Search

Exercise is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but intense or prolonged exercise can cause a degree of discomfort and pain. These negative exercise-based sensations have been considered as a limiter of exercise capacity and a potential barrier to physical activity. In recent years, computer technology has brought to light new opportunities for promoting physical activity. Virtual Reality (VR) is a representative example of this type of technology, since it allows users to experience a computer-simulated reality with visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory interactions, and distract them from perceiving nociceptive signals and pain. The present thesis aims to identify whether and how VR with or without psychological intervention strategies may affect the perception of Exercise Pain (EP). These questions are answered through a series of studies conducted on a large group of participants. As a first step, the effect VR might have on EP during a weight-lifting exercise in comparison to a non-VR weight-lifting exercise is investigated. Then, the effect that personal awareness and internal sensations might have on VR technology during weight-lifting EP is examined. Lastly, the effect of VR and different psychological intervention strategies on weight-lifting EP is considered through three studies. The findings of the present thesis extend our understanding of the physiological and psychological effects of VR, providing useful insights into the relationship of VR with the Heart Rate, the perception of task difficulty and the levels of pain and discomfort caused by an exhaustive muscle contraction. The main conclusion reached is that the use of VR during exercise can reduce physiological and psychological responses associated with negative sensations. This conclusion can be used as an informative input for the design of VR so that it can increase the level of physical activity and, by extension, promote a healthier lifestyle.

Sculpture generally brings out in its form not just the self-expression of the artist but also the transformative qualities through which it influences our senses and communicates meanings to others. The physical experience of sculpture is as significant as its process of making, irrespective of the fact that the artwork may be recognised as an art object or just as an experience. As an artist-researcher, I explored the imaginative thinking and creative potential of people with dementia by engaging them in viewing, handling and making sculptures using both traditional and digital methods. In the shared space of a group setting, sculpture became their source of communication, reflection and stimulation despite the cognitive, visual and perceptual difficulties commonly experienced in this condition. My involvement in co-creating sculptures with the participants gave them direction to release self-initiated ideas while simultaneously motivating me to visualise my creations with a new emotional and empathic awareness. The interplay between academic research and the artistic co-creative activity involved in sculpture making processes formed the basis of my artistic and conceptual enquiry engaging with people with mild dementia. My sculptures no longer remained a result of a conscious goal to achieve by following a particular process of sculpture-making; they are now entirely intuitive and reflective of what I felt in the company of my participants with dementia. Shared moments and conversational exchanges became a metaphor for my creations using a combination of traditional and digital methods. This research presents the spatial and perceptual enquiry of sculptures displayed in two public exhibitions which had different approaches. Depending on the receptivity of the viewers the exhibitions helped to gain a better understanding of perception of dementia and their reactions to the sculptures created by people with dementia and by me. Viewers' personal involvement with people with dementia and their previous knowledge of dementia showed significant influence on their preference for the forms, materials and process used regardless of the use of traditional or digital methods. Their experiences oscillated between empathic attitude towards the participants' growing incapability and appreciation of their creative strength, which they found to be unique, meaningful and expressive.

This practice-based research is centred on an investigation into the use of digital technologies within the Islamic art scene in the UK. The research explores perceptions and attitudes from the public and also stakeholders (including artists, curators and scholars) closely involved in the development and dissemination of Islamic art in educational and public art spaces. The locality of the Islamic art scene in the UK presents concerns related to not only classification and curation of Islamic art, representation, and authenticity in relation to Islamic art in the contemporary context, and the use of digital technologies for art-making. The impact of local and national media and associations with the faith of Islam were also presented as strong themes both in the literature review and the findings of this research. Taken into consideration is my own artistic practice involving digital technologies alongside non-digital methods for developing artworks. I discuss the hybridised term 'digital Islamic art' and explore how conceptual themes are addressed through hybridised artistic practice from further artists both in the UK and abroad. Through studies consisting of a public survey, interviews, and post-exhibition questionnaires, results showed a willingness from the public to find out more about digital Islamic art, and an interest in viewing more of this in the UK. The discussions on these topics may be of interest to artists, practitioners, academics, and also those involved in policy relating to furthering cultural engagement, as these are people in positions of influence, able to provide access and create opportunities for the public to encounter further contemporary Islamic art in the UK.

Computer-mediated communication has expanded the ways in which individuals can seek information and create content. Moreover, it allows for the forming of new connections between individuals that may otherwise be impossible. In the last decade, video-mediated communication has been adopted by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, as well as straight allies to share information and reach out to the wider community, particularly those who have been the victim of bullying. Despite this increase in video-mediated communication, most research in the area of gay men and lesbians has been focused on the construction of online identity and narratives of the coming-out journey. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate how video is utilised to disclose matters pertaining to lived experience to further understand this community, and identify how video could be used to better support this minority group. In the first stage of this research study, a qualitative analysis of online video was carried out to investigate how individuals engage with LGBT bullying content. The findings revealed individuals to openly disclose deeply personal, and identifiable, information to a global audience. Next an empirical study was carried out with a sample of gay men and lesbians to allow for the close examination of verbal and visual content disclosed in offline video diaries. This was followed by an interview study to examine the practicalities of using wearable and handheld technologies to facilitate this disclosure. Content was found to vary between sexes and recording device, with wearables facilitating a greater degree of discussion for certain topics. Moreover, the recording of point-of-view video diaries was found to be a useful tool in personal development. The findings from this thesis extend understanding of how gay men and lesbians engage in video-mediated communication. In addition, the findings reveal how wearable and handheld video recording can be used as a beneficial tool both for this group and the wider community.