Daily Archives: 19 June 2018

Public lecture: From Melancholy to Euphoria and More: Visual Representation of Emotions in Persian Illustrated Manuscripts

The Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation presents a free Lecture by Dr Stefano Carboni, director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia:

From Melancholy to Euphoria and More: Visual Representation of Emotions in Persian Illustrated Manuscripts

6pm-7pm Wednesday 27 June at the University of Melbourne

The common perception about Persian miniature painting – better described as book illustration because almost invariably it has a textual, literary or oral context – is that it is elegant, colourful, rather formal in composition, and overall restrained in the way the characters are emotionally involved in a particular moment of the story. Persian illustrators, however, had a clear set of tools and visual tropes to convey feelings such as surprise, love, grief, fear, heroism in the face of death, and many more. Many of the stories told in poetic works by Firdausi, Jami and Nizami, all of which were often illustrated, are heavily charged with impossible love, death-defying trials, heroic quests, and mystic ardour: the written language, often memorized by the reader, is the protagonist while the visual image provides in some way an oasis, a respite for the eye, breaking away from the incessant emotional narrative of the verses. A great chapter for the visual representation of emotions, however, was written during the Ilkhanid (Mongol) period in Iran in the 14th century, a time during which all pictorial rules – if they previously existed – were subverted and we can witness a full range of demonstrative engagement with the viewer.

This lecture is part of the From Melancholy to Euphoria: The Materialisation of Emotion in Middle Eastern Manuscripts Symposium, made possible by support from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions and the Crescent Foundation. Full symposium details at: http://go.unimelb.edu.au/2ct6

Free lecture. All welcome. Bookings essential. For full details and registration: http://go.unimelb.edu.au/6p56

Entries now open for ANZAMEMS Publication Prizes

Entries for ANZAMEMS’ two major biennial publication prizes are now open and will close on 30 September 2018. Prize-winners will be announced at the ANZAMEMS 2019 conference in Sydney, Australia. An overview of each prize is provided below. Please visit the ANZAMEMS website for full criteria and submission instructions: http://anzamems.org/?page_id=8#PM

Philippa Maddern ECR Publication Prize

The Philippa Maddern ECR Publication Prize is awarded to an Early Career Researcher (ECR) for the best article-length scholarly work in any discipline/topic falling within the scope of medieval and early modern studies, published within the previous two years.

Philippa Maddern (1952–2014) was Professor of History at The University of Western Australia, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, an ANZAMEMS stalwart, and an active member of the Association from its inception. Philippa contributed enormously to the development of medieval and early modern studies, both in Australia and globally. She gave great service as an office bearer of ANZAMEMS, serving in a range of capacities on the committee including many years as its Treasurer. Philippa was a great champion of researchers embarking on academic careers and ANZAMEMS is proud to establish a Publication Prize for Early Career Researchers in her honour.

Patricia Crawford Postgraduate Publication Prize

The Patricia Crawford Postgraduate Publication Prize will be awarded to a postgraduate student for the best article-length scholarly work in any discipline/topic falling within the scope of medieval and early modern studies, published within the previous two years.

Patricia Crawford (1941–2009) was Professor Emerita of History at The University of Western Australia. A pioneering feminist historian, she is remembered as a leading scholar of early modern England whose work brought new depth to the study of women’s lives and thereby transformed understanding of the period. Trish was internationally recognised and served The University of Western Australia, her discipline, and ANZAMEMS with distinction. An active member of ANZAMEMS and the Parergon Editorial Committee, Trish was a scholar passionate about collaboration, and a mentor of extraordinary generosity, and ANZAMEMS is delighted to establish a Publication Prize for postgraduate students in her honour.

Symposium: From Melancholy to Euphoria: The materialisation of emotion in Middle Eastern Manuscripts

Symposium: From Melancholy to Euphoria: The materialisation of emotion in Middle Eastern Manuscripts

Date: Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th June
Venue: The University of Melbourne

This symposium will examine the relationship between materiality, the textual content, and the emotional resonance that is elicited by those engaging with the texts. Taking the various manifestations of love, both religious and secular, depicted within these texts, and linking these to the great Persian stories told in text and music, this seminar will explore how a deep understanding of the text and the depiction of the stories within traverses an emotional continuum from melancholy to euphoria.

 

Presenters:
Associate Professor Mandana Barkeshli, Dr Stefano Carboni (Director of Art Gallery of Western Australia), Prof Amir Zekrgoo (Professor of Islamic & Oriental Arts Department of Applied Art & Design, IIUM), and local and international experts.

The program includes a Public Lecture by Dr Carboni, ‘The materialisation of emotion in Islamic illustrated manuscripts’; Persian musical performance with Timothy Johannessen; a poetry recital with Professor Amir Zekrgoo; and Sama dance with Samira Khonsari.

This symposium is supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions and the Crescent Foundation. Full symposium details and registration details at: http://go.unimelb.edu.au/2ct6