The Journal of Creative Perspectives (JCP) is a multi-disciplinary, open-access scholarly journal dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and critical discourse across the fields of art, architecture, design, visual culture, UI/UX, visual communication, cultural heritage, tourism, and creative and cultural management. JCP serves as a platform for both scholarly research and creative works, including critical analyses, design research, practice-based studies, user interface and user experience design research, and visual essays. The journal aims to bridge theory and practice by featuring a diverse range of research articles, reviews, and creative and critical contributions that reflect emerging trends shaping the evolving creative and cultural landscape. Through peer-reviewed research, JCP seeks to inspire scholars, practitioners, and students to engage with the intersections of creativity, culture, design, heritage, tourism, and management, fostering dialogue across academic and practice-based fields. JCP is a fully open-access journal and does not charge any submission or article processing fees (APCs). If you have any questions or encounter any issues during submission, please contact us by email. You may also connect with us on LinkedIn. ISSN: 2944-6163 Location: Hamburg, Germany
Addressing Social Isolation in Student Life: A Service Design Proposal for a Cross-Institutional Student Hub in Hamburg
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array Rising levels of stress, anxiety, and loneliness among students are increasingly linked to social isolation and limited opportunities for meaningful interaction. This study explores how gaps in student social infrastructure impact wellbeing and examines the potential of service design as a preventive intervention. Drawing on literature in mental health, social design, and youth wellbeing, alongside qualitative interviews with students and a student engagement professional, the research identifies key barriers to social participation, including time constraints, cultural and language differences, and limited visibility of existing initiatives. Findings suggest that current social opportunities are fragmented, institutionally bounded, and often fail to support sustained, low-pressure interaction. In response, the study proposes a city-wide Student Hub in Hamburg, designed to foster belonging through shared routines, activity-based engagement, and inclusive participation. The concept integrates spatial, temporal, social, and digital elements to support autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The research highlights the role of accessible social infrastructure in promoting preventive mental wellbeing and emphasizes participatory design as a key factor in creating inclusive student communities.
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Creative Perspectives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Export or Die? Why Nigerian Designers Ignore Global Markets While Importing $1.5 Billion of Foreign Goods
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array Disciplines: Array Nigeria annually imports consumer goods, furniture, ceramics and manufactured products valued at approximately $1.5 billion, a figure that coexists paradoxically with a large, formally trained community of industrial designers and applied arts practitioners who remain substantially absent from global export markets. This paper investigates the structural, institutional and perceptual barriers that explain this paradox, drawing on primary survey data from 45 design educators, practitioners and students across 18 Nigerian states. The study finds that only 6.7% of respondents identified export and global market access as the most significant future trend for Nigerian design — a figure that stands in sharp contrast to the scale of the import dependency problem. Analysis of challenge indicator data, qualitative policy narratives and sustainability integration profiles reveals a sector constrained by infrastructure deficits, funding scarcity, weak policy frameworks and an inward-looking educational culture. Drawing on export readiness theory, creative economy frameworks and the resource dependence perspective, the paper argues that export disengagement is not a preference but a structural outcome of accumulated institutional neglect. It connects directly to companion findings on physical infrastructure deficits documented across the same 18 states (Morakinyo et al., 2026), establishing that the workshop and the world market are separated by the same underlying failures. The paper recommends a national design export strategy, accreditation-linked infrastructure investment and curriculum reform oriented towards global competitiveness.
Addressing the Lack of Belonging among students in Hamburg Through Activity-based Spatial Design
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array, Array Large cities with several universities often promise diversity and connection, but in practice student life is frequently shaped by institutional boundaries. In Hamburg, even though universities are geographically close and student populations are diverse, meaningful interaction across institutions remains limited. This situation can be particularly challenging for international students, many of whom experience social isolation and difficulties forming connections beyond their own university. This research explores the idea of a cross‑university Student Hub as a shared space and service designed to support social integration and strengthen students’ sense of belonging. The study uses a mixed‑methods approach, combining environmental observation, an online survey (n = 30), and semi‑structured interviews with three international students. Together, these methods helped identify barriers to cross‑university interaction and revealed how existing student spaces are experienced. The findings show that current spaces are often seen as fragmented, restricted to single institutions, and lacking activities that encourage social interaction. Students consistently highlighted the importance of structured activities, low‑pressure social settings, and inclusive environments that make it easier to engage without feeling overwhelmed. Drawing on Student Integration Theory and Social Identity Theory, the research translates these insights into a service design proposal for a cross‑institutional Student Hub that prioritizes accessibility, affordability, and regular social programming. The proposed intervention aims to support gradual engagement, foster cross‑cultural connections, and make belonging something students can experience rather than abstractly define. While the study is limited by its sample size and context, it demonstrates how service design can respond to social isolation in higher education and offers a strong foundation for future pilot testing and long‑term evaluation.
Post-Creative Urban Regeneration in the MENA Region: Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Sites
Section: Review Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array, Array, Array As deindustrialization and rapid urban transformation have left many industrial sites underutilized across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), this paper examines the adaptive reuse of abandoned structures as a culture-led strategy for urban regeneration. While culture-led regeneration, creative city and post-creative city paradigms have been widely studied in Western contexts, their application within the MENA region remains less explored. This study therefore asks: to what extent do adaptive reuse projects of former industrial spaces in the MENA region align with or diverge from post-creative urban regeneration principles? Through a qualitative and comparative case study approach, the research analyzes four prominent examples of culture-led industrial reuse in the MENA region: the JAX District in Riyadh, Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, the Electricity Hangar Gallery in Amman, and Les Anciens Abattoirs in Casablanca. An analytical framework derived from literature and theory consists of four dimensions that will guide the evaluation of each case: governance and development approach, cultural production versus cultural consumption, inclusion and reuse. The findings suggest that industrial adaptive reuse in the MENA region operates along a spectrum between creative and post-creative urban models, with a tendency for cases in Gulf cities remaining closely aligned with creative city paradigms, driven by state or private investment. In contrast, the Electricity Hangar in Amman and Casablanca slaughterhouses demonstrate stronger affinities with post-creative principles. The paper argues that future regeneration of industrial heritage in the MENA region may benefit from hybrid models of creative urbanism and calls for a more context-sensitive redefinition of post-creative urbanism.
Relational Theory of Active Systems Development (RTDAS v1.1): Structural Retention vs. Saturation in the Global B2B SaaS Market (2020–2026)
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array Purpose: To diagnose whether the volatility of the global horizontal B2B SaaS platform field (2020–2026) reflects saturation regimes or structural retention, using RTDAS v1.1 and the S-Screen operator. Background: The global market for horizontal B2B SaaS platforms (CRM, ERP, ITSM, HR, collaboration tools) experienced significant turbulence between 2020 and 2026, characterized by pandemic-driven growth, a sharp correction in 2022–2023, and the rapid integration of artificial intelligence. Academic and industry discourse often misinterprets this volatility as a sign of structural instability or market saturation, leading to ambiguous diagnoses. This article addresses this gap by applying the Relational Theory of the Development of Active Systems (RTDAS) v1.1, incorporating the S-Screen operator, to empirical data. Based on 31 open signals across two time slices (2020–2022 and 2023–2026), it demonstrates that the SaaS field is organized as an Unsustainable Problematic Configuration (UPC). This constitutes a self-reproducing structure where key actors (vendors, integrators, clients) derive distributed benefits from persistent complexity, high Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), and the mutation of innovations (AI, new pricing models) into additional lock-in mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Field-level case study using 31 open signals across two time slices (2020–2022; 2023–2026), processed through the RTDAS v1.1 diagnostic sequence with the S-Screen operator, R* formulation, and a stress test with falsification conditions. Results: The S-Screen operator systematically excludes the dominance of resource, procedural, and legitimation saturation, identifying the complexity dimension as an internal mechanism of the UPC rather than an external limit. The article formulates the configuration's minimal core (R*), conducts a stress test, and proposes early indicators and conditions for falsification. This work contributes to the Theory of Saturation (Manafi, 2025) and the Saturation–Collapse (SEA) model by offering an operational diagnostic tool that positions saturation as one regime among others within the development of an active system. A reproducible protocol for regime diagnosis is presented, applicable to other complex systems. Conclusion: The diagnosis supports structural retention (UPC) rather than a dominant saturation regime, and provides a reproducible protocol for regime diagnosis applicable to other complex systems.
Interactive and Inclusive: Gamified Learning for Healthy Eating in Community Kitchen Entertainment Areas
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array Community kitchens, in addition to being spaces that increase the availability of food, are also important spaces for promoting sociality and health education. By incorporating gamification and fun elements, they can make learning about food and healthy food preparation more interactive and fun. This study investigates how entertainment space within a community kitchen employs gamification to promote social interaction alongside healthy eating habits and disordered eating behavior management. It examines the ways of approaching the use of gamified processes alongside communal engagement, in an effort to make sustainable, healthy practice lifestyle viable.
Urban Morphology Through the Lens of Saturation and Collapse: Applying Manafi’s SEA
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array, Array Urban morphology provides a critical framework for understanding the spatial structure of cities and the processes through which urban form evolves over time. While traditional morphological schools have examined the persistence of town plans, the transformation of building types, and the configurational logic of spatial networks, fewer studies have interpreted these processes through a systemic model of urban thresholds and structural limits. Manafi’s theory of saturation and the associated Collapse (SEA) model (Manafi, 2025, 2026) introduce such a perspective by conceptualizing urban systems as dynamic entities that move through phases of consolidation, saturation, and reorganization. Beyond a descriptive framework, the SEA model also functions as an analytical and predictive tool, proposing that collapse occur when the balance between stability, efficiency, and adaptability is disrupted. Because these three dimensions operate across multiple scales, the model has potential applications in diverse fields, including urban planning, infrastructure systems, environmental studies, and socio-spatial analysis. This research investigates how the SEA model can be used as both a meta-framework and an interpretative tool for re-examining the principal schools of urban morphology. It aims to explore how the model helps identify moments at which urban structures reach their functional or spatial limits, and how it explains the mechanisms through which urban systems reorganize after these thresholds are reached. By applying the SEA perspective to established morphological traditions, the study seeks to demonstrate how saturation and collapse can be understood not only as crises but also as drivers of spatial transformation. Through this linkage between morphological theory and systemic urban dynamics, the research contributes to a more integrative understanding of urban change and highlights the relevance of SEA-informed analysis for contemporary planning and urban design practice.
Reimagining Transcultural Cemeteries Through Art, Science, and Technology
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array, Array, Array This research article examines an art-based research creation developed within the OASis Europe project during the Shadow Architecture residency, which reimagines transcultural cemetery architecture through Indonesian Indigenous practices and contemporary technology. The project challenges Western paradigms of concealment by reframing cemeteries as neglected urban spaces and sites of relational memory. The work consists of two speculative outputs: Native Signals from a Resting Ground, a physical installation inspired by Trunyan open-air burial traditions that integrates live Indonesian seismic data as a generative soundscape, and A Cemetery of Possibilities, a custom GPT-based interface that invites participants to imagine their own memorial forms. Through these works, the project investigates how art, science, and technology can operate as media of memory and co-authorship, enabling individuals to articulate personal narratives and transcultural identities within the site of the cemetery. By integrating Indigenous cultural practices, geoscience, and computational creativity, the research proposes an experimental speculative necro-aesthetic art grounded in reciprocity between human and more-than-human worlds.
AI for Health Equity: Bridging the Urban–Rural
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array This research investigates how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance health equity by bridging the persistent divide between urban and rural healthcare systems. While AI has demonstrated remarkable potential in diagnostics, telemedicine, and predictive analytics, its implementation remains highly uneven across regions. Urban centers benefit from robust digital infrastructure, while rural and remote communities face limited connectivity, workforce shortages, and cultural barriers to adoption. Drawing on recent global studies, this paper analyzes how AI-driven tools can reduce geographic health disparities, provided that ethical, infrastructural, and educational foundations are addressed. Through a qualitative synthesis of open-access research and selected interviews with digital health practitioners, the study identifies critical enablers of equitable digital transformation: inclusive data practices, culturally adaptive design, community-driven capacity building, and hybrid telehealth models that integrate human expertise with machine intelligence. The paper proposes a framework for AI-Enabled Health Equity built on three strategic pillars: 1. Access and Infrastructure, ensuring digital connectivity and interoperability for rural clinics; 2. Trust and Transparency, promoting algorithmic explainability and patient confidence; 3. Local Capacity and Co-Creation, empowering rural health workers through participatory AI training and design. By reframing AI as a socio-technical ecosystem rather than a purely technological upgrade, this research contributes to ongoing debates on inclusive digital health transformation and sustainable innovation in underserved areas.
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Creative Perspectives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Leading with Impact through Leadership Styles to Shaping Organizational Growth
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array The study of leadership styles is significant in both theory and practice, as leadership approaches profoundly influence individual and organizational performance. This paper examines the five primary leadership styles—transformational, transactional, strength-based, adaptive, and servant leadership—by exploring their defining characteristics and practical applications. Transformational leadership is distinguished by key elements such as intellectual stimulation, inspirational communication, and a compelling vision. Transactional leadership, in contrast, is characterized by contingent reward systems and management by exception. Strength-based leadership focuses on identifying, utilizing, and developing individual strengths to enhance team performance. Adaptive leadership equips leaders with the ability to navigate complexity and change effectively. Finally, servant leadership prioritizes the well-being of followers, emphasizing ethical behavior, emotional support, and empowerment. Various models and measurement frameworks for these leadership styles are also discussed to guide future research and practice.
Community-Based Tourism: Challenges, Strategies, and a Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Development
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is an emerging approach to tourism development that emphasizes the active and meaningful participation of local communities in managing tourism resources, with the aim of ensuring sustainable, equitable, and culturally grounded development. This study identifies the key challenges, opportunities, and strategic requirements for CBT through a qualitative approach and documentary analysis. By focusing on essential components such as socio-economic justice, local empowerment, and environmental sustainability, the multidimensional nature of CBT is explored. The findings reveal that centralized governance, infrastructural inadequacies, limited financial capacity, tokenistic participation, inequitable benefit distribution, and weak stakeholder coordination are among the major barriers to CBT development. To address these challenges, strategies such as community education, delegation of authority to local institutions, infrastructure enhancement, justice-oriented policymaking, and improved multi-stakeholder collaboration are proposed. Furthermore, the comparative analysis of successful and unsuccessful CBT experiences in Iran and other countries highlights the necessity of designing frameworks rooted in genuine participation, the mobilization of indigenous capacities, and long-term commitment to sustainability principles. These insights provide practical implications for policy, planning, and management of community-based tourism initiatives.
Theoretical Frameworks for URBIO Bauhaus and New European Bauhaus Biodiversity Integration.
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array The integration of biodiversity into urban development has become a critical challenge for sustainable city planning, yet it remains insufficiently embedded within dominant design and policy frameworks. This article examines the theoretical foundations, methodological approaches, and emerging empirical insights of the URBIO Bauhaus project, an initiative that extends the New European Bauhaus (NEB) framework by explicitly positioning biodiversity as a core pillar alongside sustainability, aesthetics, and social inclusion. The study synthesizes key concepts informing biodiversity-centered urban design. The analysis highlights the relevance of biophilic city theory, urban ecosystem services, landscape ecology, and nature-based solutions, while emphasizing the importance of participatory methodologies such as Living Labs, co-creation, and the Quintuple Helix governance model. Case study evidence from transnational testing in Central European cities illustrates how universal biodiversity principles can be adapted to diverse socio-spatial contexts through collaborative BIOCENTUM nodes. The findings demonstrate that integrating ecological functionality with aesthetic quality and inclusive governance can enhance urban resilience, social well-being, and environmental stewardship.
Grannycore and Mugithi on TikTok – Youth, Nostalgia, and the Digital Reimagination of Kenyan Identity
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array A distinctive cultural trend is emerging among Kenyan youth on social media, especially TikTok, where users dress and act like their grandparents—using walking sticks, donning vintage attires, and dancing or lip-syncing to classic Mugithi Music. Popularly labelled as ‘grannycore,’ the highlighted trend goes beyond mere entertainment; instead, it signals a growing and deeper engagement with digital performance, ethnic identity, and cultural heritage. This study scraped and analyzed publicly available TikTok videos that focused on Mugithi (126 videos) and grannycore (39 videos). The study utilized Apify for data scraping, and statistical analysis was conducted using STATA. Quantitative elements like views, likes, shares, comments, and saves were evaluated alongside qualitative elements like user engagement and video content. The findings reveal that Mugithi enjoys high engagement and visibility, with average views hitting 409,642. In contrast, grannycore, with average views of 177,551, is in the niche category. Despite this, the granny-themed videos show strong audience interactions through saves, comments, and shares. The trend illustrates that Mugithi and grannycore are more than entertainment, and the two act as mediated forms of identity construction and general sociocultural critique. Young Kenyans on TikTok are blending tradition, satire, and digital creativity to promote and assert cultural belonging and continuity during these uncertain times.
Exploring an Asian Heritage through Virtual Reality and Digital Twin in the Post- Digital Age
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array Virtual Reality (VR) and the concept of Digital Twin (DT) encompass a range of technologies that blend the physical and virtual worlds, finding applications in various fields. These technologies offer new ways to visualize and interact with data and environments, including Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR). Our VR research-creation methodology seeks to present new methods for preserving cultural heritage, creating VR heritage preservation applications with the assistance of AI. It outlines how the heated debate technology assists the project and proposes a framework that empowers other academics to develop projects in a similar field. The article ends with proposed ideas that engage diaspora communities in the discussion and use the mentioned technologies as tools of migrant studies and diasporic identities, a new paradigm shift in studying heritage.
The Role of Emotional Intelligence and Psychological Capital in EnhancingEmployee Performance: Comprehensive Measurement Approaches
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array This article aims to focus on dimensions of emotional intelligence (EI) in first step authors focused on literature review to identify the most effective measures for its assessment, by synthesizing existing studies. This study highlights the key components of Emotional intelligent that are crucial for evaluating its impacts on workplace setting. Furthermore, the relationship between EI, psychological capital and employees’ performance are exanimated to provide the comprehensive perception of how these contracts interact. On this foundation, a new framework is proposed that suggesting the psychological capital mediates the relationship between EI and employees’ performance. This framework offers valuable insights for future studies and practical applications across industries and organizations contexts.
A Comprehensive Analysis of Environmental Legal Frameworks in Italy and Their Impact on Sustainable Management and Conservation of Natural Ecosystems
Section: Review Articles Keywords: Array This study provides a comprehensive review of Italy’s environmental legal frameworks and their effectiveness in promoting sustainable management and conservation of natural ecosystems. Building on primary legal documents—including the Codice dell’Ambiente (Legislative Decree 152/2006) and the 2022 constitutional reform of Article 9—as well as EU directives, peer-reviewed literature, and empirical reports, the research systematically examines how law shapes environmental outcomes across multiple domains. The review highlights a paradox: Italy has some of the most advanced environmental legislation in Europe, yet persistent implementation gaps undermine its effectiveness. In waste management, northern municipalities such as Parma have achieved recycling rates above 80%, showcasing best practices, while southern regions remain affected by illegal dumping and the pervasive influence of the Ecomafia, a criminal network with an annual turnover of nearly €9 billion. In water infrastructure, Italy suffers the highest distribution losses in Europe (42% of potable water), reflecting chronic underinvestment despite robust legal obligations. Renewable energy now accounts for 39% of electricity generation, driven largely by solar, but the country lags behind EU leaders such as Sweden and Denmark due to administrative delays and insufficient grid capacity. Soil erosion averages 8 t/ha/year, among the highest in Europe, while PM2.5 concentrations in the Po Valley frequently exceed both EU and WHO thresholds, contributing to an estimated 60,000 premature deaths annually. Hydrogeological risks further compound vulnerabilities, threatening both communities and cultural heritage. Comparative analysis reveals that Italy outperforms countries such as France and Spain in certain fields (packaging recycling, solar energy), yet falls short of Germany and Scandinavia in enforcement consistency, infrastructure resilience, and soil protection. These findings underscore the gap between legal ambition and practical outcomes. The study concludes that Italy’s environmental future depends on strengthening enforcement, reducing regional disparities, adopting a national soil law, modernizing infrastructure, and embedding public participation and intergenerational justice into environmental governance.
A phenomenological study of abstract art through the mediation of human psychological processes
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array The phenomenology of abstract art seeks to interpret and understand the meaning inherent in abstract works of art through the direct experience and perception of the viewer, where forms, colors, and lines help express the feelings, concepts, and inner experiences of the artist and the viewer, rather than representing reality. Abstract art focuses on aesthetic and psychological experience and allows the viewer to discover a personal and unique meaning in the meaning of the work. The importance of phenomenology in abstract art is related to a deeper understanding of the experience of the concepts and feelings inherent in the works of art and the relationship between the work and its audience, and deals with the "self-essence of objects" in abstract painting. Human psychological processes are a set of mental and psychological activities including perception, attention, memory, motivation, emotion, thinking, and problem solving that affect his behavior, feelings, and decisions, and form the basis for the formation of his personality and individual experience. From the perspective of abstract art phenomenology, human psychological processes are of fundamental importance because abstract art allows the viewer to discover their own psychological processes in the face of the artwork and a kind of internal dialogue is formed between the artwork and their mind. By focusing on lived experience and the indirect transmission of emotions and concepts, abstract art highlights the importance of human psychological processes on both sides of the producer (artist) and the audience (viewer).
Scattered Energy: The Hidden Enemy of Creative Flow
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array, Array, Array, Array Creativity requires a lot of mental and physical energy. Scattered energy might create a cognitive overload, resulting in an inability to distinguish what is of the essence from what is just clutter filling up our to-do list. That, in turn, could lead to creative, physical, and mental burnout. This short piece grew out of a conversation on embodiment in academia. It explores what it might mean to conserve, redirect, and reclaim our energy, offering a small proposal for doing things differently, more freely, and with intention. Written as an open personal reflection, the article follows three dispersed academics as they examine their own practices and consider what it takes to sustain creativity in a world that constantly pulls us in multiple directions. It argues that embracing slowness, setting boundaries, and recognising the embodied nature of academic work are crucial steps toward more intentional and sustainable creative practice. As a playful provocation, it proposes a fictional, yet very real, course for educators, focused on how to harness scattered energy in service of their own creative and scholarly work.
The Role of Behavioral Economics in Shaping User Experience: A Case Study of Netflix
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array, Array, Array Behavioral economics argues that human decision-making is influenced not only by rational choices but also by emotional and social factors, highlighting the role of psychology in shaping behavior. In line with this perspective, various techniques are employed in User Experience (UX) Design to guide, or even manipulate, users' decisions by leveraging principles of behavioral economics. This study examines how principles of behavioral economics are applied in UX Design to influence user behavior, focusing on design strategies used on the Netflix platform to steer user interactions. The findings suggest that these principles have played a significant role in Netflix's ability to captivate a worldwide audience, fueling its rapid growth and success.
Visual Language in Architectural Heritage: A Semiotic Analysis of the Fahadan Hotel in the Historic City of Yazd, Iran
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array This study delves into the intersection of semiotics and architecture through an in-depth analysis of the Fahadan Hotel Museum, formerly known as the Tehrani-ha House. This significant property from the Qajar period is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Historic City of Yazd, Iran. Drawing upon semiotic theory, the research interprets the visual language of the building as a cultural text composed of signs, symbols, and meanings embedded within its architectural elements. The study examines both the exterior and interior features of the house through denotative, connotative, metaphorical, and metonymic lenses. The findings reveal that architectural forms in Iranian heritage, such as domes, wind-catchers, symmetry, light manipulation, and material choices, function as a semiotic system that reflects spiritual, social, and environmental values. This paper posits that Iranian architecture extends beyond mere aesthetic and functional dimensions, serving as a medium for cultural communication. The semiotic analysis of the Fahadan House underscores the effectiveness of semiotic tools in deciphering the symbolic grammar of architectural heritage and contributes to broader discussions on space, identity, and cultural continuity.
Rethinking contemporary psychological approaches through the mediation of creativity
Section: Review Articles Disciplines: Array, Array Rethinking contemporary approaches to psychology in the world involves reexamining and critiquing the foundations and methods of this science in the face of new challenges and social changes. This means seeking innovative and more inclusive approaches to understanding and treating psychological problems. Rethinking contemporary psychological approaches is a necessary process that helps us adapt this science to the changing needs of modern societies. By utilizing innovative and more inclusive approaches, we can achieve a deeper understanding and more effective treatment of psychological issues. Creativity, as a multidimensional and dynamic phenomenon, is no longer considered solely as an individual trait, but rather as a complex process influenced by individual, social, and cultural factors. Contemporary psychological approaches emphasize the importance of nurturing and enhancing creativity in all aspects of life and believe that creativity can help improve performance, enhance quality of life, and increase individual and social well-being. Therefore, the present study aims to rethink contemporary psychological approaches through the important role of creativity.
To Get Lost Willingly - A Study of Traditional and Digital Art Collaboration Through Extended Reality Technologies
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array In this study, the authors analyze the emerging phenomenon of collaboration between traditional and digital art forms, focusing in particular on how extended reality (XR) technologies are changing artistic expression and audience engagement. Using mixed methods, combining semi-structured interviews, experimental case studies, and audience response analysis, the authors examine the integration of traditional images with virtual reality experiences. The findings suggest that these hybrid art forms create multidimensional experiences that significantly increase audience engagement while expanding, rather than limiting, artistic intent. The authors present a theoretical framework for understanding these collaborative processes and discuss implications for artistic practice.
Investigating the Teachers’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Project Based Learning Practices on Enhancing Motivation and Engagement and the Challenges They Face in Its Implementation in a Private School in U.A.E.
Section: Research Articles In recent years, countries worldwide have been taking broad steps to lead educational reforms in their educational systems. These reforms aim to prepare learners for employment. Due to that, educators shifted their attention towards adopting the PBL. Consequently, this study aimed to have a comprehension of the practices, which would enhance the students’ motivation in the U.A.E. To do that, the study employed the use of the social constructivism paradigm supported by the qualitative method using descriptive phenomenology in which five semi-structured interviews were analyzed thematically. As the teachers demonstrated their PBL practices, they provided novel insights into enhancing the learners’ motivation by presenting a wide range of motivating strategies that teachers can use, referring to the PBL features and the use of technology.
Exploring Qanat as a Virtual Tourism Attraction in Iran: Cultural, Natural, and Environmental Significance
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array Qanat has many valued tourist attractions and adventure, cultural, natural, and environmental attractions can be considered one of the world's main tourist destinations. Qanat as a new tourism attraction can help develop the tourism sector in Iran. Also, the determination to recognize and introduce the tourism potentials of the qanat is more than beneficial it is an essential task of science and culture and is mainly related to Iranian culture. In other words, tourism and its revenues can give rise to more motivation for sustaining qanats. Iran, in terms of historical, cultural, and natural diversity, has many valuable potential, and regional planning, and comprehensive principles can be considered one of the main destinations of tourism heritage. The study indicates that Qanat is one of the most relevant man-made attractions in Iran which is contributing to the development of Persian heritage. It gives interesting routes for tourists who are interested in cultural tourism experiences. This study aims to identify Bayazeh Qanat online visitors who are attracted by website design. For this purpose, we designed the site www.marefatnia.zgig.ir which is used by Google Map API.
The Unavowable Body: Radical Stillness in Mina Heidari’s Ineffable Art Series
Section: Research Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array This article examines three artworks I conceptually frame as The ineffable art series by an emerging Iranian female artist Mina Heidari. This exhibition was initially showcased as a three-part drawing series at the 2025 World in Balance festival in Hamburg. The three artworks titled: Condemnation, Decay, and Denial/Refusal, are a meditation on feminine agency, embodied violence and the dialectics of silence and visibility. Heidari’s work draws from her multidisciplinary background in art, science and activism as well as her censored Iranian context. Employing a philosophy of silence and opacity, where the unspoken becomes a site of agency and resistance, her art transforms personal and political repression into a universal feminist poetics of liberation. Through the recurring motif of a metonymic eye, she traces contours of an unavowable body, from violent exposure to a sacred disavowal, challenging viewers to engage not through sight but through embodied presence. Blending ethical witnessing with posthuman and queer feminist lenses, my analysis underscores how Heidari’s drawings reconfigure the female body as a living archive of trauma and resilience. Ultimately, this article argues that Heidari’s art suspends narrative closure to enact ‘radical stillness’, an unspoken poetics that reconfigures embodied silence as a potent language of resistance and ethical witnessing. Using the female body’s fragmented vitality to defy patriarchal and colonial silencing, Heideri invites viewers to dwell in the unspoken— to honor the scars that persist, the fragments that haunt, and the opacity that protects, in response to acute and chronic trauma.
The Role of Design and Designers in the Reality of the 21st Century
Section: Creative Design Reports Keywords: Array, Array, Array, Array Disciplines: Array, Array In the rapidly evolving global economy, the role of designers has shifted beyond aesthetics and functionality to encompass social, economic, and ethical dimensions. This article explores the multifaceted responsibilities of contemporary designers, analyzing their impact on corporate structures, sustainability, and cultural shifts. Drawing insights from Klaudia Grzesik’s dissertation on "Spiritual Capitalism and the Vision of a Designer in the Corporate System," Academy of Art in Szczecin 2024, written under the supervision of M. Klein, this paper delves into the tensions between creativity and economic constraints, as well as the transformative potential of design in addressing modern societal challenges.
Bridging Artistic Boundaries: Interdisciplinary Connections in Architectural Education – A Review of Selected Cases from Western and Iranian Architects
Section: Review Articles Keywords: Array, Array, Array The interplay between various sciences, particularly artistic disciplines, is a profound and intricate relationship. Throughout the history of architectural education, many renowned architects have demonstrated remarkable abilities in artistic fields beyond their primary expertise. The correlation between art and architecture has been researched and acknowledged in certain architectural schools, with scholars identifying it as a key factor in enhancing students' creative output. However, the significance of this topic has been largely overlooked in many educational settings, especially in newer institutions, despite the potential of space and architecture to foster social interaction among students. This paper underscores the importance of this relationship and its impact on promoting educational creativity among designers. To achieve this objective, we examine the lives and works of the selected prominent architects and theorists, emphasizing their connections with various art forms and artists from other disciplines. We then analyze how these interactions have influenced their architectural achievements. Additionally, as case studies, we explore more the impact of this relationship on the lives and works of renowned architects, including Le Corbusier, Houshang Seyhoun, and Kamran Diba. This study is primarily based on a review of relevant library resources.