LAHRI Speculative Conversation - Anthropology of Decoration

Researches from across the University are invited to register for the next Speculative Conversation taking place in the Brotherton Research Centre.

Led by: Louise Atkinson,  Eirini Boukla and Rhiannon Lawrence-Francis (Special Collections)

This event aims to prompt speculative conversations between varied research areas associated with the study and practice of decoration, pattern and ornament from a material and an anthropological perspective. The intent is to bring together artists and scholars from various disciplines who explore the decorative motif and format in their practice and research. Referencing Alfred Gell, Actor-Network Theory and New Materialisms, among others, our interest leans toward the agency of the decorative artefact and the social relations it mediates.

The purpose is to connect people across the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (and beyond), open up possibilities of rethinking discursive domains that link artistic practice with other research culture establish a common ground between the often very different methodologies and understandings. Seeing the forum as a space to reflect on the artistic, cultural, historical and sociological significance of the decorative and the ornamental, we hope a research agenda can emerge from these dialogues that can drive future collaborations and networks within and beyond a university setting.

This will be of interest to researchers of Fine art, Design, Museum Studies, Decorative arts, Anthropology, Design ethnography, Fashion, Multimodality, Visual communication, Material Culture, Intercultural Communication, Cultural sociology, Interdisciplinary practices, Transcultural approaches to arts, Global histories, The social lives of objects, New materialisms, Interior design, Architecture, and Religious iconography. It holds appeal for scholars from across the faculty, such as FAHACS, Design, Media and Communication schools, PCI, PRHS, and LCS. Also, the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies research centre, the Visual Media and Communication research group, the Centre African Studies, the Centre for Cultural Studies, and the Special Collections Research Centre

Potential points for discussion include:

• In which ways is decoration functional?
• How do arts-based and theoretical approaches intersect in the study of decoration, pattern and ornament?
• How can decorative elements in art and design reflect and shape cultural identity?
• How can the study of decorative art inform our understanding of cultural exchange and globalisation?
• How do decorative and ornamental motifs 'travel' and impact across cultures?

To register your interest in attending please email the LAHRI Manager via lahri@leeds.ac.uk