leaflets and chapbooks, described the anthology and the collection of works as the following:
"An anthology of international constrained & visual poetry: 64 full-colour pages of work from 24 poets. The anthology is split into two sections: "Procedural & Permutational," which focuses on textual and spatial transformations, and "Prohibitive & Plastic," whose focus is material and conceptual limitations."
McBay's work is published alongside Samuel Andreyev, Gary Barwin, Derek Beaulieu, Gregory Betts, Christian Bök, Luke Bradford, Franco Cortese, Clara Daneri, Lucy Dawkins, Anthony Etherin, Kyle Flemmer, Helen Frank, Ken Hunt, Nasser Hussain, Ross McCleary, Nick Montfort, Kelly Nelson, Sharon Phillips, Eric Schmaltz, Petra Schulze-Wollgast, Rachel Smith, Andrew Topel and Catherine Vidler.
Tags: Arnold McBay, concrete & constraint, Department of Visual Arts, penteract press, publication, visa
Categories: Announcements, Faculty & Instructors, News
Public talk and exhibition explore selfies and homeownership
Friday, October 05, 2018 | By Brock University
In his exhibition running until Nov. 7, Alejandro Cartagena has curated a selection of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto's vast collection of publicly shared selfies. (Photo courtesy of Alejandro Cartagena, from the official website of the office of the President of Mexico)
(From The Brock News, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 | by Sarah Moore)
While acclaimed artist Alejandro Cartagena's work focuses mainly on suburban life in Mexico, the themes expressed in his photographs bear uncanny resemblances to issues also currently impacting Canadians.
Brock Visual Arts Professor Amy Friend said it's that universality that made Cartagena's work so appealing and was why she invited him to this year's Walker Cultural Leaders Series at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).
Alejandro Cartagena, an international award-winning artist, self-publisher and editor who lives and works in Monterrey, Mexico, will present a lecture and exhibition as part of the Walker Cultural Leaders Series Oct. 17. (Photo courtesy of Alejandro Cartagena)
"I've seen Cartagena's work making an impact in how he is able to question political issues, mostly focused in Mexico, but I think there is a really universal message in what he is presenting," she said. "It's also important for students and the public to interact on a personal basis with a successful, working artist. To see that these are real people making real work in the real world — and it's creating a dialogue."
Cartagena is presenting an exhibition, Presidential Guide to Selfies, and giving a public lecture titled Visualizing space and some ideas of homeownership 2006 to 2018. The exhibition opening reception and the lecture both take place on Wednesday, Oct. 17 and are free and open to the public.
Hosted in the VISA Gallery and Student Exhibition Space, Presidential Guide to Selfies asks people to question the motives behind Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto's vast collection of publicly shared selfies.
Cartagena has curated a selection of these selfies (currently posted to the President's Official website) as a means to examine whether these images are being shared to show the Mexican President's engagement with the people of his country, or whether it is merely an exercise in vanity as he 'poses with his fans.'
Cartagena has also created an accompanying photobook for this exhibition in which he details the events surrounding each selfie.
Friend noted that in an age of cell phones and social media, and with Canada's own Justin Trudeau often affectionately and critically called 'Prime Minister Selfie,' the exhibition's exploration of politics, social media connectivity and celebrity culture is exceptionally timely.
Following the gallery opening, Cartagena will explore the interdependence of humans and landscape in the face of urban expansion in a lecture drawing from his own body of work.
Carpoolers, for example, is comprised of a series of photographs taken of migrant workers travelling around Mexico in the beds of pickup trucks.
In his public lecture on Oct. 17, Alejandro Cartagena will explore issues of home and ownership through the use of his work such as Carpoolers, which documents migrant workers riding in the back of vehicles. (Photo courtesy of Alejandro Cartagena)
The images of hardworking labourers travelling from job to job during the harvest season can conjure connections to Niagara's own large migrant worker population.
In Ontario alone, tens of thousands of migrant workers come to farms, orchards and greenhouses as part of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program every year. They work and live in communities in the Niagara Fruit Belt, often spending six to eight months working in the agricultural hub of the province.
"The idea of ownership floats around in Cartagena's work, looking at suburban Mexican homes, border issues, migrant issues, issues of poverty and wealth," said Friend. "It's quite poignant now, in particular with what is happening with migration issues worldwide, and it also makes us question how we treat our own migrant workers. How do we decide how housing is built? Do we even know what is happening here in Canada?"
The lecture is being held in the Robertson Theatre at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Steve Solski, Executive Director, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, said hosting the event in conjunction with the MIWSFPA is another example of the close community partnership between the two establishments.
"The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and our neighbours at the Marilyn I. Walker School have together truly become the cultural hub for our city and region," said Solski. "The synergy between bringing together the very best artists from across our country and world paired with nurturing and developing local artists and young creative minds, is key to our thriving arts community."
Tickets to the lecture are free, but registration is required by visiting the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre website. The exhibition runs until Nov. 7.
Presidential Guide to Selfies
Exhibition opening: Wednesday, Oct. 17, 5 p.m., VISA Art Gallery and Student Exhibition Space, MIWSFPA
Exhibition runs: Oct. 4 to Nov. 7
Visualizing space and some ideas of homeownership 2006-2018
Wednesday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m., Robertson Theatre, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
The Walker Cultural Leader series brings leading artists, performers, practitioners and academics to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University. Engaging, lively and erudite, these sessions celebrate professional achievement, artistic endeavour and the indelible role of culture in our society. Please join us. This education program is generously founded by Marilyn I. Walker.
Tags: alejandro cartagena, Amy Friend, Department of Visual Arts, visa, walker cultural leaders series
Categories: Events, Exhibitions
Beloved Visual Arts staffer inspires Art History award
Friday, September 07, 2018 | By Brock University
Lesley Bell, right, sits with Visual Arts Chair Donna Szőke, one final time in the Learning Commons at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts before Bell's retirement. The department marked her retirement with the creation of the Lesley Bell Award, to be presented to the Art History student entering third year with the highest average.
(From The Brock News, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018 | by Sarah Moore)
When you walk into the Learning Commons at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), you are greeted by the always-smiling face of Lesley Bell.
The long-time Co-ordinator enthusiastically helps students, staff and faculty alike on their quests for knowledge, is always eager to explain how a piece of software works and has no shortage of stories to share about art, the University or life in general.
It is her passion for the work that she does, and for the people she works with, that inspired the Visual Arts Department to pay tribute to Bell's legacy with a student award named in her honour.
Created in recognition of her retirement at the end of August, the new Lesley Bell Award will be presented annually to the third-year History of Art and Visual Culture major with the highest average.
Donna Szőke, Chair of the Visual Arts Department, said the award is a fitting way to recognize student accomplishment as well as Bell's time with Brock, both academically and professionally.
"Lesley has been an invaluable resource to our department," she said. "Her constant generosity of spirit, curiosity and kindness has touched the lives of the many students, instructors and staff of Visual Arts, as well as Brock as a whole. We celebrate Lesley with this award."
Bell, who has been employed with Brock for 34 years, is the longest-serving staff member in the Visual Arts Department.
She remembers her journey through the ranks at Brock fondly, starting from her decision to enrol as a student in 1983.
While working part time as a waitress, Bell would always share her love of the arts with her coworkers. As a mature student in her 30s, however, she was skeptical about going back to school.
After some prodding from coworkers — and realizing there was a night class at Brock that she could attend which wouldn't interfere with her work schedule — she decided to enrol.
"I started an art history class with Sylvia Osterbind, a fine arts librarian who also taught the Art History course for a fledgling program in History and Studio Arts at Brock," Bell recalled. "Sylvia was a formidable teacher. I sat at the back of the class and watched her stride in front of two projected images of ancient art in her sensible shoes, waving her pointer and lecturing with her succinct German accent."
From that point on, Bell was "hooked." She would close down the bar, working until the wee hours of the morning, and then wake up for early morning seminars.
"I suddenly noticed 'classical' architectural elements on the buildings on St. Paul Street when riding the bus home from Brock, and I met some people who are still important friends," she recalls fondly. "I started Brock thinking I was not smart enough for university, but that course showed me that I had a mind that could ask questions, and I had eyes that could see the creative world around me."
After graduating with an Honours B.A. in Visual Arts from Brock University in 1988, Bell then continued her studies and earned a Master of Library Science degree from Western University in 1993.
From there, she returned to the place where it all started and began working at Brock as a Visual Arts resource co-ordinator.
Over time, her job would evolve to include oversight of the Brock University Art Collection and the former Sean O'Sullivan Art Gallery on the main campus.
Bell would eventually conceive and help design the Learning Commons in the new MIWSFPA building in downtown St. Catharines, where her duties expanded to include managing the equipment kiosk and supervising student monitors. She constantly worked to develop opportunities for the space to further benefit students and the community, and never stopped striving to make it a more inclusive place to study and congregate.
Bell is not one to boast about her accomplishments or bask in the spotlight, however. Especially, she says, when she was simply "doing her job."
But when it comes to the student award in her honour, she is proud that her legacy will serve to inspire future students to also pursue their passions.
"I don't know if I can say this emphatically enough: this award means more to me than the decades of service to Brock and is a legacy that actually stuns me," she said. "We are all here because of the students that we train, nurture and mentor. However, we seldom get a chance to know that we 'make a difference.' So, it is deeply significant to me to be given this gift from the department."
Tags: Donna Szőke, learning commons, lesley bell, retirement, visa, visual arts department
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Faculty & Instructors, News
Three to Eight exhibition to support student scholarships
Tuesday, August 28, 2018 | By Brock University
Professor Murray Kropf is exhibiting his most recent collection of paintings in Three to Eight, an exhibition opening Tuesday, Sept. 4 in the VISA Gallery at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. The paintings are being sold to support student scholarships. (Photo by Lorraine Zandvliet)
(From The Brock News, Wednesday, August 28, 2018 | by Sarah Moore)
When Brock Associate Professor Murray Kropf puts brush to canvas, his inspiration tends to stem from an academic problem he is currently working through.
In Three to Eight, his new exhibition opening Tuesday, Sept. 4, Kropf challenged himself to create movement in a piece by using only tone, hue and intensity and painting on square canvases with a very limited colour palette.
"I was trying to find a better way to teach students about colour theory," he said of the work that he began last year in early fall. "I was looking for a way to create a harmonious and structured composition that is asymmetrical, but still balanced, using only a palette of between three to eight colours."
The result was a series of paintings — the first purely abstract of his career — that Kropf will be selling to fund visual arts scholarships for students in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).
While he is mainly a location and still-life painter, Kropf said he welcomed the change of pace for this work.
"It went better than I thought it could," he said of his first stab at abstractionism. "It's always a problem for painters approaching a canvas, because it's blank, but everything that came out of this was a surprise and that was lovely. It was a refreshing thing to do."
He also said the process will "further inform his teaching" in the future, making him more "appreciative" of what can be accomplished with a limited range of colours.
Assistant Professor Amy Friend, Chair of the VISA Gallery Committee, said this is the first time a professor has hosted a solo show as a fundraising initiative since she has been involved with the gallery operations.
"To showcase the work that Murray, one of our senior professors, accomplishes behind-the-scenes in his studio, is really important," she said. "It also shows the way that art can support community, the generosity of our relationship with our students and the ongoing need to fund student studies."
Kropf, who has been teaching at Brock for more than 30 years, said simply that it was "time" to give back to the students and the institution he has been connected to for so long.
"I want to show my gratitude to my students, to my colleagues, and to the university because I have been very lucky to work here, and I've enjoyed it a great deal," he said. "I've always wanted to contribute to awards for students because I've been a student and I know how badly support is needed."
Three to Eight will be displayed in the VISA Gallery, located on the first floor of the MIWSFPA, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 4, with an opening reception taking place Friday, Sept. 7. The reception will run from 4 to 7 p.m., also in the gallery, and is free and open to the community. The VISA gallery is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.
All proceeds from the sales of Kropf's pieces will be donated to scholarships for students in Visual Arts immediately after the exhibition.
Tags: Amy Friend, Department of Visual Arts, murray kropf, three to eight, visa, visa gallery
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, News
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Reimagining the Platform Economy
Feb 5, 2021 Mariana Mazzucato , Rainer Kattel, Tim O'Reilly, Josh Entsminger
Today's digital economy has grown up around a business model of data and wealth extraction, confounding traditional antitrust paradigms and undermining the public and social value that otherwise could be derived from technological innovation. The state can redress these problems, but only if it reclaims its proper role.
LONDON – As Donald Trump's presidency careened to its ignominious end, with a mob of his supporters storming of the US Capitol, Facebook and Twitter banned the US president for inciting the violence. With that act, the scope of the political power wielded by Big Tech became impossible to ignore.
Whether these platforms have too much political power is a debate that is just beginning. Their outsize economic power, though, is unquestionable. The combined market capitalization of the five largest US tech platforms – Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft – rose by $2.7 trillion in 2020. Following the addition of Tesla to the S&P 500, the Big Six tech firms now represent nearly one-quarter of the index's valuation. And with the spread of COVID-19, the leading digital platforms have become de facto essential service providers, enabling a mass transition to remote and isolated living.
And yet the political pressure on Big Tech has continued to rise. There is a growing consensus that platforms have been abusing their power, driving profits by exploiting consumer privacy, crushing the competition, and buying up potential rivals. In Germany, a provisional ruling by the Federal Court of Justice against Facebook has set a precedent for disabling data-extractive business models more generally. In the United Kingdom, an expert panel is completing an inquiry into whether giants like Google should be broken up, and how regulatory institutions and capabilities can be strengthened to rein in Big Tech. And in Australia, the government is following through on a number of regulatory proposals designed to redefine its approach to the industry.
Correction Feb 8, 2021 11:04UTC
In the second paragraph, the tech platforms' market capitalization rose by $2.7 trillion, not $2.7 billion.
Mariana Mazzucato
Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London, is Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. She is the author of The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy, The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths, and, most recently, Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism.
Rainer Kattel
1 Commentary
Rainer Kattel is Deputy Director and Professor of Innovation and Public Governance at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
Tim O'Reilly
Tim O'Reilly is Visiting Professor of Practice at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
Josh Entsminger
Josh Entsminger is a PhD student in innovation and public policy at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
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Nika Stadnik Feb 24, 2021
I don't think it's a positive aspect "And yet the political pressure on Big Tech has continued to rise. There is a growing consensus that platforms have been abusing their power, driving profits by exploiting consumer privacy, crushing the competition, and buying up potential rivals."
http://www.confiduss.com/en/jurisdictions/united-kingdom/economy/
F Ahmed Feb 18, 2021
Profound point.
Also can our politicians, majority of them of vintage years, understand well enough the issues at hand?
Aurelie Pols Feb 14, 2021
not sure what "private data" might encompass to be frank. Does this relate to data ownership or is this related to the concepts of personal data/personal information?
or dark patterns
Halbart Volker Feb 9, 2021
There is ample evidence of disruptive innovation based on earlier state funded research, however, the same is true for non state originated disruptive innovations. Though I do believe state funded fundamental research is extremely important I do not think this is the only way we will see disruptive innovation. Private innovation will surely be just as important. Great article btw!
Elizabeth Coleman Feb 8, 2021
Why is he No Hitler? His use of the big lie, his predilection for violence, cruelty, the Republican Convention format was a picture image of a fascist rally, the order of loyalty he evokes, the strong man, the legions of hate that rally around him.....his pardoning of use of violence that exceed the military ethics....WHY???
Emilio Sempris Feb 7, 2021
Excellent article. States should also treat the emergence of platform economies as an unprecedented opportunity to decouple democratic values from capital values.
Procyon Mukherjee Feb 7, 2021
A great article and I really believe that "taking" begets taking, a world that truly accepts that winners will take more is resoundingly a new paradigm we live in. Facebook setting aside $25 Billion for buybacks, announcing it boldly is the world we live in, proclaiming the status of a rent seeker par excellence draws the motley crowd of investors to their ever growing status of the world's biggest manipulator of personal data.
But alas, we are the biggest cheerleaders of such manipulation, from governments to commentators to investors to every sane thinker, we acknowledge that we have succumbed successfully to this adulation of wrongdoing.
The low values we build for our children, is as much steeped in this stench of passive acceptance, as all the good our forefathers fought for.
Michael Public Feb 7, 2021
Commercially speaking, a buyback is just a dividend - anyone who wants can use their dividend to immediately buy more shares. The issue is nothing to do with the transaction itself - but rather that the companies do not re-invest the cash into innovation - however, those that do, like Amazon and Tesla get attacked because the innovations actually work!
Great wisdom about Tesla! Innovation and tomfoolery, et al!
francesca milani Feb 5, 2021
They also undermine the transparency principle which is a consumers'right
Robert Wolff Feb 5, 2021
Under US law, corporations are not fiduciaries of The Nation or The People, and therefore are unlimited in whether they make their profits through wealth creation or wealth extraction. Consequently, wealth and power in America have been rapidly concentrating in hands of corporate owners while those who own no corporate assets are the victims of the owners' wealth extraction techniques. This has been a political argument since President Jackson refused to authorize the Second US Bank in 1816 because banks extracted wealth rather than creating wealth.
To force banks and US Big Tech corporations to prove they are creating wealth versus just extracting wealth would discredit the profit motive of Capitalism itself, and could never become law under the current US Constitution. It would require a political revolution and the inversion of the current legal system by demanding US corporations be redefined as fiduciaries of the State to serve the interests of society. That is Socialism.
Never Hachi.
Corporations pay tax in America, although very little by international norms. How about we automatically adjust tax rates until the gini coefficient stabilizes. I also see no issue in letting billionaires children get $100 million and the rest is a death tax.
Vidvuds Beldavs Feb 5, 2021
It appears that a new structure is needed for platforms that are more akin to public utilities whose services are provided as a regulated monopoly rather than a business operating in a competive environment. The value of the service to users increases if everyone uses the same service rather than having multiple competing platforms.
Non-platform services providers that sell shoes, clothes, cars, or homes do not have the capacity to shape the consumer or political and social choices of users. Existing laws are generally effective with such businesses and services providers.
I see no violation of the Constitution or the capacity of the Capitalist system to function in the creation of a new governance mechanism for platform businesses. As a form of public utility new forms of regulation need to be developed that are not required for traditional non-utility businesses. The transnational nature of the major platform businesses raises more fundamental issues because utilities can be regulated within a sovereign state. Platform businesses cross sovereign boundaries. Facebook with its Libra stablecoin business even threatens the traditional role of sovereign currencies and the control by states over their money supply. Addressing those issues is a global financial regulatory matter that cannot be addressed by redefining platforms as social enterprises established to serve the public interest.
Perhaps the ultimate outcome could be platform that is a global commons much like the oceans of the world. Individuals can fish and sell fish but they cannot own the ocean itself. Fishing rights are controlled. The global information commons is an ecosystem that is the responsibility of all users to keep healthy. Exercising this responsbility will take resources for which methods will be required to gather the resources to keep the global information commons in good health for all users.
This is a very interesting commentary, though we need to carry the dialectic between your thesis and my thesis to come to a realistic conclusion.
What is quite clear to me is that the US was founded by an indigenous owner class (former English Lords and Masters) who happened to bring their knowledge and education with them to America, and that the American Revolution in America consisted of them raising their minions in war, under George Washington, Hamilton, Adams, Monroe Jefferson and others, to dispense with the military presence of the English Military occupying America in its Colonial Period which guaranteed profits to English Nobles invested in the American Colonies.
But my thesis is that these "Founding Fathers" had no other reason than to establish their own dominance and replace the English Nobility that used their Military to guarantee their profits from their investments in America, that to become the undisputed owners and investment brokers of American production.
Furthermore, my thesis (read the Federalist Papers, especially #10 by Monroe) is that they despised Democracy and Socialism and created the Constitution and System and Processes/Procedures of Government to guarantee that no factional uprising of Democrats or Socialists nor Right Wing "Firsters" could take away their right to rule through controlling the Money System. This Establishment is still in effect in America.
What has changed with Globalism is that the Owners of America have rejected any fiduciary duty of the rich to the poor or middle class or the survival of the American nation itself, to seek world dominance through controlling the US Dollar and making it the world reserve currency, and using the US Military to intimidate nations with US investments (e.g. China) to keep their profits (much like the English installed Redcoats in America to raise taxes on American Colonialists and thus protect the investments of the English Nobility.
If your proposal (VERY Socialist) is to ordain, the principles upon which America was founded (guarantee no insurrection against American Owners) and the Established Law and Constitution of America will need wide-ranging changes in both the Philosophy and Ideology of the "Law".
We may not need to talk about "Cancel Culture" (denial of the basis of the American Civil War which was a War between the Owners of the South and the Owners of the North and the cultural war they fought over the right to slavery in the South which was the key to its economic success), since we no longer have slavery in America and the fight now over National Sovereignty is now over the validity of Chinese State control by the CCP versus the weakness of the American System wherein US Capitalists favor investment in China (jobs, technology, manufacturing) for profits rather than the survival of the American Nation (Our Forefather's first priority was, "Nation First).
So, we have a mishmash of political-economic ideologies in America in contest, some that hold that the survival of America and its society and philosophy and morals are more important than the desire for wealth of the Elites and some the opposite.
Neil MacLean Feb 5, 2021
I find this article extremely helpful in understanding the very real challenges of regulating our new digital world. Wow! But I am not optimistic that the thoughts here are very likely to find meaningful following among the legislatively powerful when you get treated like you must be from Mars for suggesting stock market stability could be greatly helped by higher taxes on short term capital gains.
https://prosyn.org/MQtznEN
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Kansas Rocks Recreation Park will celebrate a "Grand Opening 2.0" Saturday, May 20, to commemorate the addition of 160 acres to the off-road facility in Mapleton, Kansas. Starting at 9:30 a.m., the park will celebrate its now-380 acres with an opening ceremony and free coffee, cider, and donuts for attendees. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the park will remain open until 9 p.m.. Staff will be on hand tonight and tomorrow night for free camping at the park.
The new property includes a variety of terrain, helping off-roaders hone their skills and enjoy their time off-road. A trail map for the addition is coming soon, but until then, the staff at Kansas Rocks will provide hand-drawn maps to visitors, including details on trail ratings and the five entrances to the new acreage.
Visitors can sign in tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. The larger trail system will cost the same as it did before the expansion: $20 per vehicle, or $70 for an annual pass.
If you are in the area, check out the newly expanded Kansas Rocks Recreation Park, and be sure to take lots of photos to send us! The more off-road parks, the better!


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Modern European History, 1789-1945
Level: AS and A Level
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The impact of the First World War merely heightened existing social and political tensions which had divided Germany before 1914. How far do you agree with this judgement?
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'The impact of the First World War merely heightened existing social and political tensions which had divided Germany before 1914.' How far do you agree with this judgement? Germany's certain tensions politically and socially before 1914 can be seen in forms of the strikes that were taking place to deter the government and the military leaders away from the war, essentially the opposition to go to war. So, this would almost keep the tensions consistent as it was already relatively high. Other political tensions prior to the 1914 mark included the Zabern Affair in 1913 which increased tensions of the Reich as it was a political crisis. However, the tensions could have seen to differ after the war especially with growing opposition. As the Second Reich had a lot of issues already so the 'tensions' themselves were already in full effect and could be seen to only get worse with events such as starting a war that was preventable. Social tensions were as the statement suggests were present before WW1 in Germany. Pressure groups highlighted the divisions and tensions in Germany despite them usually focusing on single issues yet after the economic and social changes they emerged due to these changes. ...read more.
However you could also argue to what extent was this on the same level as a crippling war that destroyed the moral and much more within Germany. Furthermore, Flottenpolitik was another aspect of the tensions that escalated in Germany pre-war. This was due to von Tirpitz pushing a Naval Law to expand the German's navy and a way of bringing ideas together from government policy and popular pressure. This navy push expanded tensions within Germany and tensions between Britain due to the race for a better navy. These hopes, prompted mass production to keep up with the demands of the Navy Laws. This pre-war political movement created certain tensions and shows that it wasn't just WWI that would have merely increased tensions as it shows it would have just about stayed the same. Not only this but other political factors that increased tensions were as certain classes were impacted on like the peasantries were seen to be alienated by the government regulations post food rationings. The urban working classes resented state controls and the middle classes were in an unfamiliar surrounding with for instance no savings that were decreasing in value. ...read more.
The suffering was also seen when the majority of the population were starving due to the navy of Britain. This mainly caused economic problems as it crippled banks so there was a decrease in Germany's production towards the war. Despite relevant differences in tensions before and throughout war it is shown that some factors were more important to show that the judgement must be an increase in tensions. However, certain aspects disagree with the judgement like the burgfrieden. These aspects though, do not compare those to what the war created and the ones the Reichstag created and so the judgement is seen to be true. The judgement that it merely heightened certain tensions is to some extent true even though factors suggest it didn't, and they suggest it lessened or stayed the same. Though, this would be an understatement as a war can only increase devastation and an exhaustion in terms of social and political aspects. Including the fact it would have worn out the moral of the public, given them little hope in those that hoped and predicted a victory, depleted population, a loss to the economy and of course the effect it had on other countries, which would lead to the conclusion that it did heighten the social and political tensions in Germany. ...read more.
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This response focuses well on the question and the author gives careful consideration to pre-war tensions but the counter-argument (ie. the effects of the war) is less well developed. Some grammatical problems. 4 out of 5 stars.
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text:
\section{Introduction}
Recently the use of metamaterials as wave absorbers has been attracting the interest of many researchers from the viewpoint of feasible metamaterial applications using current technology. Since the first experimental metamaterial work was reported by Smith et al. \cite{smith}, various metamaterials have been proposed to realise their exotic properties, such as negative permittivity, negative permeability and negative refractive index (NRI), from the microwave region to the optical region \cite{caloz,physicasReports,SoukoulisMTMs}. At the same time many metamaterial applications have also been suggested; the superlens \cite{superlens}, invisible cloaking \cite{opticalTransformation,scatteringCancel} and optical transformation \cite{optTrans} to name but a few. However, there are obstacles in the realisation of these schemes. Most metamaterial applications rely on the negative properties described above. At high frequencies, such as terahertz and optical bands, the properties have non--zero imaginary parts of refractive index and wave impedance mainly due to the conductive loss of the metal components, making the applications less attractive or sometimes unrealistic. For this reason the conductive loss issue is recognised as a problem to be solved \cite{scienceColumnNextMTM} and many researchers are trying to address this matter, for example, by the use of gain mediums \cite{gainMTM} or by optical transformation designs that include the conductive loss \cite{superscatterer}. In this paper we seek to exploit these losses for efficient absorber design. In metamaterial absorbers the use of the conductive loss can be taken into account as part of the absorber design to achieve strong levels of absorptance. Thus the practical use of metamaterials as wave absorbers is becoming popular for applications in areas such as EMC, crosstalk reduction etc.

So far metamaterial absorbers have exhibited attractive features which are not available from conventional wave absorbers. One example is in the manipulation of the electromagnetic properties. In conventional absorbers design options are limited by substrate properties and mixture ratios to realise desired permittivity and permeability values. This is not easy to accomplish. In this paper we aim at systematic design techniques for metamaterial absorbers to enable us to modify their electromagnetic properties with relative ease (e.g. changes in metallisation length and geometry). More importantly the use of metamaterials makes the absorber substrate thicknesses significantly smaller. In the conventional absorbers the total thickness of the structures need to be comparable to a quarter wavelength $\lambda _0$ of the operating frequency. However, the $\lambda _0/4$ thickness can limit the range of application, for example, where available working space is restricted. This issue has successfully been solved by use of thin metamaterials, which allowed us to relax the limitation of the physical size remarkably (e.g. in \cite{ultraThinAbs} 1 mm thickness at operating frequency 6 GHz, i.e. approximately one fiftieth of the wavelength), and more flexible design options became possible.

An outstanding issue is the limitation of the absorption band width. In most cases absorption is concentrated in a narrow frequency band. Although narrow band absorbers may be useful in some applications, the real need is for broadband absorbers with customised characteristics to meet specific user needs.

This paper shows that highly customisable broadband absorption is possible using metamaterials as wave absorber. Different lengths of conductive and lossy cut--wires (CW) (see insets of Figs. \ref{fig:modelField} (a) and (b) as examples of CWs) are deployed as a single periodic metamaterial absorber unit. Highly customisable absorption is achieved by independent conductive loss optimisation in each CW. In addition, this absorption can be obtained for arbitrary polarisations without any serious absorptance reduction when other pairs of CWs are introduced. Furthermore, it is also demonstrated that not only enhancing the absorptance but also reducing it is possible by use of additional CWs. These results indicate that the CWs make it possible to design very flexible absorptance characteristics. Before the customisable absorber configurations are explained in detail, this paper introduces characteristics of lossless CW metamaterials in section \ref{sec:material} then examines the basic properties of CW metamaterials in sections \ref{sec:singleAndPaired}. In section \ref{sec:CWpec} the customised broadband absorber designs are introduced and conclusion is made in section \ref{sec:conc}. Previous work is described in \cite{APRASC} which was done using limited numerical resolution. This work is extended here to develop customised absorbers.

\section{Calculation models}
\label{sec:material}
This paper uses a thin rectangular metal form, the so--called CW, as a base metal geometry for the following reasons. Firstly, the CW metamaterials are very simple structures and the periodic unit is composed of only a dielectric substrate and a single or paired CW. Due to their simplicity, CW metamaterials can be transformed into other types of metamaterials \cite{CWeq,CWfromSRR}, so they play an important role in basic metamaterial research. Secondly, the CW metamaterials do not require any extra metal components to yield a NRI. For example, the first metamaterial \cite{smith} is composed of split--ring resonators, yielding a negative value of permeability, and long metal strips, yielding a negative value of permittivity, and hence two types of metal structures are necessary to produce a NRI. However, the CW metamaterials can exhibit both negative permittivity and permeability through a simply paired CW. Thirdly, CW structures are suitable for introducing stronger losses. As is reported in \cite{SoukoulisMTMs}, compared to fishnet structures \cite{fishnetKRH} which have some similar properties with those CW metamaterials have, the CW metamaterials can exhibit greater losses, which although undesirable in most metamaterial applications they are needed in absorber applications. Moreover, from a fabrication viewpoint, the CW form is straightforward to manufacture due to its simple geometry. Finally, CWs with conductive loss easily produce multi--absorptance peaks as will be demonstrated in this paper.

In absorber applications described in this paper conductive loss is used instead of dielectric loss which is assumed to be a primary resource in most metamaterial absorbers (e.g. \cite{dieLossAbs}). One of the reasons is that materials with suitable conductive losses are readily available through recently developed technologies, e.g. conductive inks \cite{conductiveInk}. Also, independent optimisation of the metal resistances gives us more flexible options for absorption characteristic designs, e.g. multi--peak broadband absorption, as will be demonstrated in section \ref{sec:CWpec}.

The default structures of the simulated CW metamaterials are illustrated in the insets of Figs. \ref{fig:modelField} (a) and (b) for single and paired CWs and the simulations were performed by using the transmission line modelling (TLM) method \cite{TLMbook}. To simplify the situation and consider the absorption effect due only to the conductive loss of the CW metals, the relative permittivity $\varepsilon _r$ of the substrate was set $\varepsilon _r=1$ and all other loss mechanisms were removed. The CW structure had a width of 0.3 mm along the $y$ axis ($H$--field) and a length of 5.1 mm along the $x$ axis ($E$--field). The dimension of the unit cell was $A_x=A_y=6.3$ mm. This structure was modelled using cubical TLM unit cells having edge lengths of $\Delta l=0.075$ mm. The sheet resistance $R$ ($\Omega \Box ^{-1}$) used to quantify the conductive loss was allocated so that the scattering coefficients from the metal are determined by
\begin{eqnarray}
\Gamma = \frac{R_0-Z_0}{R_0+Z_0} \mathrm{~~~and~~~} T=\frac{2R_0}{R_0+Z_0},
\label{eq:loss}
\end{eqnarray}
where $\Gamma$ and $T$ respectively represent reflection coefficient and transmission coefficient both multiplied by the incident voltage (the incident wave) in each TLM unit cell, $Z_{0}$ is the impedance in vacuum and $R_{0}=RZ_{0}/(R+Z_{0})$. The scattering parameters were calculated using observation planes 15 mm away from the absorber surface and a Gaussian pulse was excited on a plane one cell above the observation plane for the reflection coefficient. Since periodic boundaries were applied for the $xz$ and $yz$ plane boundaries, the CW metamaterial absorber unit modelled was assumed to belong to infinite array on the bottom $xy$ plane.

The simulated paired CW metamaterials are generally known to exhibit two types of resonances: electric resonances and magnetic resonances \cite{CWeq}. These resonances are explained in Fig. \ref{fig:modelField} where the reflection coefficient, the electric fields and the conduction currents of the CW metamaterials all calculated by TLM method are illustrated. When an incident wave is excited with the electric field parallel to the direction of the CW metals, the conduction currents flow in opposite directions in each CW at the magnetic resonance (see Fig. \ref{fig:modelField} (d)). This is the minimum $|S_{11}|$ at 24.89 GHz in Fig. \ref{fig:modelField} (b). In this case the electric field is anti--parallel at the two edges of the CW metamaterial, Fig. \ref{fig:modelField} (c), and a magnetic field concentrated within the area bounded by the paired CW is generated. This magnetic field plays the role of an artificial magnetic dipole and can lead to a negative value of permeability. On the other hand, at the electric resonance found at around an $|S_{11}|$ peak (26.71 GHz in Fig. \ref{fig:modelField} (b)), conduction currents in the CWs become dominant, resulting in a strong unidirectional electric field at the edges of the CWs, Figs. \ref{fig:modelField} (e) and (f). Similarly with the magnetic resonance this electric field behaves as an artificial electric dipole so as to produce a negative value of permittivity. A similar electric resonance is found in the $|S_{11}|$ peak of the single CW metamaterial (26.65 GHz of Fig. \ref{fig:modelField} (a)) as well. The positions of the two types of the resonances can be manipulated \cite{CWeq,french} and in subsection \ref{ssec:pairedCW} the influence of the resonant frequency positions on the absorptance peak will be discussed.

\begin{figure}[htbp]
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig1a.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig1b.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig1c.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig1d.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig1e.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig1f.eps}
\end{minipage}
\caption{Default structures of simulated CW metamaterials and their properties. $|S_{11}|$ of (a) lossless single CW and (b) lossless paired CW. (c) Electric field and (d) conduction current of the magnetic resonance frequency (24.89 GHz). (e) Electric field and (f) conduction current of the electric resonance frequency (26.71 GHz). }
\label{fig:modelField}
\end{figure}

\section{Absorptances of single CW metamaterials and paired CW metamaterials}
\label{sec:singleAndPaired}
\subsection{Absorptances of single CW metamaterials}
This subsection investigates basic absorptance characteristics of single CW metamaterial absorbers. The default size of the periodic structure is illustrated in Fig.\ \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (a). First of all, conductive loss is distributed in one of three ways: allocations to all the metal part, both of the edges (0.9 mm for each edge and 1.8 mm in total) and one of the edges (1.8 mm or 1.2 mm). Secondly, the absorptances of different CW lengths are investigated and they are combined as one metamaterial unit to achieve broadband absorption. In all the simulations the value of the sheet resistance, $R$, is constant.

In Fig. \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (b) the absorptance $A$ of the single CW composed of only lossy metal is shown for various sheet resistance values. The absorptance was calculated from $A=1-|S_{11}|^2-|S_{21}|^2$. It is found from Fig. \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (b) that the positions of the maximum absorptance are fixed at around 26.59 GHz, which is close to the resonant frequency found in Fig. \ref{fig:modelField} (a). In addition it turns out that the absorptance peak curve reaches the maximum values with a sheet resistance $R=6.0~\Omega \Box ^{-1}$, the inset of Fig. \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (b). This absorptance peak dependence can be easily explained with the equivalent circuit drawn in the inset of Fig. \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (c). At the resonant frequency the circuit impedance becomes $Z=R$. In terms of the conduction current $I$, numerical simulations revealed its dependence on $R$ as the curve with closed circles shown in Fig. \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (c). Therefore, the power dissipated in the circuit, $P$ ($=I^2R$), as illustrated by the curve with open squares in Fig. \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (c), well corresponds to the result in the inset of Fig. \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (b).

\begin{figure}[htbp]
\begin{minipage}{0.47\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig2a.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.53\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig2b.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig2c.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig2d.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig2e.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig2f.eps}
\end{minipage}
\caption{Absorptances of single CW having constant resistance values. (a) Details of the simulated single CW metamaterial. (b) Absorptance of the single CW composed of only lossy metal. In the inset the absorptance dependence on $R$ at 26.59 GHz is illustrated. (c) The conduction current $I$ and the dissipated power $P$ ($=IR^2$) in the CW with various values of $R$. (d) -- (f) Absorptances of the single CW composed of both lossless metal part and lossy metal part. The lossy metal parts were restricted to both edges (0.9 mm per each edge and 1.8 mm in total) in (d) and one edge in (e) (1.8 mm) and in (f) (1.2 mm). }
\label{fig:allLossySingle}
\end{figure}

Similar maximum absorptance peaks were obtained when the conductive loss area was restricted to one or both of the edges of the CW metal (see Figs. \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (d) to (f)). However, further increase of the loss amount exhibited different absorptance peaks at higher frequencies. These absorption positions were expected to correspond to resonances of CWs shortened by the lossy metal part(s), since the conductive losses were too high causing a highly distorted current distribution. Numerical simulations confirmed that the 3.3 mm--length CW, whose length correspond to the lossless parts of Figs. \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (d) and (e), has resonant frequency at 38.06 GHz, which is in the vicinity of the absorptance peaks at the higher frequencies in Figs. \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (d) and (e). Similarly the 3.9 mm--length CW, whose metal length is same with the lossless part of Fig.\ \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (f), was found to have resonant frequency at 33.55 GHz, which is also close to another absorptance peak of Fig.\ \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (f). Although the absorptance effect obtained from these structures is weak, one point noticed from Figs.\ \ref{fig:allLossySingle} (e) and (f) is that the decrease of the absorptance at the frequency range between the two peaks can be reduced by restricting the lossy metal part to the narrow area.

Secondly, the absorptances of different CW lengths were calculated. The calculation results are summarised in Fig. \ref{fig:diffLength} (a) where the simulated CWs had lengths of 3.3 to 5.1 mm by 0.6 mm steps. It is found from Fig. \ref{fig:diffLength} (a) that the absorptance peak depends on the CW length. Next several of the CWs used in Fig.\ \ref{fig:diffLength} (a) were combined as one metamaterial unit and the resultant absorptance curves are illustrated in Fig. \ref{fig:diffLength} (b). The inset in Fig. \ref{fig:diffLength} (b) describes a structure consisting of four CWs. In this structure the distance between the CWs was 0.3 mm and one end of the CWs were positioned at a same $x$ axis position (0.3 mm from one of $xz$ plane boundaries). In the other structures only those lengths noted were included. Compared to the results in Fig. \ref{fig:diffLength} (a), the results in Fig. \ref{fig:diffLength} (b) illustrate broadband behaviour.

\begin{figure}[htbp]
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig3a.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig3b.eps}
\end{minipage}
\caption{Absorptance of different lengths of single CWs (a) and absorptance of structure composed of part or all of the CWs (b). The lengths and the resistances in the legends represent the CW length and $R$, respectively. }
\label{fig:diffLength}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Absorptances of paired CW metamaterials}
\label{ssec:pairedCW}
This subsection examines absorptance characteristics of paired CW metamaterials. As was explained in section \ref{sec:material}, the paired CW metamaterials have two types of resonance: electric resonance and magnetic resonance. These resonant frequency positions can be manipulated and in \cite{french}, for example, one of the CW pairs is shifted a distance $d_x$ (see Fig.\ \ref{fig:offset} (a)). In this case the magnetic resonance frequency is increased, while the electric resonance frequency is reduced. This effect is shown in Fig.\ \ref{fig:offset} (b) where the dependence of the reflection coefficient curves on the various offset lengths $d_x$ are shown. It is known that, when the magnetic resonance frequency is greater than the electric resonance frequency, a NRI is obtained in the paired CW metamaterial due to overlap of the negative permeability with the negative permittivity \cite{CWeq}. This paper utilises the geometrical asymmetry introduced in \cite{french} to change the resonance positions and implement loss in the structure so that the absorption characteristics in the paired CW metamaterial absorber are investigated in more detail.

Before the asymmetrically paired CW is simulated, the absorption characteristics of the symmetrically paired CWs are investigated. The calculation results are summarised in Fig.\ \ref{fig:offset} (c) in which various sheet resistance values, $R$, are applied equally to the front and back CWs. In Fig.\ \ref{fig:offset} (c) we have marked the electric and magnetic resonant frequencies ($f_e$ and $f_m$) of the symmetrically paired CW shown in Fig.\ \ref{fig:offset} (b) and it is seen that the absorptance peak shifts from $f_m$ to $f_e$ as $R$ increases. It is also found that the symmetrically paired CW shows the stronger absorption ($A\simeq 0.696$) than that of the single CWs ($A\simeq 0.500$ in Fig. \ref{fig:allLossySingle}).

Next, the absorptance of the paired CW metamaterial absorber with various values of $d_x$ was optimised. The calculation results are summarised in Table \ref{tab:offset} and Fig. \ref{fig:offset} (d). Again, the same resistance values were applied for both front CW and back CW. It turns out in this case that the maximum absorptance of the symmetrically paired CW is increased by nearly 10 \% for $d_x = 1.8$ mm.

Moreover the absorptance of the paired CW was further enhanced by using different sheet resistance values for the front CW and the back CW. In Figs.\ \ref{fig:offset} (e), (f) and (g) the absorptances for $d_x=$ 0.0 mm, 1.2 mm and 2.4 mm are illustrated. Each distribution was calculated at the frequency corresponding to each absorptance peak; 26.35, 26.23 and 27.20 GHz, respectively. In these figures, the sheet resistance values were varied from 0 to 12 $\Omega \Box ^{-1}$ in 2 $\Omega \Box ^{-1}$ steps. The intermediate values between the calculated results were estimated using spline interpolation. Despite the coarse resolution the simulations confirm that the absorptance is further increased in each case by the use of different sheet resistance values. In addition the distribution of the absorptance depends on the offset length $d_x$. Although the absorptance of the symmetrically paired CW metamaterial was enhanced by the manipulation of the resonant frequency positions and by use of different resistance values, the maximum value was still far from perfect absorption (i.e. $A\sim 1.0$). In the next section the absorptance of the CW metamaterial absorber is significantly improved and approaches perfect absorption by placing a single CW on a perfect electric conductor (PEC) wall.

\begin{figure}[htbp]
\begin{minipage}{0.48\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig4a.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.48\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig4b.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.48\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig4c.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.48\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig4d.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.32\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig4e.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.32\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig4f.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.32\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig4g.eps}
\end{minipage}
\caption{Characteristics of paired CW. Geometrical asymmetry was introduced as is described in (a). (b) $|S_{11}|$ of the lossless paired CW having the various geometrical offset length $d_x$. (c) Absorptance of the symmetrically paired CW with various $R$. (d) Absorptances of the paired CW with various $d_x$. From (b) to (d) $d_x$ is expressed in each legend. In these figures same values of $R$ are used for the front CW and the back CW. In (e) to (g) various combinations of $R$ are applied for both CWs. (e), (f) and (g) show the absorptances of no offset at 26.35 GHz, 1.2 mm offset at 26.23 GHz and 2.4 mm offset at 27.20 GHz, respectively. The dots in the figures represent the calculated sheet resistance patterns and the intermediate values were estimated by using spline interpolation. }
\label{fig:offset}
\end{figure}

\begin{table}[htbp]
\caption{Absorptance peaks of paired CW with various $x$ axis offset $d_x$.}
\label{tab:offset}
\centering
\begin{tabular}{c|ccc}
\hline
$d_x$ [mm]& Absorptance & Frequency [GHz] & $R$ [$\Omega \Box ^{-1}$]\\
\hline
0.0 & 0.696 & 26.35 & 6.5\\
0.6& 0.711 & 26.17 & 5.5 \\
1.2& 0.746 & 26.23 & 4.0  \\
1.8& 0.766 & 26.71 & 4.0 \\
2.4& 0.761 & 27.20 & 4.0 \\
3.0& 0.754 & 27.45 & 4.0 \\
3.6& 0.757 & 27.39 & 4.0 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

\section{Absorptances of single CW metamaterials placed on PEC}
\label{sec:CWpec}
This section introduces CW metamaterial structures which exhibit very effective absorption characteristics. In addition, it is shown that broadband absorption is achieved when different lengths of CWs are combined in one periodic metamaterial absorber unit. Strong absorptances were observed when single CW metamaterial was placed on a PEC surface, as illustrated in the inset of Fig. \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (a). In these simulations the CW positions are the same with those used in the inset of Fig.\ \ref{fig:diffLength} (b), while the resistance values were optimised to extract the maximum absorptances. The calculation results are shown in Fig. \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (a) and the strong absorptances of $A\sim 1.0$ are seen.

\begin{figure}[htbp]
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig5a.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig5b.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig5c.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig5d.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig5e.eps}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{0.5\hsize}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig5f.eps}
\end{minipage}
\caption{Absorptance of single CW metamaterial placed on a PEC wall. (a) shows absorptances of different lengths of CWs. The inset describes the simulated situation. In (b) another pair of the CW used in (a) is placed orthogonally to the first, as is illustrated in the inset. In (c) part or all of the CW pairs are combined as one metamaterial unit. The inset shows the structure having all the CW pairs. (d) shows that use of two CW exhibits a double absorptance peak close to the individual peaks. (e) illustrates absorptance of three CW pairs (5.1, 3.9 and 3.3 mm). Modification of the resistance value used for the 3.3 mm CW leads to a triple absorptance peak. The resistance values used for the 3.3 mm CW are shown in the legend. The other resistance values are the same as those of (b). In (f) absorptance of two CW pairs of 5.1 and 3.9 mm is improved by use of adjusted resistance values. In addition, the use of a lossless 4.5 mm CW pair exhibits a strong reduction of the absorptance at about 30 GHz. }
\label{fig:backMetalMulti}
\end{figure}

Considering the results obtained, the case of the CW with the metal backing gives the highest absorptance ($A\sim1.0$) followed by two CWs without the metal backing ($A\sim0.75$). Finally a single CW gives the lowest absorption ($A\sim 0.5$). We note that the conduction currents in each case are different as shown in Fig.\ \ref{fig:modelField} (d).

Next the same pattern of CWs was deployed along the $y$ axis to reduce polarisation dependence. The calculation results are shown in Fig. \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (b), where the sheet resistance of each CW were again optimised. The inset of Fig. \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (b) describes the simulated structure. As a result of the comparison with Fig. \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (a), strong absorptance of $A\sim 1.0$ is still maintained despite the use of another orthogonal CW. According to \cite{pendryCW}, straight conductors orthogonal to the electric field do not react with the external field significantly so that the electromagnetic properties of the whole structure are not significantly affected.

To obtain broadband behaviour some or all of the pairs of the CWs used in Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (b) are combined as one metamaterial unit. The inset of Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (c) illustrates the structure. The calculation results are shown in Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (c). The results in this figure indicate that the absorptance properties in the high frequency region are improved by use of additional lossy pairs of CW. The addition of extra CWs introduces additional absorption peaks, as shown in Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (d) where two CW pairs of 5.1 and 3.3 mm show two absorptance peaks corresponding to those of the individual CWs. Although such behaviour has been recently reported \cite{dual1,dual2}, the advantage of using the lossy CWs introduced here is to easily customise the absorptance characteristics for \emph{both} polarisations. Furthermore, as is explained below, it is also easy to realise several absorptance peaks by adding extra pairs of CW.

The absorption characteristics may be further enhanced by optimising the sheet resistance values. This is shown in Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (e) in which the three CW pairs of 5.1, 3.9 and 3.3 mm are deployed. In this figure the sheet resistance value of only the 3.3 mm CW is varied, while the values of the other CWs are the same as those of Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (b). It is found from Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (e) that the absorption characteristics are improved by use of adjusted resistance values, leading to a triple absorptance peak (0.993 at 24.28 GHz, 0.975 at 31.17 GHz and 0.981 at 36.29 GHz). Again, this structure will interact with both polarisations, compared with that of \cite{dual1,dual2} and is an important advantage of the lossy CW metamaterial absorber. Although only the triple absorptance peak is illustrated, further absorptance peaks are possible by using extra CW pairs.

Use of additional pairs of CW enables us not only to increase absorption, but also to decrease it. In Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (f), the absorptance of the CW metamaterial absorber composed of 5.1 and 3.9 mm CW pairs with the sheet resistance values used in Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (b) is illustrated. This absorptance peaks can be enhanced by use of optimised sheet resistance values as is described in the figure. In addition to these two CW pairs, when the lossless CW pair of 3.9 mm is deployed (see the inset of Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (f)), the absorptance magnitude between the two absorption peaks is markedly reduced due to the resonance of the 3.9 mm CW pair (where the sheet resistance values of 5.1 and 3.9 mm CWs were modified again). As expected, the centre of the absorptance reduction is close to the resonant frequency of the 3.9 mm CW (c.f. Fig.\ \ref{fig:backMetalMulti} (b)). This allows for a fully customised absorptance characteristic.

\section{Conclusion}
\label{sec:conc}
This paper demonstrated by numerical simulation that highly customisable broadband absorption for arbitrary polarisation is possible by use of conductively lossy CWs as metamaterial absorbers. To begin with, the basic properties of the conductively lossy CW metamaterial absorbers were investigated. A dependence of absorptance peak on the conductive loss was explained with a simple equivalent circuit. In paired CW metamaterials, absorptance peaks were improved by manipulating the two resonance frequency positions and by using independent sheet resistance values for the front and back CWs. The absorptance of the conductively lossy CW metamaterial was further improved, when single CW metamaterials were placed on a PEC wall. Moreover, when different lengths of CWs were combined as one metamaterial unit, broadband absorption was exhibited. The deployment of orthogonal pairs of CWs showed that the structure simulated here works for both polarisations. Due to the flexible absorptance characteristics, the idea of using conductively lossy CW pairs adds additional advantages to metamaterial absorbers and opens up a new area for metamaterial applications. The interesting properties of CW metamaterials may be further improved, when the structures are designed to absorb off--normal incident waves. This may be possible by using multiple CWs whose lengths and sheet resistance values are suitably optimised.

\end{document}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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