A Material World
A series of events on the reconstruction of life in the past through objects and materials, the people who made them and the people who used them.
A Material World is an event series hosted by the Warburg Institute which focuses on the reconstruction of life in the past through objects and materials, the people who made them and the people who used them. Combining public lectures, student seminars and live object-based presentations, the series brings together academics and heritage professionals from a wide range of disciplines including history, art history, cultural history, archaeology, anthropology, history of religion and museum studies. The series will discuss issues concerning historical objects, their materials, forms, and functions, as well as their conservation, presentation, display, and reconstruction. The combined lecture-seminar sessions of 2024-2025 are on the theme of Work v. Play.
A Material World: Work v. Play explores a range of artefacts which interrogate concepts of labour and leisure from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period. It aims to explore artefacts used across social strata – from the very poorest to royalty – and with global scope.
Organisers: Rembrandt Duits (Deputy Curator, The Photographic Collection, The Warburg Institute) and Louisa McKenzie (The Warburg Institute).
Photo: ©️ Gordon Plumb
