The Organizing Committee of the international conference “Greek Art in Context”, to be held at the University of Edinburgh, 7th-9th April 2014, invites offers of papers and posters. The deadline for electronic abstracts is Friday 20th December 2013.
This two and a half-day conference will explore the broad notion of context in relation to Greek Art. Its aim is twofold: to address the problem of defining and determining context from a theoretical point of view and to explore how it affects the interpretation of the material culture of ancient Greece from the Dark Ages to the end of the Hellenistic period. What do we mean by context? In which ways and under what circumstances does context become relevant for the interpretation of Greek material culture? Which contexts should we look at – viewing context, political, social and religious discourse, artistic tradition…? What happens when there is no context? We welcome proposals for papers of 30 minutes addressing questions relevant to the scope of the conference. There will be 8 three-paper sessions followed by Q&A. Topics for discussion may include, but are not limited to:
-Same iconographies, different meanings. Greek images abroad
-Interpreting old works through new lenses
-Reading objects in context
-Images and social realities
-Distribution, consumption and trade of Greek art
-Contexts of use of Greek vases and how they affect our interpretation of the object and its images
-Interpreting monumental sculpture and non-portable objects
-Greek art in its modern contexts (museums, collections etc.)
Keynote speakers: Prof. Carmen Sánchez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) and Dr. Antonis Kotsonas (University of Edinburgh)
Abstracts of ca. 300 words are invited from scholars working in the fields of classical archaeology and history of art and with an interest in contextualization as an integral part of the study of ancient Greek art.
The conference is open to advanced postgraduate students. Title and abstract of proposed papers/posters should be sent to the conference organiser, Dr. Diana Rodríguez Pérez ([email protected]), by Friday, 20th December 2013.
Authors will be informed about the acceptance of abstracts by 15th of January.
The language of the conference is English.
Posters related to the topics outlined above are also welcome. Instructions regarding the posters format will be provided at a later stage. Posters will be exhibited throughout the conference in the McMillan Room of the School of History, Classics and Archaeology. Authors will have a chance to give a short 5-minute presentation on their poster during the drinks receptions. Small prizes will be awarded to the best posters of the conference.
The conference fee is £50 standard rate and £35 for students. It includes coffee and tea on the 7th, 8th and 9th, sandwich lunch on the 7th and 8th, as well as the drinks receptions on the 7th and 8th. Delegates are expected to arrange their own travel and accommodation. They are also encouraged to apply for funding at their own institutions.
This conference is made possible through the generous support of School of History, Classics and Archaeology of the University of Edinburgh, and of the Institute of Classical Studies. Several student bursaries will be available thanks to a contribution from the Classical Association.
