ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts

CONTEXT-AWARE NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING AND DEEP LEARNING SYSTEM FOR EMOTION RECOGNITION IN HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION

Ritu Shree — 2026-04-28

Emotion recognition in human–computer interaction (HCI) is a complex yet essential task with wide-ranging applications in mental health monitoring, intelligent systems, and user experience enhancement. This research proposes a context-aware Natural Language Processing (NLP) and deep learning-based framework for accurate detection of emotional states (ES) from human communication. Unlike traditional approaches that rely solely on acoustic or lexical features, the proposed system integrates contextual semantics, linguistic patterns, and speech characteristics such as pitch, rhythm, and prosody to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of emotions. The model leverages hybrid deep learning techniques, combining transformer-based NLP models with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to effectively capture both contextual meaning and temporal dependencies in data. Additionally, attention mechanisms are employed to highlight emotionally significant features, improving classification performance. The system is trained and evaluated on diverse, well-annotated datasets representing multiple emotional states, ensuring robustness and generalization. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms conventional methods in terms of accuracy, precision, and reliability. This study contributes to the advancement of emotion-aware intelligent systems and offers promising applications in adaptive interfaces, virtual assistants, sentiment analysis, and psychological assessment.

DIGITAL LEADERSHIP IN ARTS EDUCATION FOR TRANSFORMING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Ha Thanh Huong — 2026-04-25

This study examines the role of digital leadership in transforming teaching and learning in arts education within higher education in Vietnam. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining survey data from 212 students with semi-structured interviews involving 20 lecturers and academic leaders across three universities. The findings indicate that digital leadership was implemented at a moderate to high level (M = 3.67) and significantly influenced pedagogical transformation (β = 0.58, p < .001). Qualitative results reveal that digital leadership promotes student-centered learning and digital creative practices, but its implementation remains uneven and often relies on individual initiatives. Key challenges include limited digital culture, insufficient professional development, and difficulties in adapting practice-based arts education to digital environments. The study proposes a multidimensional framework of digital leadership and highlights the need for a context-sensitive approach that balances technological innovation with the experiential nature of arts education in Vietnam.

ART THERAPY CURRICULUM: A CITE-SPACE-BASED LITERATURE REVIEW

Xiaohang Yu — 2026-04-28

Art therapy is a psychological treatment technique that uses art as it’s primary medium to help individuals or groups address psychological issues and enhance mental resilience. Art therapy courses refer to curricula that integrate art therapy techniques to promote the development of various mental health literacies among students. By integrating these techniques into school curricula and aligning them with holistic teaching themes centered on students' psychological development, students' mental health can be effectively improved. Using CiteSpace, this study conducts a systematic review of the field and performs co-occurrence and keyword clustering analyses. By synthesizing representative academic achievements, several key themes are identified: research on the disciplinary knowledge and construction of art therapy curriculum systems; intervention studies on mental disorders and behavioral issues in children and adolescents; research on art therapy’s impact on adult mental health; the relationship between art therapy and traditional art education; intervention studies on the mental health of college students; the application of art therapy in special education for children and adolescents; and the integration of art therapy into mental health curricula in primary schools, secondary schools, and kindergartens. Based on the current state of research, this paper proposes future directions: first, expanding research on the standards and evaluation systems of school-based art therapy courses; second, strengthening practical case studies on positive-orientation art therapy courses; and third, enriching empirical research on art therapy courses using Chinese student samples.

SACRED SPACES, INSTITUTIONAL POWER, AND PERSONAL REVOLT IN THE DA VINCI CODE AND THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN

Gheni Kadhim Azeez Alghanim — 2026-04-25

This paper offers a comparative reading of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (2003) and John Fowles’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1969), arguing that sacred spaces in both novels function as crucibles where institutional power and personal faith collide. It distinguishes between formal sacred spaces, churches, chapels, cathedrals, and symbolically sacred or liminal spaces such as The Cobb, the Undercliff, crypts, and museums. Formal sanctuaries embody institutional dogma and social control, while liminal spaces enable private epiphanies, feminist resistance, and existential self-discovery. Drawing on Kilde’s account of sacred space as culturally constructed, Van Huyssteen’s narrative theology, and existentialist perspectives from Tillich, Sartre, Beauvoir, and Taylor, the study shows how space in these narratives is never neutral but charged with theological and ideological significance. Both novels dramatise a broader cultural shift from publicly anchored, church-centred religion to privatised, experiential forms of the sacred. At the same time, the analysis acknowledges that ‘personal’ sacred spaces remain in dialogue with, and partly defined by, the religious institutions they contest. The paper argues that sacred spaces in these texts operate as ‘sites of tria’ where characters renegotiate the meaning of faith, authority, and freedom.

AI AND MACHINE LEARNING IN AUDIO-VISUAL MEDIA PRODUCTION: INTELLIGENT CONTENT CREATION, EDITING AND AUDIENCE ANALYTICS

Anurag Agarwal — 2026-04-27

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are increasingly redefining the paradigms of audio-visual media production by enabling intelligent content creation, automated editing, and data-driven audience analytics. This paper explores the transformative role of AI-driven technologies across the entire media production pipeline, including pre-production planning, generative content synthesis, post-production automation, and personalized content delivery. Advanced techniques such as deep learning, generative adversarial networks, and diffusion models facilitate high-quality video generation, sound enhancement, and real-time editing, thereby significantly reducing production time and cost. Furthermore, AI-powered analytics provide actionable insights into audience behavior, sentiment, and engagement patterns, enabling targeted storytelling and optimized content distribution strategies. While these advancements enhance creativity and efficiency, they also introduce critical challenges related to ethical concerns, intellectual property, bias, and content authenticity. This study presents a comprehensive academic perspective on the integration of AI and ML in audio-visual media, highlighting both technological innovations and socio-cultural implications. The findings emphasize the necessity for balanced adoption, combining human creativity with machine intelligence to achieve sustainable and responsible media production ecosystems.

FROM TRADITION TO INNOVATION: THE EVOLVING WOODEN HANDICRAFTS OF SAHARANPUR

Aarooshi Singhal — 2026-04-28

Wood carving in Saharanpur is a heart of India's cultural heritage. It is recognized for its glamorous designs and the craftsmanship of traditional artisans. This ancient art form connects the past with the present, offering a glimpse of India's rich artistic history. It also sets the stage for future generations to continue this admired tradition. Recently, there has been a rise in modern adaptations that merge traditional aesthetics with contemporary influences. Artisans are now creating innovative designs that appeal today's audience. Saharanpur’s wood-carving industry is transitioning from traditional Mughal and Kashmiri styles to modern practices, influences by changing global tastes and market demands.

Wood carving art form has seen a significant shift in today's society. Artists now blend this ancient craft with modern elements, creating wood art that appeals to innovative contemporary tastes. They use new techniques and viewpoints, making wood carving a reflection of our current culture and aesthetics. Artisans merge traditional skills with modern methods, producing pieces that honour their heritage while exploring new designs. These creations are not just functional but also express deep artistic sentiments. Exhibitions and galleries dedicated to this art have emerged, showcasing the range and creativity of wood art today. This on-going dialogue between tradition and modernity inspires both viewers and creators. It highlights the profound beauty and depth that wood carving can bring to our contemporary world.

SPECIAL ISSUE ON ART, DESIGN, AND MEDIA CONVERGENCE IN THE DIGITAL ERA: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF CREATIVE PRACTICES

Manohar Vitthal Desai — 2026-04-24

The ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts invites original research papers, review articles, and creative-critical contributions for a Special Issue titled “Art, Design, and Media Convergence in the Digital Era: An Analytical Study of Creative Practices.”

This Special Issue explores how digital technologies are reshaping creative practices across art, design, and media. It welcomes interdisciplinary contributions examining innovation, visual culture, digital storytelling, audience engagement, hybrid forms of expression, and the evolving relationship between creativity and technology. The issue encourages theoretical, empirical, and practice-based studies that offer critical insights into contemporary digital culture and its transformative impact on artistic and media practices.

Guest Editors:

Dr. Manohar Vitthal Desai

HoD and Associate Professor, Symbiosis Institute of Design, Graphic Communication Design, Pune, India

Email: manohar@sid.edu.in/ manohardesai24@gmail.com

Dr. Yasin Kaya

Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Engineering, Adana Science and Technology University, Adana, Turkey

Email: yasin@ktu.edu.tr

Dr. Hayder A. Nahi

Assistant Professor, Al-Qasim Green University, Babil-Iraq

Email: haider.satar@uoqasim.edu.iq/ aljbory.hayder@gmail.com

Dr. Annpurna Shukla

Associate Professor, Drawing and Painting, Banasthali Vidhyapith, Rajasthan, India

Email: annpurnashukla@banasthali.in/artistannu01@yahoo.com

Dr. Chong Seng Tong

Senior Lecturer, Department of languages and communication , College of Continuing Education, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, kajang, Selangar, Malaysia

Email: stchong@uniten.edu.my

EXISTENCE OF SEXISM, TRANSFORMATION AND RESISTANCE THROUGH SISTERHOOD: A FEMINISTS READING OF THE COLOR PURPLE

N. Geethanjali — 2026-04-23

Alice Walker’s The Color Purple explores the oppression experienced by Black women within a patriarchal society. This paper examines the ways in which sexism, violence, and social inequality shape the lives of female characters in the novel, particularly Celie. The study is guided by two questions: how sexism affects Black women and how Celie transforms herself in response to oppression. At the beginning of the novel, Celie is portrayed as silent, dependent, and powerless because of the abuse inflicted by the men in her life. However, through her relationships with Shug Avery, Nettie, and Sofia, she gradually develops confidence and independence. These women represent different forms of support, including emotional care, education, courage, and resistance. Their influence enables Celie to challenge patriarchal authority and create a new identity for herself. The paper argues that sisterhood functions as a powerful means of resistance and that female solidarity is central to Celie’s liberation. Ultimately, the novel presents the idea that women can overcome oppression when they support one another.

FINANCIAL LITERACY AND INVESTMENT DECISION DYNAMICS: A STUDY OF ACADEMIC PROFESSIONALS IN UTTARAKHAND

Abhishek Chaukiyal — 2026-04-24

In modern countries with more complicated financial markets, financial literacy has grown into a crucial element of responsible financial decision-making. Customers are frequently introduced to a variety of financial instruments, such as digital investing platforms, retirement plans, mutual funds, insurance products, and equities markets. Despite the growing availability of such instruments, inadequate financial knowledge often limits the capacity of individuals to make wise investing choices. Academic professionals represent a unique group within the workforce due to their high educational qualifications and relatively stable income levels; however, financial competency is not always correlated with academic discipline expertise.
This study investigates the association between academic experts employed by higher education institutions in Uttarakhand, India, and financial literacy and investment decision dynamics.
Using primary data collected from structured questionnaires given to faculty members in specific districts, a quantitative research approach was chosen. The survey assesses respondents' perceptions of risk, investment behavior, financial literacy, and diversification of portfolios.
Using statistical methods like "regression modeling," "correlation analysis," and "descriptive statistics," the effect of financial literacy on investment decision-making was examined. The findings shows that long-term risk tolerance, financial planning, and investment behavior are significantly impacted by financial literacy among academics. While people who have lower financial literacy levels typically rely on conventional saving choices like fixed deposits and savings accounts, those with higher financial literacy levels show increased interaction with diversified investment instruments like mutual funds, stocks, and retirement funds. In order to increase financial awareness and strengthen individual financial management, the study emphasizes the significance of focused financial literacy activities within academic institutions. By concentrating on a comparatively understudied demographic group within the Indian financial literacy landscape, the study adds to the body of literature.

REIMAGINING HUMAN LIFE AND LABOR THROUGH VISUAL ARTS: A STUDY OF KNOWLEDGE AND POWER DYNAMICS

Zainab Ameer Jabbar Jabbar — 2026-04-23

Modern speculative fiction often interrogates how human life is organized and controlled by systems of knowledge and power. This paper examines Sulimma (2023) and Alderman (2023) in comparison, using Foucault (1970) as a theoretical framework. Specifically, it seeks to answer: (1) How does Severance portray routinized labor, an ‘undead’ logic of workflows that renders life legible as logistics under late capitalism? (2) How does The Future depict big-tech foresight and predictive analytics as a knowledge apparatus that both anticipates and produces subjects and worlds? (3) In what ways can Foucault’s concept of how knowledge systems order human life illuminate the critiques in these novels, and what gaps or transformations do the novels suggest in the Foucauldian “Order of Things”? This study argues that both novels use apocalyptic scenarios to lay bare the underlying episteme of contemporary society: Ma (2018) satirizes how human life and labor are reduced to mechanical routines and global supply-chain logistics, while Alderman (2023) critiques the technocratic vision of total predictive control over the future. Through close analysis, the paper finds that Severance illustrates a world in which individuals are so disciplined by capitalist workflows that even in an apocalypse, they adhere to habitual structures, whereas The Future explores the possibility of redirecting the apparatus of data-driven prediction toward more humane ends, a prospect the novel treats with ambivalence. Based on Foucault’s insights into the ways in which knowledge constructs life (in the form of categories, e.g. labor, life and language) and creates subjects, the paper demonstrates that both novels problematize the concept of a non-partisan or benevolent order system. This critical analysis claims that both of these writers, in their respective ways, doubt whether the Order of Things in our own time, the logistical, algorithmic rationality that governs the existence of humans, can be avoided or re-envisioned. The study bridges a literature gap in that it combines two recent studies (one focused on labor and globalization, the other on Big Tech and algorithmic governance) into a single theoretical framework, which further illuminates how contemporary fiction criticizes the structures that make life thinkable and manageable in the 21st century. The argument elaborated herein assumes that when these novels are read in conjunction with Foucault, it would ultimately imply that the real futures of change might involve a detachment of the very epistemic logic that now constrains life, labor and knowledge. The discussion shows that the two works highlight the close interconnection between knowledge and power in the way late capitalism treats human life, although they differ in tone: Severance is more fatalistic and ironic, while The Future is more contested and optimistic about changing the system internally. The Foucauldian reading foregrounds the question of whether the end of the world (literal or metaphorical) might be what is required to envision the end of the prevailing episteme that defines “life” under capitalist and technocratic regimes.