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This manuscript investigates the cultural and educational dimensions of murals and graffiti in the ruins of the Aliko Hotel on Naxos Island. Moving beyond their aesthetic value, these artworks are examined as conduits for complex sociocultural and educational discourses. Employing semiotic analysis, particularly informed by Roland Barthes' conceptual framework, the study offers a multi-layered interpretation of the significance of street art. A systematic approach guided the empirical data collection, entailing the careful selection and categorisation of 76 photographs, eventually honed down to 21 key images for detailed analysis. This set, comprising 6 murals and 15 graffiti pieces, was subjected to meticulous examination to discern both dominant themes and motifs ('studium') and the elements evoking personal connections ('punktum'), thereby facilitating emotional and intellectual engagement. The methodology of the study is tailored to uncover the collective narratives encapsulated within these visual forms, as well as the individual responses they provoke. It probes how personal interpretations are influenced by the viewers' beliefs and backgrounds, thereby expanding the semiotic analysis to encompass both shared and individual meanings. This balanced analytical approach deepens the understanding of visual expressions as dynamic interactions between the artwork and its audience. It underscores the transformative role of street art in urban environments and its contribution to public art discourse. The impending demolition of the Hotel Aliko ruins underscores the ephemeral nature of street art. The murals and graffiti, as transient custodians of cultural and social narratives, accentuate the fragile nature of this cultural heritage. This critical moment underscores the importance of documenting and preserving such art forms and the stories they encapsulate, highlighting their significant role in shaping community identity and cultural education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Architecture is an evolutionary field. Through time, it changes and adapts itself according to two things: the environment and the user, which are the touchstones of the concept of culture. Culture changes in long time intervals because of its cumulative structure, so its effects can be observed on a large scale. A nation displays itself with its culture and uses architecture as a tool to convey its cultural identity. This dual relationship between architecture and culture can be observed at various times and in various lands, most notably in Latin American designers. The geographical positions of Latin American nations and their political situations in the twentieth century leads to the occurrence of a recognizable cultural identity, and it influenced the architectural design language of that region. The nonlinear forms in architecture were once experienced commonly around Latin America, and this design expression shows itself in the designers' other works through time and around the world. The cultural background of Latin American architecture investigated within this study, in terms of their design approach based upon the form and effect of Latin American culture on this architectural design language, is examined with the explanation of the concept of culture by two leading scholars: Geert Hofstede and Richard Dawkins. This paper nevertheless puts together architecture and semiology by considering key twentieth century philosophers and cultural theorist methodologies. Cultural theorist and analyst Roland Barthes was the first person to ask architects to examine the possibility of bringing semiology and architectural theory together. Following an overview of existing semiological conditions, this paper analyzed Roland Barthes and Umberto Eco's hypothesis of the semiological language of architectural designs of Latin American designers by examining their cultural origin. The work's findings express the historical conditions that enabled the contemporary architecture and culture study of Latin America between 1945 and 1975 to address the "Latin American model" of architectural modernism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listening has negative connotations in Roland Barthes's writings on music. The most pronounced is the idea of listening as a passive and receptive att itude towards music within the context of an average bourgeois culture, to which the activity of (his own) amateur playing is opposed. However, the notion of listening in Barthes's writings can assume different meanings in relation to topics like text, life, love, etc. These various, sometimes also contradictory meanings are often intertwined inside the same text. In this paper the author discusses the question as to why Barthes appears to have such a negative att itude towards listening and why the reader often fails to notice different concepts of listening in his writings. Finally, the author shows that it is possible to think about Barthes as someone who also listens and not only someone who plays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tattoo is associated with crime and lawlessness, and individuals who have tattoos are either respected or feared by others. In the modern era, Indonesians have begun to broaden their minds to eradicate negative stereotypes toward people who have tattoos. As a result of the mixing of foreign cultures that have entered Indonesia, not even a few minors feel compelled to have tattoos on their body parts. In recent years, a phenomenon has occurred in the growth of tattoo communities, where members gather and support one another. One of tattoo communities is the RR Kakek Gaul. This research aims to analyze why the members decided to get tattoos on their bodies and how they interpreted their tattoos. In order to help the researchers doing the analysis, the researchers used Semiotics concept from Roland Barthes and signs from Peirce. The sources were taken from the RR Kakek Gaul Community's Instagram and YouTube accounts, which focused on two community members in particular. The findings of this study indicated that members of the RR Kakek Gaul Community attempted to convey messages of optimism about the future by eradicating negative stereotypes held by non-tattooed individuals. They conveyed these meanings via a tattoo symbol they possessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]