WRITING AS MATERIAL PRACTICE:
Surface, substance and medium
The UCL Institute of Archaeology Annual Conference
Friday 15 – Sunday 17 May 2009
ORGANISERS
Dr. Kathryn E. Piquette and Prof. Ruth Whitehouse
SCOPE
Whereas content meaning has been the main focus of research on written
evidence, this international conference seeks to explore past
'writing' and related symbolic modes in relation to material practice,
performance and sensory experience. Papers are sought that, through
case studies, will emphasise the artefactual nature of writing—the
ways in which materials, techniques, colour, scale, orientation or
visibility inform the creation of inscribed objects and landscapes,
and structure subsequent engagement, perception and meaning making.
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
Please submit paper proposals of 500 words to
materialityofwriting At googlemail.com by 31 December 2008. Abstracts
should be submitted as word files and include your name, title,
institutional affiliation (if appropriate) and full contact details.
If you do not plan to give a paper but would like to register your
interest, please get in touch!
SUGGESTED THEMES
The many possible engagements with our theme include but are not limited to:
Defining 'Writing': How do we know when writing is 'writing'? Is this
category appropriate for characterising past forms of graphical
symbolic expression?
Scribal Technology: How do materials, tools and technological choices
relate to the expression and meaning of writing?
Inscribed Object Worlds: How does the substance, surface, shape or
size of an object inform the expression and meaning of writing
thereon?
Inscribed Landscapes: In what ways do 'natural' and built landscapes
construct and influence written meanings?
Writing as Embodied Practice and Performance: How does the physical
expression of writing inform physical and sensory engagements?
Hidden and Absent Writing: What is the social significance of writing
if it is invisible or absent?
Methodology: What practice- and materials-based methods can be
developed for the study of past writing, from documentation during
excavation, analysis, interpretation and publication, to teaching and
learning?
CONFERENCE FORMAT
• Papers will be pre-circulated 2 weeks in advance and all
participants will be expected to read pre-papers before hand.
• On the day, each paper will be allotted a 40 minute time slot: 20
minutes for outlining main points of the pre-paper and 20 minutes
dedicated to discussion.
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
• We are intending to offer an edited volume of conference papers to
Left Coast Press for publication, for inclusion in their Institute of
Archaeology series.
Surface, substance and medium
The UCL Institute of Archaeology Annual Conference
Friday 15 – Sunday 17 May 2009
ORGANISERS
Dr. Kathryn E. Piquette and Prof. Ruth Whitehouse
SCOPE
Whereas content meaning has been the main focus of research on written
evidence, this international conference seeks to explore past
'writing' and related symbolic modes in relation to material practice,
performance and sensory experience. Papers are sought that, through
case studies, will emphasise the artefactual nature of writing—the
ways in which materials, techniques, colour, scale, orientation or
visibility inform the creation of inscribed objects and landscapes,
and structure subsequent engagement, perception and meaning making.
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
Please submit paper proposals of 500 words to
materialityofwriting At googlemail.com by 31 December 2008. Abstracts
should be submitted as word files and include your name, title,
institutional affiliation (if appropriate) and full contact details.
If you do not plan to give a paper but would like to register your
interest, please get in touch!
SUGGESTED THEMES
The many possible engagements with our theme include but are not limited to:
Defining 'Writing': How do we know when writing is 'writing'? Is this
category appropriate for characterising past forms of graphical
symbolic expression?
Scribal Technology: How do materials, tools and technological choices
relate to the expression and meaning of writing?
Inscribed Object Worlds: How does the substance, surface, shape or
size of an object inform the expression and meaning of writing
thereon?
Inscribed Landscapes: In what ways do 'natural' and built landscapes
construct and influence written meanings?
Writing as Embodied Practice and Performance: How does the physical
expression of writing inform physical and sensory engagements?
Hidden and Absent Writing: What is the social significance of writing
if it is invisible or absent?
Methodology: What practice- and materials-based methods can be
developed for the study of past writing, from documentation during
excavation, analysis, interpretation and publication, to teaching and
learning?
CONFERENCE FORMAT
• Papers will be pre-circulated 2 weeks in advance and all
participants will be expected to read pre-papers before hand.
• On the day, each paper will be allotted a 40 minute time slot: 20
minutes for outlining main points of the pre-paper and 20 minutes
dedicated to discussion.
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
• We are intending to offer an edited volume of conference papers to
Left Coast Press for publication, for inclusion in their Institute of
Archaeology series.