The Matter of Objects: Medieval and Renaissance Materiality in Contemporary Conversation

Résumé En

'The Matter of Objects' is a collaborative project that brings together the work of medieval and early modern researchers with contemporary art practitioners. Doctoral students from across Europe have identified objects that serve as gateways into their research. Objects include a sixteenth-century witch's bottle, a Bird of Paradise skin, and a seventeenth-century devotional print for the use of prayer beads. The doctoral students have been paired with artists of diverse media (sculpture, print, conceptual) to produce a response piece. This one-day event will bring the artists and researchers together to discuss the physical outcomes and their process in deconstructing and interpreting the stories in the materials. By creating a space for dialogue with practitioners, who approach the material from a practical angle, we hope to open the way for reinvigorated readings of objects from the past.