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matthewhoulkeruni-blog · 7 years ago

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Matthew Houlker

Essay example 1

“Tectonic uplift is a sufficient explanation for interpreting the coastal erosion profiles – including marine notches”

We can learn a lot about tectonic uplift from coastal erosion profiles. They have provided very efficient and accurate evidence regarding sea level change throughout the last Pleistocene When I went to the Perrachora Peninsula in Greece I had the pleasure of observing these erosion profiles first hand. The Perrachora peninsula is composed of a Mesozoic limestone-based rock, flysch deposits and basic volcanic rocks. Upon inspection of 2 different locations at sea level around the Perrachora peninsula, one location was far more distinct in appearance that the other, with deeply engraved, prominent notches whilst the other had a more smoothed face with a far less jagged face. But both showed wave cut notches and signs of fossilised life on the notches which were far above sea level in easily identifiable horizontal bands which may be able to help us identify when each notch was at sea level. This convinced me that the notches were almost points on a timeline to show where the sea came to the land at different points of time. This can either teach us that tectonic uplift took place, or the sea levels went have decreased since when these points were at sea level.

During my time in Greece we visited an example of a raised beach which I was surprised to find sat high above sea level. Possibly hence the term “raised beach”. Viewing these raised beaches, I am in the Holocene, which in the grand scale of things is a very warm, very long interglacial period. Raised beaches are evidence of temperatures fluctuating massively over time resulting in raised and lowered sea levels due to massive expansions and contraction of global ice sheets. The Earth naturally goes through cycles of glacial periods (ice ages) and inter-glacial (warm periods.) When observing this raised beach, I notice there would be a flat surface, then a steep but small slope which spanned horizontally around the face of the small hill. Then on top of this another flat plain, then another steep but small slope then another flat plain and this trend continued as we conducted research and measured the heights and lengths of each beach. With this we could observe that through the ages as tectonic uplift and rising/falling sea levels that these were raised beaches.

I initially had some doubts that the massive scale of this raised beach could been due to tectonic uplift, so I was interested to hear how the marine biology effected the coastal erosion profiles of the faces and notches at current sea level. I thought that this may be able to give an insight into any other potential factors that would have potentially changed erosion rates or effected the beaches. Doing this reinforced my view of tectonic uplift and further reinforced this argument for me. When you look at the notches you can see where previous marine life was inhabited due to the marks on rocks left by species such as the patella coerulea and the Balanus Perforatus that sticks to the rock and engraves small circles into the rock and uses it as protection and support so it can live, As well as this you can observe the living lithophaga at sea level on the rock, but then at the next notch above this you can observe the fossil lithophaga perforations which clearly tells me that this was where the sea level was doing the last interglacial period. The identification of sea level dwelling creature’s fossils shows that the land has rose up above sea level at various points of time over an incredibly long period of time. This is an indicator of where the sea levels were at these periods of time. This proved that during glacial periods the water level was low and as temperatures rose and interglacial periods have occurred the notches stand at different heights. Tectonic uplift is also a massive factor regarding the incredibly slow yet massively significant factor of tectonic uplift of the land which occurs when the land is heated and rises slowly above sea level. This was proved on 2 sites in Greece. One of which was a location to the North of the perrachora peninsula, called the Heraion of Perachora which is a location sitting 40-45m above sea level with steep cliffs either side. This was thought to be the what is left of a pre-Tyrrhenian (mid Devensian) raised beach. This information according to Stathis Stiros and Paolo Pirazzoli (1998)

Tectonic uplift is a process which occurs all over the world for different reasons. One of these reasons is the idea that now glacial coverage has subsided over many locations has melted, the almost elastic land has almost bounced back to the pressure previously caused by ice coverage. This means certain locations are uplifted during interglacial because the land is under less pressure. “During the last ice age Scotland, like much of northern Europe, was covered with ice. The weight of this huge compacted ice sheet pushed the Earth’s crust down, causing the land levels to sink. Over the 14,000 years since the ice sheet melted, Scotland has been rising an average rate of 1-2mm per year.”- (Gla.ac.uk, 2018)(3) over time this statistic becomes very significant to my investigation as this is a prime example of where tectonic uplift is occurring and recorded in another place other than Perrachora, although an older example it is still relevant. “a general long-term trend toward lower sea levels from sea level positions higher than modern about 3 million years ago. In contrast to the Pliocene, sea levels dropped to levels at least 100 meters below modern sea level on at least 4 occasions during the last 600,000 years.”- (E-education.psu.edu)(1) This statistic explains and links in all the key themes relevant to my personal investigation, it displays how drastically sea levels have raised and fell massively over time. This would be massively linked to the glacial and interglacial periods which caused the water to freeze and almost contract during glacial periods then expand again when heated in this repeated cycle, we and just observing the footprints left by these fluctuations. “These sea level low stands concur with glacial maxima (LGM - Last Glacial Maximum), the last of which demarcates the boundary between the Pleistocene and Holocene Epoch.”- (E-education.psu.edu, 2018) (2)

From the evidence I have put together I can put together certain things I must consider when evaluating my opinion regarding the statement, the evidence for tectonic uplift is massive and is clear in many locations along coastlines around the world. But it is extremely difficult to determine whether the key factor for the notches appearing higher was due to either tectonic uplift or decreasing sea levels but both at different rates. In conclusion there are many processes taking place at this location and it is clear to me that this is a location massively effected by glacial and interglacial periods, and all of the erosional features which are commonly associated with it. then causing tectonic uplift which we are now observing the marks left by these erosional processes.

References

E-education.psu.edu. (2018). Sea Level Change During the Last 5 Million Years | Coastal Processes, Hazards, and Society. [online] Available at: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth107/node/901 [Accessed 1 Jan. 2018].(3)

Gla.ac.uk. (2018). University of Glasgow - University news - Archive of news - 2013 - December - Is Scotland still on the rise?. [online] Available at: https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2013/december/headline_298156_en.html [Accessed 7 Jan. 2018].(1)(2)

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matthewhoulkeruni-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Matthew Houlker

Essay example 2

1750 words

Discuss how culture and consumption have been used by cities to promote themselves.

Culture and consumption are two very closely linked topics when talking about developing cities. Consumption is what a city feeds off to grow as is everything the city consumes to keep living and growing. Whereas culture is what truly characterises the city and is often what brings people in from other parts of the world when people are travelling for leisure. Often a city will make it an aim to promote their cities culture to increase tourism. This has been implemented and made successful with many cities considered to be the most cultural cities in the world also being massively popular tourism destinations, so people like you and I may come to these countries and feel more educated on these places. Many tourism hubs in the world are so cultured because they have implemented unconventional practices and put them right into the social norm. A perfect example of a city which has accomplished this is Amsterdam, Amsterdam is potentially the most unapologetic city I have ever had the pleasure if visiting, it promotes things usually considered “taboo” and puts them right in front of the tourist’s face. Amsterdam is a location without the braggadocios skyscrapers and towering business blocks, and has more so adopted a Low-rise building plan with terraced houses neatly placed along a beautiful set of canals which are kept clean. The city maintains an aesthetic which to many totally contradicts the dirty and unclean perception which many would assume this city has. It scraps the dingy and dark atmosphere that you many imagine when thinking of a country where sex work is legal and drugs such as marijuana and psychedelic truffles are legal and sold in shops in the heart of the city. The unconventional promotion of sex work has been crucial to the cities growth and development from the 17th century where Amsterdam was a port city, where sailors who had been trading and on water would come for a stop, and inevitably some sexual activities. This lead to this period is referred to as the “Dutch gold age” which was crucial to the development of what is now Amsterdam’s massive sex work culture. This sailor town became a place where pornographic images were made and sold, Due to the tolerance and liberal nature of the City these activities happened and were perfectly legal, but never spoiled the beautiful aesthetic of the place. These things all indirectly effect how the civic infrastructure of Amsterdam has changed and adapted over time. A walk through modern Amsterdam would be characterised by various and many theatres, parks, concert halls, plazas, music venues etc. and this has all been built off one culture which Amsterdam has made itself famous for, quite ingeniously.

But Amsterdam wasn’t always a Mecca for the LBGT+ community, many cities which become attractions to the gay population become social hubs for minorities due to the lack of gay population found in rural areas in which a lot of said minorities are situated. “Get thee to a big city ” nicely touches upon the struggles presented by groups of minorities living in rural areas and displays how the promotion of a LGBT+ community can have massive effects on the migration coming into said area. For example - “What I call the great gay migration of the 1970s and early 1980s witnessed an influx of tens of thousands of lesbians and gay men (as well as individuals bent upon “exploring” their sexuality) into major urban areas across the united states.” - Get thee to a big city: sexual imaginary and the great gay migration, K.Weston. This is a perfect demonstration of how the city became a hub for the community and then used this stigma as a “gay capital” to thrive and capitalise off through many gay clubs and businesses owned by the gay population. This gentrification is a product of the diverse culture associated with Amsterdam.

Amsterdam’s cultural reach goes far beyond sex work and drug use and has recently become a massive symbol of LGBT+ pride. This is displayed by public holocaust memorial dedicated to the gay people who were violently murdered during the holocaust. The homomonument is a pink coloured triangle which resembles the pink triangle tattooed on gay men before they were sent to concentration camps during the second world war. This mark means a lot to people all over the world as is a symbol of acceptance and remembrance of the people who were partly responsible for making Amsterdam the beautiful and free city it is today, and the erection of this monument further proves the acceptance and respect to the people who made Amsterdam what it Is today, as well as this, Holding annual Euro pride events in the cities centre. These pride events are put on by the countries government as a symbol to the outside world that Amsterdam is an international symbol of pride and freedom. This promotion of pride is crucial in this city and its culture because it shows that the city accepts the cultures which have been crucial to the growth of the city on an international tourism scale. The beauty of Amsterdam is truly in its unapologetic nature which is displayed although the city, even popular trip advice site TripAdvisor talks about how it is somewhat seedy, this display of apologetics from the people trying to sell the location truly shows that this culture is prominent and compulsory to the cities tourism “Of course no introduction to Amsterdam would be complete without a few words on the Red Light District. It's probably everything you have heard about and more. The area attracts just as many visitors as the other main attractions in the city. Seedy in places, tourist attraction in others, it's a place where you can buy just about anything.” (Tripadvisor.co.uk, 2018)- the culture can be found in shop windows and lit up around neon lights. It doesn’t say sorry once for the culture which has been promoted and embraced by the government because it is a massive money machine for the country, from the positive promotion of sex museums to the fact that Urban planners must consider sex when planning a locations layout as many public parks such as the Sarphatipark, the Zilverstrand beach and the Oosterpark are all now international symbols of public sex. The city has also constructed monuments in dedication to the sex workers in Amsterdam, this makes many sex workers feel more welcomed in the city as it takes them out of the dark and puts them into a place where sex work is out of the taboo and is promoted to be clean and healthy. It doesn’t push the work away or keep it in the dark, it is embraced and done properly and as safely as possible. The culture is embraced in order to keep the machine running.

Another city which has promoted itself is a prime example of a location which has totally socially branded itself as a business hub. The globalisation of London on an industrial scale totally restructed the industries of labour which London was once a Meka for. Due to and a young entrepreneurial attitude in which the city adopted a young, wealthy middle class which were upwardly mobile, and a massive marker of class identity raised. These young men are referred to as “yuppies”, a rich group of young men who generally enjoyed spending their money on material things, to the extent where suits were vetted in the workplace to ensure employees were dressed well and spending their large amounts of money on fine suits, which increases and endorses this style of material consumption. On the other hand, a rather condescending term was created on the other side of society which was an idea of the young urban people with very little money. These were now called “yuffies” and due to the sudden decline in manufacturing employment these “yuffies” faced structural unemployment and income inequality was increased due to the massive gap between the “yuppies” at the top, and “yuffies” at the bottom. Significant effects of this reconstruction can be identified by many key events in London’s history which are relevant to the reconstruction of London’s economy. These events are the Closure of the London docklands in 1960 which symbolises the switch from importing and exporting manufacturing goods to other markets and business ventures. The old port was simply outdated and London had grown to the extent needed in other fields to no longer require it. “This far more efficient method of moving goods required much larger ships that could not navigate down as far as the Royal Docks. Large container ports were developed further down the river and gradually the Royal Docks business fell into decline.” (London's Royal Docks, 2018) his shows the decline of industries which at one time were thriving, and driving the city. Other evidence of this shift can simply be found by looking up at the London sky scrapers such as the new financial centre, canary Warf. These are symbols are trophies of the yuppies left by a rich and thriving economy which once came from the likes of importing and exporting raw resources such as coal and cotton. Many cities use culture to develop but others change the way they consume. A cities growth is possible in many ways and culture and changing the way the location provides a service are both signs of not only a cities size or impact, but growth. And every city in which I have presented has shown some form of growth which has benefitted the city and its people.

References

London's Royal Docks. (2018). London's Royal Docks History - Official Timeline. [online] Available at: http://www.londonsroyaldocks.com/londons-royal-docks-history/ [Accessed 5 Jan. 2018].

Tripadvisor.co.uk. (2018). Amsterdam: Culture - TripAdvisor. [online] Available at: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g188590-s202/Amsterdam:The-Netherlands:Culture.html[Accessed 6 Jan. 2018].le.

Love, H. (2011). Rethinking sex. Durham (C.): Duke University Press, p.255.

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matthewhoulkeruni-blog · 7 years ago

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ARTIST STATEMENT

I have always been a very active listener of music; this is due to always having interesting and new music around at home. The majority of my family are musicians or have an obsessive interest in all forms of music. I have found myself not being able to listen to music without physically breaking it apart in my head. At the age of nine, my dad bought me an acoustic drum kit as an aid to overcome a phobia I had of extremely loud noises I had developed. Although driving them both my parents crazy this was the best gift I have ever received. I spent the whole of my comprehensive school years playing drums every day for hours on end. This also led to me learning how to read music, which has aided me in sharing my music with other musicians in a more edible form.

I completed three trinity guildhall drum grades at a younger age but later decided to teach myself. I disagreed with the examination methods and proceeded to teach myself in a style which was unorthodox and not typical of standard rock drummer. The use of triplets, buzz roles and awkward/complicated time signatures has always fascinated me when playing drums or listening to music. I have had the absolute pleasure in playing music in 3 bands which taught me valuable lessons regarding sharing ideas with others and working as a team to achieve something bigger, as well as develop an idea from your head into a piece of music. A process I thrive off.

More recently, I used money I had saved to build a recording studio in my bedroom, which has proven to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. Since setting it up, I have made project on project, enjoying myself - whilst trying to better the sound I am creating. I work with others in a ‘hands on’ fashion to create the best sound possible. I have used software such as FL, Ableton and ProTools. In the future, I would like to be able to develop my digital audio techniques further. My absolute ideal would be to develop to a level in which I can create as much diverse music as possible, in a professional fashion, and be taught by music professionals.

Recently I have been learning to play and record piano, guitar and slowly, develop my voice. This is something I am relatively new to, but figured it would be a better and easier process to learn to record on my own voice. I am enjoying this very much and I would like to learn more regarding ways of recording the voice, I find this extremely interesting.

My reasons for switching University courses from Geography to Digital Music and Sound Arts are developed from the idea of following something I am passionate about as opposed to something my heart isn’t behind. I struggled with the idea that time spent making music over the last academic year was considered “wasted” as it was not beneficial to my course and actually damaged my creativity. This is something that unfortunately took me six months to figure out and take the decision to follow what I am passionate about.

I will pursue music for the rest of my life.

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