Place of Sacred Art Symposium - 9th May

The symposium will consider the ways in which people reinterpret sacred art when it is displayed in new contexts or alongside art from different faith traditions. It will also consider how displaying different types of art in sacred spaces also transforms our understanding of the sacred and artistic.

There will be a variety of presentations exploring different aspects on the theme of the conference:

• An academic, theological overview of the topic: Rev Dr David Cheetham
• Multi-faith Art in a Christian Space: Very Rev Catherine Ogle and Ortit Azaz 
• Faith in a Secular Space? A Museum’ s Perspective: Dr Rebecca Bridgeman
• Unexpected Encounters with Contemporary Art in a Sacred Space: Very Rev Peter Bradley

The day is delivered in collaboration with The Church of England and Birmingham Cathedral. It will be hosted by Canon Dr Andrew Smith who will also facilitate discussions enabling participants to explore the topic together.

There will also be a chance to visit the ground breaking and award winning Faith in Birmingham Gallery at the Museum and Art Gallery with curator Rebecca Bridgman.

For full details see here. 

Free Workshop: Religion and Heritage on Display

Saturday 4th February 2017, 10.30am – 4.30pm

More and more exhibitions and displays are addressing religion and heritage. These projects are sometimes in museums and sometimes in places of worship, but they all seek to present religion (however defined) to a general public audience. This informal workshop will bring together reports on some of the more recent. The aim will be to enable people involved in new projects to exchange information and ideas.

Venue: Institute of Archaeology, Gordon Square, London, Room 612.

Nearest tubes: Euston / Euston Square.

Format: twenty-minute presentations, with an introduction and time for discussion.

Catering: teas/coffees will be provided, and participants invited to contribute to the cost. Packed lunches can be eaten in the Common Room or lunch obtained locally.

Chairs: Crispin Paine IoA UCL and John Reeve IoE UCL.

Speakers:  the following are confirmed:

·      Keynote: Marion Bowman OU    

·      

       Marius Felderhof: Museum of World Religions project in Birmingham 

·       

       Lucy Trench: Religion in the V&A European galleries.   

·        

      Christopher Ferguson: '5000 Years of Faith' at Auckland Castle  

·      

      Sarah Turner Canterbury Cathedral 

·      

      Rebecca Bridgman Curator of Islamic & South Asian Art and Curatorial Team Leader     Birmingham Museums Trust 'Faith in Birmingham' gallery 

·      

      Gemma Papineau Panacea Museum, Bedford  

Booking and Enquiries: to avoid overcrowding, please let Crispin know if you would like to come. First come, first served!   crispinpaine1@gmail.com

Sponsored by the Heritage Section of the Institute of Archaeology, UCL

Job Vacancy: Senior Research Associate UEA

Faculty of Arts and Humanities 

School of Art, Media and American studies 

Senior Research Associate (40%FTE) • Ref: RA1332

£31,656 to £37,768 per annum, pro rata

This project is funded by Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA). It seeks to investigate the paradoxes and tensions inherent in the heritagisation of religious sites, objects and practices within Europe. The project seeks to take theories of heritage and heritagisation into novel directions by linking it to the analytical categories of religion, the secular, and the sacred. The region of East Anglia is historically characterised by a great diversity of religious practices, varying from those associated with well-known prehistoric sites (Seahenge), Celtic sites (Sutton Hoo), and Christian sites of pilgrimage (Walsingham, Bury St Edmunds). In the UK division of this research project, we will examine how such sites are appropriated as religious heritage.

The post holder is expected to conduct research on forms of religious heritage in East Anglia, using a combination of fieldwork, literature review and museum research, resulting in the publication of research papers in peer-reviewed journals and an exhibition by the end of the project.

Applicants are expected to submit a research proposal of around 500 words, which should include a potential research subject, a research question and outline of methodology. This research proposal will not be a fixed commitment, but will serve as starting point for the development of the research during the first months of the project, in discussion with the Principal Investigator. The project proposal should be submitted alongside the cover letter and application form.

This part-time (40%FTE), fixed term post is available from 1 January 2017 to 31 August 2019.

Closing date: 12 noon on 3 October 2016.

Further particulars and an application form are available on the website or Tel. 01603 593493.